Soccer-Mkhitaryan on target as Manchester United beat Spurs 1-0

* Manchester United beat Tottenham 1-0 at Old Trafford

* First Premier League goal for United's Mkhitaryan

* Midfielder is the first Armenian to score in the Premier League

* Mkhitaryan carried off on a stretcher late in the game

* Tottenham's Kane is yet to score against United in six attempts

* Hosts remained sixth, three points behind Spurs

* United are at Palace next, Spurs entertain Hull City

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0

Dec 11 ( Reuters) - Henrikh Mkhitaryan's first Premier League goal earned Jose Mourinho's Manchester United a much-needed 1-0 victory over high-flying Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Armenian, who was carried off on a stretcher with 10 minutes remaining after a heavy tackle left him clutching his ankle, blasted home on 29 minutes after Ander Herrera intercepted a sloppy Harry Kane pass in midfield.

Herrera fed the ball through and Mkhitaryan, a 25 million pounds ($31.43 million) close-season buy from Borussia Dortmund who was left out in the cold earlier in the campaign, did the rest with a rocket of a shot over keeper Hugo Lloris.

The unmarked Victor Wanyama missed a good chance to grab an equaliser for Spurs following a free kick in the 56th minute, his header going inexplicably wide, while Paul Pogba struck the woodwork for United in the 64th.

The hosts remained sixth with 24 points, three behind fifth-placed Tottenham who might otherwise have overtaken Manchester City -- beaten 4-2 at champions Leicester City on Saturday -- on goal difference.

United remain one of the two current Premier League teams that Kane, last season's top marksman, has yet to score against.

The victory was United's first at home in the league since September.

($1 = 0.7954 pounds) (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Tony Jimenez)