With Arsenal dropping points as they were held to a 2-2 at West Brom, the result was the perfect tonic for Ferguson in the week that he was handed a five-game ban for comments made after the loss to Chelsea.
United did it the hard way after being reduced to 10 men on 76 minutes when Jonny Evans saw red for an ugly lunge on Bolton's Stuart Holden.
The hosts regrouped and claimed all the points when Berbatov capitalised on a horrendous spill by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen to tuck home the winner two minutes from time.
Report to follow...