wlt1110

21/09/2007 12:46, Report by Ben Hibbs

Warrior Vidic set goals target

Nemanja Vidic has quickly become a cult hero among United supporters not only for his classy yet no-nonsense style of defending, but also for the threat he poses in the opposition box.

Vidic will once again be an integral part of United's defence as the Reds aim for a fifth clean sheet in a row on Sunday against Chelsea.

The 25-year-old Serbian centre-half scored the winning goal in an outstanding performance last weekend against Everton at Goodison Park. He followed it up with another commanding display in Lisbon on Wednesday, prompting praise from his manager.

"Nemanja always asks a question of defenders," said Sir Alex. "He wants to know whether they have the courage to put their head in front of his.

"He is a throw back to the old style of defender, but there's no question he can play, there is not a doubt about that. He doesn't mess about in terms of clearing the ball. He acts like a defender and that's a real asset to this squad."

Belgrade-born Vidic, a £7million signing from Spartak Moscow in January 2006, scored four goals in 38 games last season, and having got off the mark against Everton, Sir Alex has challenged the all-action defender to not only maintain his high standards as part of United's back four but also to beat his goals tally of 2006/07.

"He got me four goals last season and has already got one this year," said Ferguson. "I think he can easily get between five and 10 because he has got just the right qualities."

wlt1110

21/09/2007 08:40, Report by Ben Hibbs, at Carrington

Sunday too soon for Reds Duo

Thigh injuries have ruled Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville out of Sunday's clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.

The pair have both trained this week, but Sir Alex Ferguson expects them to return either side of next Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Coventry City.

"Owen Hargreaves is in training and improving all the time, he's in contention for Coventry," Sir Alex told his pre-match press conference.

"Gary Neville has joined first team training, but the Coventry game will be too early for him. We'll be looking at 7-10 days. For Sunday's game against Chelsea we'll be relying mainly on Wednesday's squad."

No new injuries were collected in United's win over Sporting Lisbon, giving Sir Alex a bulging squad for the visit of the Blues, who face their first game since the departure of manager Jose Mourinho.

wlt1110

22/09/2007 12:23, Report by Nick Coppack

U18s: United 1 Huddersfield 0

A second-half strike from Chris Curran was all that settled United and Huddersfield Town's Academy teams at the Trafford Training Centre on Saturday.

It's the Reds' fourth win in a row and completes a Yorkshire hat-trick for Paul McGuinness's team after victories against Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday in the previous weeks.

United were well on top for much of the match and could have won by a larger margin had the visitors' goalkeeper not been in such inspired form. The Reds also wasted a first-half opportunity from the penalty spot, with Jimmy Derbyshire blasting high over the bar from 12 yards. Many of the other early chances came from distance, including one particularly vicious effort that rattled the woodwork.

The breakthrough eventually came mid-way through the second period, when Joe Dudgeon's quick throw allowed Danny Welbeck to charge into the box. Welbeck's shot was parried out by the Huddersfield goalkeeper, but Curran was on hand at the far post to volley in United's winner.

It was the Reds' sixth goal of the season and Curran became the sixth different scorer. Meanwhile, at the other end, United have now gone four games without conceding.

Former United defender and MUTV commentator Arthur Albiston said the result will please the players immensely.

"It's a great result. There's a lot of satisfaction when you win 1-0. The boys have had to battle very hard and dig in to earn this result. It hasn't been easy," he said.

"I think United deserved to win and they could even have gone ahead earlier in the first half. They played ever so well, it was a satisfying result and we saw some good performances."

United: Woods, Moffatt (McCormack 74), Dudgeon, Evans C, Gill, Drinkwater, Curran (Eikrem 74), Norwood, Bryan, Welbeck, Derbyshire (Stewart 74)

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21/09/2007 17:25, Report by Nick Coppack

Evra's Red delight

When Patrice Evra walks onto the Old Trafford pitch on Sunday afternoon to commence battle with title rivals Chelsea, the Frenchman will do so secure in the knowledge that he has both the manager's and the home crowd's full support.

Following Gabriel Heinze's exit to Real Madrid and Mikael Silvestre's season-ending injury sustained in last weekend's 1-0 win over Everton, Evra is now Sir Alex Ferguson's undisputed first-choice left back. But it's hardly a case of victory by default.

Instead, over the last 18 months, the 26-year-old has risen to prominence on the back of a number of colossal displays on the left side of defence. Strong in the tackle, agile and surprisingly good in the air for someone who's just 5'8", Evra has all the necessary attributes of a top-class defender.

And yet it's his willingness to get forward and run at opposition defenders that's arguably won him more attention and endeared him to even the most critical match-going Reds. Speedy and direct, Evra also boasts a repertoire of tricks and flicks that regularly lures fans to their feet.

Rewind to early 2006, however, and Evra admits he was worried United supporters would never take to him. A bad mistake on his debut – against Manchester City, no less – was followed by a string of less-than-inspiring performances while he took time to adapt to the English game and settle in a new country.

"My first six months were very difficult," Evra told Manchester United Radio, "but the manager pulled me aside and told me that all the fans had been applauding me. I was concerned but he said he hadn't heard any fans say they were unhappy with me.

"That gave me lots of confidence and now I'm doing well. And that's why I think this is the best club in the world and we have the best fans in the world. Manchester United is not just a team – it's like a big family.

"In France I never played in front of fans like this. Walking out at Old Trafford is just
unbelievable. It's a real privilege and I thank the Gods every day that I play for United. Every time I play I just try and respect the shirt and do my best for the club."

Evra's next challenge will come on Sunday when FA Cup winners Chelsea visit Old Trafford after a tumultuous week. Held to a home draw by Danish club Rosenborg in the Champions League on Tuesday, Blues fans woke on Thursday morning to news that manager Jose Mourinho had sensationally left the club.

Patrice is quick, however, to dismiss suggestions that United players may think the game's already won.

"I don't care if Chelsea have lost their boss or haven't played well recently. I'm focussing only on my own job and on Manchester United," he insisted.

"The papers are all talking about Mourinho but we're not taking any notice of that. This is a very important game and it's never easy to beat Chelsea. All I know is that we're at home and we need to win."

His focus is admirable, as is his stance on the relevance of Sunday's match to the 2007/08 title race.

"Yes, it's a big game, but in England you must play every game at 100 per cent. When we play against the likes of Blackburn, Portsmouth and Bolton, they are very difficult matches and we have to fight very hard to get a result. It's those teams you really need to beat if you want to be champions. Those games are often more important than the ones against the top four."

It's also essential, he says, that United continue keeping clean sheets. The Reds' last four matches have all ended in 1-0 victories and it's a statistic Evra takes great delight in.

"We're defending very well at the moment, but it's not just the back four doing the work. In Edwin van der Sar we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world and his confidence is sky-high at the moment.

"He has had a great start to the season, which stemmed
from his three penalty saves against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Now the most important thing is that we keep picking up three points.

"I get on well with a lot of the Chelsea players – Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien – but during the game we won't be friends. Maybe afterwards we'll have a drink... only water though, no alcohol!"

Nevermind. The pubs around Manchester will certainly be full on Sunday evening if United can further dint Chelsea's title ambitions. And don't bet against one or two fans raising a glass to Patrice Evra, committed Red and full-back extraordinaire.

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23/09/2007 17:49, Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex: We deserved win

Sir Alex Ferguson believes the "fortunate" moments when Chelsea had a man sent off and United were awarded a penalty merely made up for other incidents missed by referee Mike Dean.

Chelsea's John Obi Mikel was dismissed after 32 minutes for lifting both feet off the ground in a challenge on Patrice Evra, while Louis Saha was pulled back in the box in the 89th minute before completing United's 2-0 win from the penalty spot.

“I’ve seen the sending off incident and it was maybe a bit harsh, but there was intent there," said Sir Alex on Sky Sports.

"It could have hurt the boy (Evra) but a lot of referees would have let it go. Then, when you see Joe Cole’s tackle in the second half on Cristiano Ronaldo, that should have been a straight red card. It was right down the Achilles which is happening repeatedly to Cristiano. He got a yellow card, but it should have been red. I think the referee was perhaps balancing it out.

"The foul on Louis Saha for our penalty was a bit harsh, but I think that cancels out the one we should have got in the first half. We should have had a penalty kick (for Joe Cole’s foul on Evra) in the first half, I think the cameras clearly show that. In tight games like that, the referee has to make big decisions quickly and he can get it wrong."

Right or wrong, the refereeing decisions did not taint the worthiness of United's victory for Sir Alex, who said: “I think we were the better team.

"Our football in the early parts of the match was outstanding - in the first half hour we played as well as we have all season in terms of the penetration of our play, the movement and our passing.

“We could have been two or three up early on. Petr Cech made a great save from Wayne Rooney right at the start and we were dominant at that point.

“I think the real turning point was the goal just before half time. It was a real blow to Chelsea. At that point we had complete control of the match.

“In a way we got some of our confidence back today," added Sir Alex.

"There was style and tempo to our play. I was delighted with that. Tevez and Rooney are getting more games and Saha is coming back. We are looking more like ourselves.”

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23/09/2007 17:13, Report by Adam Bostock

Giggs toasts timely goals

Ryan Giggs saluted his side's impeccable timing after United beat Chelsea with goals at the end of each half.

The Reds captain admitted the dismissal of John Obi Mikel could have worked against United - especially if the Blues had reached the break on level terms.

"When you play against ten men, they all get behind the ball," said Giggs.

"It can be difficult but we scored at the right time."

It was Giggs who delivered the right-wing cross for Carlos Tevez to nod home his first goal for the club as half-time beckoned.

"You get the ball into the area and hope the centre-forwards get in there," said Giggs.

"Carlos had made a great run – you’ll score loads of goals running across the near post and he managed to do that. I was really pleased to see it go in."

United's goal hero at the other end of the game was the substitute Louis Saha, who won and then converted a penalty to kill off any faint hopes Chelsea might have had of earning an ill-deserved equaliser.

“I think one-nil’s always a dangerous scoreline, even if you’re playing against ten men," reflected Ryan.

"Chelsea have got quality players that can score goals so it was really pleasing to see the second goal go in."

It was a day of firsts for United as Saha and Tevez both opened their goalscoring accounts for the season, to give the Reds their first win by more than one goal. Both reflect the strength in attacking depth that the Reds are beginning to enjoy.
“We’re getting players back now so we've got lots of options," added Ryan.

"Nani and Louis were on the bench today so we’ve got players who can come on and make an impact as well."

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23/09/2007 13:45, Report by Ben Hibbs and Adam Bostock

League: Arsenal hit five

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the league in style on Saturday, albeit against a poor Derby County side at the Emirates Stadium.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat-trick for Arsene Wenger's side, with Abou Diaby and Cesc Fabregas completing the scoring in an impressive 5-0 win for the Gunners.

There was less good news for United's other title rivals, however. Liverpool looked sluggish at home to a determined Birmingham City side. Not even expensive substitute Fernando Torres could turn things around in the last half-hour as Steve Bruce's men earned an unlikely 0-0 draw at Anfield.

Fulham and Manchester City played out a thrilling see-saw 3-3 draw at Craven Cottage, Danny Murphy coming off the bench to score a late equaliser for the home side.

On Sunday, Newcastle
defeated West Ham 3-1 at St James' Park, with two goals from Mark Viduka and a late Charles N'Zogbia strike to dwarf Dean Ashton's effort. The Magpies are now fifth and ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.

Aston Villa also won at home, beating Everton 2-0 with a first goal of the season from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's former Norway strike partner John Carew, plus one on the hour from home-grown youngster Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Blackburn's unbeaten start ended with a disappointing 0-1 defeat at home to Portsmouth. Kanu's well-taken goal gave Pompey their first away win of 2007.

Bolton and Tottenham are both in the bottom three after they drew 1-1 at the Reebok Stadium. Robbie Keane drew first blood for Spurs in the 34th minute, only for the home side to equalise just five minutes later through Ivan Campo.

TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal6+11162 Man Utd7+4143 Man City7+3134 Liverpool6+9125 Newcastle6+4116 Chelsea7-111
Results - 22/23 Sep

Arsenal 5-0 Derby
Fulham 3-3 Man City
Liverpool 0-0 B'rmnghm
Middlesbro 2-2 Sunderland
Reading 2-1 Wigan
Aston Villa 2-0 Everton
Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth
Bolton 1-1 Spurs
Newcastle 3-1 W Ham
United 2-0 Chelsea

wlt1110

23/09/2007 13:22, Report by Ben Hibbs

Report: United 2 Chelsea 0

The Reds moved second in the Barclays Premier League table on Sunday after Carlos Tevez grabbed his first United goal and Louis Saha capped off a deserved 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Chelsea's John Obi Mikel was sent off in the first half, but even before that point, United were always in control and never looked like ending this match with anything other than three points.

The goings-on at Stamford Bridge earlier this week took centre stage in the build-up to the game. However, during his Friday press conference, Sir Alex was insistent that Jose Mourinho’s departure would not overshadow the greatest need – three points – in what he said would be an important, if perhaps not decisive, meeting in the race for the title.

And that mindset was clear from the start, with United playing an attacking 4-4-2 formation as Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez spearheaded the Reds' attack for the first time. And the former quickly stamped his mark on the game. Rooney latched onto a ball Ryan Giggs won in midfield, and carrying the ball forward he took on his marker Tal Ben-Haim and curled a shot towards the far top corner. Petr Cech had to be at his best from the off, finger-tipping his save from the jaws of the upright.

The new man, Avram Grant, wasn’t aiming for a rapid departure from the brand of football Mourinho preached, sticking to the Portuguese coach’s 4-5-1 template, with width and expansive, attacking play – high on Roman Abramovich’s wish-list – clearly not yet applied. The missing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard further blunted Chelsea’s attacking options.

Just short of the 20-minute mark, Evra and the entire Stretford End were up in arms as Joe Cole appeared to catch the Reds' left-back just inside the area. Referee Mike Dean ushered away the protests.

United’s forward triumvirate of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo began increasingly to cause Chelsea significant problems. Paul Scholes picked out their forward runs with relative ease. All three attackers had
shots that troubled Cech, and Sir Alex’s side were edging closer to finding the breakthrough.

All the goalscoring opportunities were United’s. Rooney controlled a poor Ashley Cole clearance and crossed to the far post, where Giggs narrowly side-footed over. More than the chances, red shirts were first to every ball, strong in defence, organised in midfield, eager to get on and play from free-kicks and positive in everything they did going forward.

United were to be given a further boost in the 32nd minute when John Obi Mikel went into a challenge on Patrice Evra and lifted both feet off the ground. Fortunately he didn’t follow through, otherwise the Frenchman could have seriously been injured. It was maybe harsh, but the referee considered it dangerous enough to send the young Nigerian from the field.

Advantage United, perhaps. But it still needed the goal the home side’s play deserved. It almost arrived five minutes from time when Nemanja Vidic, the match-winner against Everton, rose above Chelsea’s defence to test Cech again.

The breakthrough finally did arrive in injury time at the end of the first half. Giggs curled in an inviting cross to the front post and Tevez darted into space, heading past Cech. It was nothing more than United deserved, and what better time for the Argentinian to score his first goal for the club?

The second half brought, as expected with Chelsea down to ten men, long periods of possession for the Reds. And with United rock solid in defence, wave after wave of attack came with the rain that raked across Old Trafford.

Chelsea never really looked like equalling United in any department all afternoon. The sending off undoubtedly didn’t help their cause, but from the very start the Reds showed they wanted this victory more than the visitors.

Joe Cole was lucky to stay on the field after a challenge caught Ronaldo on the ankle and could have caused injury. He was booked and can count
himself lucky.

But United had the final say of the afternoon when substitute Louis Saha, on for the impressive and tireless Tevez, was pulled back in the area by Ben-Haim and the referee pointed to the spot. The Frenchman, having earned the penalty, stepped up to take it, despite the inevitable offer from Ronaldo to take over duties if he should be required. Saha welcomed his second goal of the season with a strike down the middle of the goal.

Saha had the chance to add a second in injury time. The forward raced away from Ben-Haim and controlled Carrick’s raking ball forward perfectly before firing his shot narrowly over.

The victory breaks the trend of 1-0 wins – United were headed for a fifth on the trot before Saha’s penalty – and moves the Reds to second in the table, two points behind Arsenal. Chelsea must surely now be asking questions of their ability to reclaim the title. For United, the defence of it gathers momentum.

Team Line-ups

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (c); Tevez (Saha, 79), Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O’Shea, Nani, Pique.

Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Ben-Haim, Terry(c), A.Cole; J.Cole (Pizarro, 76), Mikel (sent
off 32), Makelele, Essien, Malouda (Wright-Phillips, 69); Shevchenko (Kalou, 59).
Subs not used: Cudicini, Alex.
Attendance: 75,633

wlt1110

24/09/2007 07:00, Report by Ben Hibbs

Boss lauds "lion" Tevez

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Carlos Tevez – "brave as a lion and tough as nails" – is starting to show some of his best form after the Argentina striker struck the crucial first goal in United’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
The 23-year-old started up front with Wayne Rooney for the first time and the pair looked dangerous, linking up well.
And during injury time at the end of the first half, Tevez had the intuition to gamble at the front post to reach Giggs’ cross and nod United in front, scoring his first goal for the club.
“I think this will only help him,” said Sir Alex. “I was pleased that he got off the mark because he had a good goalscoring record with West Ham.
“He’s got a lot of good qualities, he’s a very good player," added the boss. "He’s still only a young lad, 23 years of age, and he will get better.

"Carlos has got a cocky confidence in his own ability. He has great awareness, he’s as brave as a lion and tough as nails.”

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24/09/2007 15:31, Report by Frankie Theobalds

Edwin wants to keep it clean

United stopper Edwin van der Sar says keeping clean sheets is even more important when the goals aren't flowing as freely at the other end.

Although he was untroubled on Sunday, the Dutch keeper pulled off two breathtaking saves in last week's Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon and has already successfully kept opposition attacks at bay on half-a-dozen occasions this term.

Speaking to Manchester United Radio, van der Sar said: “It's important to keep clean sheets when we're not scoring many goals. The last few games have gone well and everyone's defending well and working hard. It shows you're a strong team and don't rely on individuals.

“We have maximum results from the last five games, even though we played better and created loads more chances in the first three. That's a bit strange but that's football.”

Stranger still is that after a stern test in Lisbon, the Reds' keeper barely had a shot to save at the weekend when United faced FA Cup winners Chelsea.

But despite a quiet Sunday, van der Sar’s performances this season make it hard for understudies Tomasz Kuszczak and Tom Heaton to get a look-in.

“My form's been steady this season and hopefully I can maintain it and prolong it as soon as possible. Normally I don't have too many downs in a season so hopefully I can keep it like this.”

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24/09/2007 08:16, Report by Nick Coppack

Reds' injury boost

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Mikael Silvestre could play again this season, despite damaging cruciate knee ligaments at Goodison Park on 15 September.

Initial reports claimed the Frenchman would miss the rest of United's 2007/08 campaign but the United boss told Manchester United Radio he expects the 30-year-old to be fit for the title run-in.

"I'm sure Mikael will be back in March," Sir Alex said. "We had him operated on in France last week and it all went well. It was pleasing to see there was no further damage other than the cruciate ligament. That's a big bonus because sometimes there can be cartilage problems that also come along."

Meanwhile, the manager also confirmed Gary Neville will begin full training today.

"Gary will be training with us this week for the first time. He's been working hard on his fitness but he's now fully into the football side of things as well. It's pleasing news because it's been a long time for the lad. We're very, very pleased.

"He's been unlucky and just had one injury on top of another. It's just an accumulation of small injuries that has set him back. Hopefully he's now on the mend and we're looking forward to having him back."

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25/09/2007 08:49, Report by Nick Coppack

Youth given chance to shine

Sir Alex Ferguson says United's youngsters can look to Sir Bobby Charlton for inspiration ahead of the Reds' Carling Cup clash with Coventry City.

A number of players will gain rare first-team starts on Wednesday night and the United manager says it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.

"I've just been reading Bobby's book and he speaks a lot about his early years here," the manager told Manchester United Radio. "What came across strongly was the number of times he had to say, 'Believe in yourself Bobby, you'll get your chance'. I didn't realise he was 19 before he played his first game for United. He was being kept out of the team time and time again by more experienced players.

"It's the same with these young lads. They have to keep believing in themselves and, when their chance comes, take it. And they will get chances."

Sir Alex revealed he hopes to hand opportunities to almost a dozen Reserves or fringe players, including Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Tomasz Kuszczak. He also said Nani, Anderson and John O'Shea could be involved.

"This is a really important night for these players. They all want regular first-team football and that's not easy to manage. I'm trying to get them games in the Premier League and in Europe too, but Wednesday is a great opportunity for them.

"You have to use your squad throughout the course of the season and I'll be doing that when the time's right. At the moment they might not see that, but it will happen and I know they won't let us down.

"A lot of these players have already shown great improvement. Chris Eagles has been sensational in training and the games he's played in. Young Jonny Evans and Gerard Pique have also been excellent, as has Danny Simpson.

"There's real promise there and that's what we want to see on Wednesday. We want them to play with the kind of commitment they see from the first-team players every week."

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25/09/2007 07:23, Report by Steve Bartram

Learning from the best

Fraizer Campbell admits he cannot wait to start learning from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as soon as the recently-retired striker begins imparting his knowledge on United's current crop of forwards.

Solskjaer took temporary charge of the Reds' Reserves against Sporting Lisbon this week, but it's the striker-specific work that excites Campbell, who is itching to learn from a man described by Sir Alex Ferguson as 'one of the best natural finishers I have seen'.

"I’ve done a bit of finishing practice with Ole before, but I was speaking to him recently and he said he’s going to do some work with the strikers," Fraizer told ManUtd.com. "First he wants to do a little work himself and get back into action."

Having seen the Norwegian in action at close quarters on Carrington's training fields, Campbell admits he will be privileged to tap into Solskjaer's finishing know-how.

"I’ve spent time watching him in the past during training, and his finishing is tremendous," said Fraizer. "He was sliding in and hitting it at awkward heights, and still picking out the corners of the goal each time. It’s something I’d like to be able to do.

"He’s probably even now one of the best finishers at the club, and for him to want to teach people like me is an honour really. I’m really looking forward to working with him and trying to learn from him."

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25/09/2007 09:09, Report by Steve Bartram

Boss expects entertaining tie

Sir Alex Ferguson expects a competitive, entertaining tie as United begin their Carling Cup campaign against Coventry City on Wednesday night.
Iain Dowie's Sky Blues come to Manchester on the back of three straight defeats, but with a huge travelling support, and Sir Alex is wary of the midlanders' threat.

"He's doing a good job, Iain," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio. "I watched them on Saturday against Ipswich. They lost three goals in the first half but they looked the better side to me.

"I think Coventry will have a real go. It will be a fantastic atmosphere, which I think will help them, with 10,000 of their fans here. It will feel like a real cup tie."
The United manager confirmed that he will field a host of his squad's burgeoning young talents against the Sky Blues, and hand run-outs to players who are in need of action.

"I'm going to play the younger ones, but also players like Anderson, Nani, maybe O'Shea," he said. "But the younger one like Pique, Evans, Simpson, Bardlsey, Eagles, Martin, Dong, Campbell, Kuszczak - they'll all be involved."

Sir Alex also confirmed that another match-hungry member of his squad has been pestering him for some involvement against on Wednesday night.
"Wayne Rooney's been in my ear wanting to play," he revealed. "'I want to play, I want to be captain, I want to take the penalties, the corners, the free kicks, the goal kicks, the lot!'
"There's a real buzz about the place. We're really looking forward to it."

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Papers: Tevez taunts Blues
25/09/2007 08:28

Violent Blues were no match for us
Carlos Tevez has accused Chelsea of violent play in Sunday's bad-tempered clash at Old Trafford and warned them that Manchester United no longer view them as their main title rivals. The match featured a red card for midfielder John Obi Mikel and a tackle from Joe Cole that deserved another. United striker Tevez, scorer of United's first goal in their 2-0 win, said: "Chelsea pushed the violence to the absolute limit and there could have been other red cards during the match. But justice prevailed in the end and we deserved to win. Our game is totally superior to Chelsea's this season and the scoreline was actually a little short of what we deserved. I have seen the problems at Chelsea with the change of coach, but this season they have just not developed the rhythm of other years. I don't see that they are superior to any of our other title rivals. Chelsea were very nervous and it was impossible that we were going to lose the match."
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail

The Mail also claim John Terry is facing censure from the FA after attempting to snatch the red card from referee Mike Dean's hand during Sunday's game.

Ryan Giggs has warned United's Premier League rivals Sir Alex Ferguson's side are about to embark on a long winning run and take control of the title race.
Round up by Gemma Thompson