Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot as Manchester United beat Everton 1-0 on Saturday to open up a five-point gap at the top of the Premier LeagueRonaldo struck the decisive blow a minute before half-time after England midfielder Michael Carrick was tripped in the box by Mikel Arteta.
During the course of the match United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar set a new English league record for most minutes without conceding a goal.
The 38-year-old Dutch international has now not been beaten for 1,121 minutes - more than 18-and-a-half hours - a run of 12 straight clean sheets.
Ferguson, looking ahead to Sunday's match, added: "I'm hoping for a draw. We've got an advantage, that's all.
"We can't say it is a great advantage with the number of games we've got left. But we would rather be top of the league than anywhere else
