The scoreline did not flatter the reigning Champions but that isn’t to say Fulham didn’t have their moments or that it was a procession – far from it. It was the Red Devils who fashioned the first opening, though, when neat one-two’s between Darren Fletcher and Berbatov led to the Scot caught in two minds when clean through.With the goal gaping and Rooney waiting, Fletcher unselfishly squared but Fulham’s defenders reacted quick to snuff out the opportunity.

There were, occasionally, moments of deliberation where indecision almost proved fatal – the first instance, with Neville giving the ball away, saw Clint Dempsey drive a long range shot just over the bar. United responded and Berbatov’s acrobatic volley from a corner was wide and just missed by Rooney who attempted to divert it. Midway through the first half Rooney had a decent shout for a penalty appeal after being manhandled by Stephen Kelly – United have seen one given against them, at Hull, in identical circumstances, but on this occasion no foul was given.

A feature of Rooney’s ascent to world stardom has been the way he channels what he believes to be wrong decisions against him into his personal desire to right them by letting his football do the talking instead of his mouth – by forcing Schwarzer into a smart stop on the half hour, and then seeing another chance deflected after nice build up with Berbatov, it was clear he was once again in the mood.The goalless first period was almost interrupted by Bobby Zamora – the forward has been in good form this season, and scored against United in December, but he failed to control his shot after a pass from perrenial United upsetter Danny Murphy played him through.

With 45 minutes played any pre-match observations that Fulham may be tiring after their midweek European exploits seemed to be wide of the mark – quite the opposite, in fact. Veteran manager Roy Hodgson would doubtless have drilled the importance of concentration and energy levels for both the trip to Turin and this encounter and his players did not let him down – but any thoughts that United,with the visit of Fulham posing something of an anti-climax after destroying Milan so wilfully in midweek, would suffer from complacency, took just 29 seconds of the restart to dispel. Picking up on a won header by Berbatov, Rooney played the ball wide to Nani. Nani’s delivery had been the most likely route to an opener as the winger has begun to settle into better form on the left hand side, and there could be no complaints about the accuracy and the timing of his release here, fizzing the ball through a small crowd of Fulham defenders back into the path of Rooney. Rooney, of course, needs no invitation and gratefully wrapped the ball into the back of the net.

In the 54th minute a Gary Neville cross caused all kinds of panic – Nani was unsure just what part of his body to use to send the ball towards goal, and when the ball rebounded to Rooney, he was unable to get any real conviction due to being slightly off balance. Aside from a spectacular volleyed effort by Rio Ferdinand that went just over, this was the closest United came to extending their lead until Fulham gave a reminder that with just a goal seperating them, they could yet throw an almighty spanner in their opponents title hopes.

A long ball through was deflected just enough to outfox both Ferdinand and Vidic who had otherwise been impenetrable, and suddenly Zamora found himself with time and space. Too much time and space, it seemed, as the England hopeful showed the lack of conviction that is probably the reason he won’t be heading to South Africa in the summer – nonetheless, Vidic’s recovery was sensational to snuff out any chance whatsoever.

It was enough to prompt United to up the ante – Park, on for Valencia who had been below par, showed excellent footwork before fizzing the ball in towards Berbatov, but the forward’s header was just wide. A minute later, Patrice Evra went on a mazy run and fired a right foot shot wide, and this was soon followed by Darren Fletcher working his own way through. Fletcher’s shot was on target, but Schwarzer’s reaction was superb. A second goal seemed inevitable, however, and it duly arrived with just over 5 minutes to go with more than just a touch of class. Michael Carrick’s brilliant searching pass sent Berbatov wide – with two defenders near him, it seemed a dead end, but Berbatov turned and beat them both for pace. Rooney had raced to join him in the middle, Berbatov’s pass was clean, Rooney’s shot was far from clean but went across goal comfortably beating Schwarzer. It was the England forward’s 32nd goal of the season.

United still found time to score again, with a goal almost identical in craft to the previous one. It was Rooney’s exceptional cross field pass this time, finding Park wide right. Park’s delivery was perfect, and Berbatov met it centrally to head in a richly deserved goal.

Sir Alex Ferguson may clearly prefer a 4-3-3 which is more effective in the bigger games, and as such Berbatov will probably find himself on the bench next weekend. However occasions such as these show that the frontman does have a part to play at Old Trafford in other games. Berbatov’s contribution was key; while at the back the importance of the mere presence of Ferdinand and Vidic was enough to instill an inherent confidence in the side, something notably absent the last time these two teams met. By selecting Fletcher and Carrick to start in midfield – both of whom were defensively deployed at Craven Cottage – Ferguson was perhaps unknowingly proving a point about the severity of the handicap that befell the Champions over the winter.

It is no coincidence that with his preferred central pairing Sir Alex has seen his team register 3 consecutive league clean sheets, and he will be hopeful that with something to prove they continue that stability next week, after last season’s abberation in the same fixture.

Ratings : van der Sar 6, Neville 7 (Fabio), Ferdinand 7, Vidic 7, Evra 8, Valencia 6 (Park 7), Fletcher 7, Carrick 8, Nani 8, *Berbatov 8, Rooney 8

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There has been a lot of discussion over the past few weeks regarding the potential goal scoring return from Wayne Rooney this season in comparison to that of his former team mate, Cristiano Ronaldo’s return in 2007/08. We discussed the possibility of such an achievement a couple of weeks ago when Rooney surpassed the total goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo last season. I’m going to put my neck out and say that in our remaining games (potentially 14) Wayne Rooney will score thirteen goals – taking his goal tally up to a whopping 43 for the season (including community shield goal).

In the summer of 2008 I honestly thought that I would never see a goals return like it again. In the season 2007/08 Cristiano Ronaldo had scored a bucket load of goals for us, with Carlos Tevez coming a distant second (with 19) and Rooney third (with 18). I honestly could not even have contemplated that anyone would ever get close to such an achievement. However, that is until Wayne Rooney demonstrated how much of an old round forward he actually is.

People used to say that Wayne Rooney needs to play deeper to get the most out of him. In Rooney’s debut season he was forced to operate as a lone front man, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy unavailable for long periods due to an ankle injury. He did well as a lone striker, with support from wide areas in Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and, erm, Kieran Richardson – but it was clear that this would be a temporary fix for a team in transition. As the years passed Rooney developed, along with Cristiano Ronaldo who’s natural ability allowed him to take centre stage – with Rooney often being sacrificed, especially in the latter European games. With Ronaldo gone Rooney has been effectively liberated from his shackles and United are reaping the rewards, whilst Ronaldo’s Galacitco’s crash out again in the European Cup’s last sixteen.

I was looking through Ronaldo’s stats from 2007/08 today and if we do a like for like with this season – we’d be at the 1-0 victory over Derby County, where Ronaldo scored the winner. He then proceeded to score twice against Bolton, once against Liverpool, once against Aston Villa, once against Roma, once against Middlesbrough, once against Arsenal, twice against West Ham United, once against Wigan Athletic to help clinch the title and that header in the Champions League final against Chelsea (phew).

So, if we get to Madrid this May Rooney has an opportunity to play in fourteen games, where his form would surely be a great shout for him to surpass the total set by Ronaldo two seasons ago. The fact that we have a superb athlete in Valencia who has put in some immense performances over the season and the trio of Fletcher, Scholes and Carrick behind him – he has a superb opportunity to do it. I like the fact that he plays in a free role up top on his own. He has license to roam around the final third, which draws defenders out as their petrified of Rooney running at them with pace. He showed he is still an unselfish player for the team when United do not have the ball, running back to cover for both Nani and Valencia who ventured forward. He really is a class act and an all round forward.

Any regular reader of this blog will know that both Yolkie and I like to pull out the stats now and again, so here is another one for you:

The above chart shows the breakdown of Rooney’s 30 goals so far this season, with his goals in the last ten minutes and injury time looking very impressive. Its shame we haven’t recorded ‘type of goal’ as we could breakdown the amount of headed goals he has against right foot, left foot, long range (e.t.c.).

So to conclude, Rooney has a great opportunity to surpass Ronaldo’s goal tally of 2007/08 – something I never thought I would say a mere twenty months after it happened. He has a manager who believes in him, fans who adore him and a talent that allows him to score all types of goals. Rooney will no doubt play down his own personal compliments, stating he does it for the team and he could just help us win a nineteenth Championship and fourth European Cup. Fingers crossed.

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Relentless, ruthless, Rooney – these were the three R’s that inspired Manchester United to a historic victory over grand European opponents AC Milan. It was a classic action packed European night at Old Trafford with many subplots; but it was United who triumphed with a massive 7-2 aggregate scoreline to progress to the Champions League quarter finals.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s line up was more or less the same in formation as his decision in the San Siro, deploying Park on Pirlo and opting for the experienced Neville on Ronaldinho. But any pre-match thoughts of containment were quickly erased; two early Rooney chances were accompanied by that rarest of sights, Gary Neville charging forward to fire a well struck left foot shot from 20 yards just over. None of these three chances were as close as Ronaldinho’s header on 8 minutes from a free kick, drifting just wide to the obvious frustration of the Brazilian. An action packed opening quarter hour was sealed nicely – Neville, on another rampage into Milan territory, rolled back the years to cross a ball perfectly to the head of Wayne Rooney. The end result, given Rooney’s form, was obvious, but even so this was a tremendous effort even by his own imperious standards.

Pirlo did force van der Sar into action with a vicious, moving drive from 20 yards, but United drew the sting and fight out of the Milan effort. With the last act of the first half, Fletcher almost scored a screamer from 25 yards – it took only a matter of moments after the restart to seal the result. Nani had had a frustrating time in the first half, but he was to improve greatly in the second – his first contribution was an incredible outside of the boot pass to Rooney who exhibited the composure of someone ten years older to wait perfectly for the exact moment to caress the ball first time into a goal exposed by the onrushing Abbiati. It was a goal of truly breathtaking quality, a real world class moment in this demolition.

On the hour, United extended their advantage. The home support were in full swing, alternating between chants continuing their campaign against the Glazers and songs for the returning Beckham. They were sent into a frenzy when Valencia passed to Scholes, whose pass to Park was perfect. The South Korean’s first touch was brilliant, with a finish across goal to match. It was party time; cue the substitutions. An emotional Beckham was introduced, looking visibly overwhelmed by his warm reception from the Old Trafford faithful, though he was ironically – though, it should be said, lovingly – booed upon his first few touches. It was then Rooney’s turn to get a standing ovation, arguably getting a bigger cheer than Beckham himself, and Neville, who was brought off for Rafael but came off in the knowledge that he has probably added to the growing clamour for the most unlikely of career autumn international recalls.

Ex-Arsenal player Flamini had a long ranger before Beckham rifled a stunning volley that van der Sar had to be alert to – United had by this point found a pattern of sitting back and allowing Milan the ball, attempting to break when possible. On one of the final breaks, with just 2 minutes left, Milan failed to clear effectively. Park managed to outwit Ronaldinho and lay the ball into Rafael’s path. The youngsters cross was sensational, perfectly into the path of Darren Fletcher – the Scot headed comfortably over the keeper to seal a magical scoreline and evening for last season’s beaten finalists.

After the game Beckham further endeared himself to supporters – if at all possible – by accepting a green and gold scarf, and then spoke with emotional fondness about the occasion. Elsewhere in Europe, Beckham’s successor in the number 7 shirt, Cristiano Ronaldo, was finding life in Madrid a little sticky as Real Madrid yet again failed to make the quarter finals. Not that it mattered to Sir Alex – he was in bullish mood, so impressed by his teams performance that he suggested he would take on anyone when the draw for the next round is made.

It has to be said – with good reason.

Ratings : van der Sar 7, Neville 8 (Rafael 7), Ferdinand 8, Vidic 8, Evra 7, Valencia 7, Fletcher 9, Scholes 9 (Gibson 6), *Park 9, Nani 8, Rooney 8 (Berbatov 6)

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After the 3-2 victory over AC Milan three weeks ago in the San Siro, Rafael came under some fierce criticism for his naive performance against Ronaldinho. The 2004 & 2005 World player of the year gave our young right back a big lesson, which will no doubt be of valuable experience to the lad as he develops even further. Firstly, my personal opinion was that Rafael did ok, although I believe he was at fault for not thumping the ball down the pitch just before Seedorf scored Milan’s second. However, as we approach kick off time, I wanted to look at the positions of both fullbacks in the previous game and their potential roles tonight.

Many Reds were rightfully confused with the formation that United adopted against the Rossoneri. Ji Sung Park operated just off of Wayne Rooney through the centre whilst the responsibility of the left hand side was left to Darren Fletcher to patrol. The setup obviously worked with Milan’s creative influence, Pirlo ge,tting little time on the ball. Fletcher also demonstrated from an attacking sense how versatile he is operating where he did. Two crosses provided two goals, whilst his trademark stamina and hustling were present for all to see. But what about on the right hand side? Rafael was obviously under strict orders to ‘mark’ Ronaldinho, which thus prevented our Brazilian fullback bombing on as he does usually – do you agree with this approach or even believe he was adopting a more conservative approach to handling one of the best players in the past twenty years?

We’ve all played in a game, usually when we are younger, where you are ‘happy’ to mark a player. You might generally follow around your opponent nullifying his game, but also not contributing much yourself. With experience and time, even at our amateur level, you develop to realise that there is a time and a place to ‘man mark’ and a time and a place to ‘zonal mark’. This isn’t to get confused with ‘Zonal marking from set pieces‘ – this is a general philosophy in how you approach the game and your opponent. Rafael was happy to neglect his attacking qualities and contributions to the team. By sacrificing this side of the game, his job is now to nullify the impact of Ronaldinho. The stats and performance of the former Barcelona man might state that Rafael didn’t really do his job, however I would argue that he couldn’t have done anything about the goal whilst he is actually up against one of the best players in European football of all time (opinions are of course subjective – so please comment and state why you disagree with this statement), so he is going to be chasing heels at one point of another. But could he, in all his experience of 41 games, have done anything differently? I don’t know about you but I would prefer our attacking opinions to be limited to Valencia or Nani on the right, so that Ronaldinho is covered rather than taking a risk and be hit by the counter attack? Pirlo, Beckham and to a lesser extent Ambrosini all have the ability to hit long diagonal balls to the Brazilian forward, which of course could then be devastating.

Some football fans incorrectly see Brazil as a nation of footballers who samba their way around European cities, not running around much and generally allowing their technique and skill to help them win football matches. This couldn’t be further from the truth as Brazilians have always worked their balls off all over the pitch but some work gets unnoticed due to the flamboyance and beauty of their overall play. Romario once said to Ronaldo in his first International ‘Kid, if you want to score more goals, you need to do less running’ – after Ronaldo, who was keen to impress, was sprinting around like a Carlos Tevez Darren Fletcher love child on heat. Ronaldo took that advice on board from a man who only came alive in the penalty box, but when he did – there was no one better in the 1990s at it. This leads me onto the work rate point, players do not need to run all around the pitch (i.e. Carlos Tevez) to work hard in their position to aid the team overall. For Ronaldinho, why would you want him to get behind the ball on the left hand side when Milan lose the ball? You don’t. You want him high up the pitch and obviously up against out most inexperienced player.

Alexandre Pato is a lot younger than Ronaldinho and was most probably asked to track Patrice Evra more than Ronaldinho was asked to track Rafael. Pato is one of the most exciting youngsters in World football and looks likely he will be fit to face United tonight. I always felt his best position would be just off a front man, however Leonardo has opted for a 4-3-3 formation, rather than Milan’s 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1 of last season. Both wide forwards can’t be caught high up the pitch at the same time, otherwise top European teams will dominate possession in the middle of the park (and at times when Pato was caught United did exactly that). Pato demonstrates the qualities and attributes of the modern day forward, who continually operates from a wider position and cuts inside to attack. Ferguson has addressed this quality in the past when discussing former United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and his style of play. So on one side of the pitch we have an inexperienced full back up against a very experienced and ridiculously talent forward, whilst on the other side we have an experienced full back up against a relatively inexperienced forward – so its not surprising a sense of caution creeps in either side.

Milan’s midfield trio is key to the ‘legs’ the wide players need to play effective counter attacking football. I thought United’s defensive setup three weeks back was quite poor and below standard, with Milan fluffing a number of opportunities to take a two goal lead. Going forward, I thought we were good, although the amount of space that was available might have come as surprise to United. I think that although a 3-2 victory in Milan was an absolutely phenomenal result, we could have been even more convincing. Tonight, Pirlo Ambrosini and one of Seedorf, Gattuso and Beckham will play in the centre of the park and we all know the running Beckham puts in whenever he is called upon.

So to conclude – how do you mark someone like Ronaldinho in a 4-3-3 formation? I believe that Ferguson’s decision to grant Rafael the responsibility in getting tight to the Ronaldinho was the right call and he did ok against a frightening talent. There is that worry about taking a risk and bombing on (as it is in Rafael’s nature to do so), which is what Milan want – to leave the 2002 World Cup winner in acres of space on the left hand side. Tonight, its up to Milan to attack and take the game to United, so don’t expect anything different on the right hand side, even if Gary Neville lines up in his place. Of course United should play the open attacking game we all know the team is capable of producing. But on European nights, we know that Sir Alex Ferguson (rightly so in my opinion) adopts a somewhat cautious approach to proceedings – which has been a frustration to United fans in some games. We of course should always play to our strengths, which will be to get the ball wide to Valencia and support to Wayne Rooney through the middle and could just exploit them on the counter attack if indeed they are chasing the game. The first leg result was impressive, i’m hopeful tonight will be even more so. We’ve lost to Milan in 58, 69, 05 and 07 – lets make sure its fifth time lucky tonight!

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Paul Scholes scored a landmark goal to give Premier League Champions Manchester United a crucial (if unconvincing) three points against division struggliers Wolves at Molineux. The United legend’s 100th league goal for the club returned them to the top of the league.

It was a twist of a somewhat ironic nature that presented itself to Sir Alex prior to the game in terms of available players; while he was able to field the clubs’ Champions League winning defence for the first time in almost 18 months, he was severely restricted in attacking options. Wayne Rooney’s decision to play in midweek for England on a heavily criticised Wembley pitch lead to a reported aggravation of a knee complaint and added United’s leading scorer to a list of absentees that included Ryan Giggs, Anderson, Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves.

With such an impressive array of creative talent sidelined chances were likely to be at a premium against a team fighting for their lives and it made for an uncomfortable 90 minutes for both sets of supporters. Neither manager will make an apology for that – indeed, after the game, Sir Alex maintained that his side had played good football at times while Mick McCarthy lamented missed chances, and at the business stage of the season it was probably widely expected that this fixture was never likely to present a feast.

Of the first half chances, both sides helped themselves to a couple of decent shouts – after eight minutes, Antonio Valencia created space before driving into the side netting, and on the quarter hour Nani’s free kick got through the wall to Darron Gibson. The Irish midfielder was to squander later openings but did well to react and try to connect with the ball. The shot went wide although there was half a shout for a penalty due to what could have been deemed excessive handling.

Before the break, Wolves created two good opportunities in the space of 3 minutes. First of all, former United trainee David Jones hit a shot that was deflected helpfully into Van der Sar’s waiting hands, before Steven Ward headed a Jarvis cross straight at the veteran goalkeeper. Both chances were clear openings; both misses were greeted with a collective sigh of relief from the visiting faithful, who, through their colourful protests, had probably created a better spectacle off the pitch than the one that was being provided on it.

If the first half was forgettable, the second was just unpleasant. Patrice Evra’s double half chance from a Gibson pass was, other than substitutions for the Champions of Neville and Diouf for Brown and Gibson, the only notable event until the scoreline was finally affected. Paul Scholes played the ball wide to Valencia, whose cross was snuffed out by the defence, only to be met by Nani who had crept out of position in the knowledge that with Park limbering up, he was due to be replaced. Nani’s pass found its way to Scholes – and he used all of his experience to evade a challenge and coolly finish, to relief that was almost tangible from his reaction, though typically clearly more for the meaning of the goal in the circumstances than the personal achievement he had reached.

Had Mame Diouf been more confident or less ring rusty there may have been more to follow; two gilt edged chances went begging before a home substitute found himself with far more important retrospective recriminations. Michael Carrick was guilty of inexplicably surrendering possession in the area – in injury time! – casually giving the ball away during a defensive melee. The ball was played to Sam Vokes who somehow, with the goal at his mercy, fired the ball way over the bar. Any hopes of a “there there son” were extinguished when he went on to head another decent chance wide and in the process end Wolves’ chance of a result.

The misses – the first, in particular – represented a stark contrast to the teams respective plights. It would be difficult to reasonably argue against United deserving the victory but at the same time Wolves barely deserved to lose in terms of their commitment; when you think of the league in the fierce way it has been competed this year and the potential that miss has to effect the difference between survival and relegation it would take a thick skinned person to not feel a degree of sympathy.

It wasn’t pretty, to say the least, but taking into account the list of those missing (Darren Fletcher was also left unused) the performance will be discounted and filed under “one of those games you need to win”.

Ratings : van der Sar 7, Brown 6 (Neville 6), Ferdinand 7, Vidic 7, Evra 7, Valencia 7, *Scholes 8, Gibson 5 (Diouf 6), Carrick 6, Nani 5 (Park 5), Berbatov 7

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I think we could safely say that after the last international break of the season we’re entering “squeaky bum time”; after a season that has seen thrills and spills and has been described as both fantastic and woeful, you might need time to pinch yourself and compose when you realise there’s only 8 weeks left of the league season.

That’s right, 8 weeks standing between this point of uncertainty and possibly yet more groundbreaking history from our club. Seems hard to believe when you consider it’s only relatively recently that the media has quietened its “United need Ronaldo” drumbeat – no doubt preparing for a post-season reprise.

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Michael Owen will miss the rest of the season after his vital Cup Final contribution in the United number 7 shirt (imagine writing that this time 12 months ago..) while also delivering good news in the shape of a possible return for Owen Hargreaves, pencilled in for a reserves fixture on Thursday. It was brought to my attention earlier that tomorrow’s trip to Wolves could see us name our “Moscow back 4″ of Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra for the first time in almost 18 months, a fact that not only helps you appreciate how well we have done to even be in contention to claim a record 19th league title at this stage of the season but also retrospectively should heap further respect on our record breaking defence of last winter. With the long list of defensive absentees and the likes of Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, and Obertan to name just 5 all missing long periods of the campaign – with the re-use of Carrick and Fletcher also losing their natural contribution at significant times, it’s safe to say that any other club would be applauded for being in the position we’re in. Maybe it’s a consequence of the media wanting us to fail or a consequence of Fergie’s refusal to allow whatever eleven he fields to dwell on its restrictions, or maybe it’s even a combination, but the manager will refuse to rest on his laurels and consider where we are as a good achievement.

Particularly not when we’re so mouth wateringly close to a significant achievement; top of the tree in English football. 10 games is all that stands between our players and history.

Football has a peculiar quirk of consistently surprising instead of following the status quo; or at least, surprising on the path even if the status quo is maintained. A bizarre explanation I grant you but best summed up by the fact that its peculiar that the team most likely to win the title on paper from this point should be Arsenal. Nobody was really surprised when Manchester United won the title last season (despite the pre-season obituaries that insisted Chelsea would walk it, like every year) but they still needed an unlikely Springtime intervention from Federico Macheda.

I’ve long since given up trying to accurately predict the whys and wherefores, particularly at this stage of the season, but nonetheless it is entertaining to hear others thoughts and predictions, so this space is yours.

Who will win the league? Can United get a record Championship haul, if they do, will Fergie retire? Who will be the unlikely name that pops up to decide the title race? History tells us that despite Rooney’s season long heroics, he will need a Robin to his Batman in the last few weeks, so with Owen injured and Welbeck on loan, can Macheda do the football equivalent of a Dracula impersonation, appearing only for the Spring before disappearing into obscurity until his next glory altering contribution next season? Alternatively, will the young Italian have an “Andy Cole” on the final day of the season that will be unfairly blamed for falling short?

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Michael Owen’s injury nightmare continues as Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that he believes United’s number seven will be out for few weeks. Michael Owen started the League Cup final against Aston Villa on Sunday and scored the opening goal to help United to a 2-1 victory. Owen pulled up half way through the first half to be replaced by Wayne Rooney, who scored the winner in the second half. Ferguson stated that both Owen and Rafael will go for scans on the injuries they sustained in the match.

Michael Owen is United’s top scorer in the Champions League so far this season, and has netted three times in the Premier League so far, including the vital winner against Manchester City in September. Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted as saying:

“He’s not had a lot of football and the pitch probably wasn’t the best for him. You pick the team before you know the pitch conditions, and Michael isn’t suited to a heavy pitch like that. We paid the penalty for it. That aside, I thought he was one of our best performers in the first half. He did really well for us and scored a goal to get us back in the game. He’s good at picking up crumbs. He’s as good as anybody at that. He and Rafael will go for scans tomorrow, I think Michael will be out for a few weeks.”

Owen’s performance will delight a number of United fans who were frustrated at the players lack of playing time since signing in the summer on a free transfer from Newcastle United. Owen also confirms that he should be out for a few weeks but is pleased with the victory over Villa:

“It has been a great weekend for us, with Chelsea not getting a great result and us winning here. We are all really happy at the minute. I am disappointed because I am going to be out for a few weeks, but once I get back it will hopefully be for some important games.”

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Back in December I got some stick for defending Sir Alex Ferguson for fielding a makeshift three man defense against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Some readers seemed to think that I was a 3-5-2 advocate, when in fact I do not feel it is effective in top level football anymore. Forwards are withdrawn to the flanks and cut inside to attack, so there is little need for a three center halves, with one effectively spare – but that is for another blog/discussion! My defense for Ferguson was based on the fact that United were suffering from a defensive injury nightmare with Van Der Sar, Vidic, Ferdinand, Brown, Evans, O’shea, Neville, Rafael and Fabio all unavailable for selection. Could it be that Chelsea are now experiencing similar problems?

Lets not beat around the bush, Chelsea would have to lose Terry, Carvalho, Alex and Ivanovic for a direct comparison but with Cech and Ashley Cole missing, the league leaders have been dealt a massive blow in their attempt for a fourth league title win. Florent Malouda has improved since his 2007 transfer from Lyon, however I doubt any Chelsea fan wants to see him at left back for the remainder of the season. Petr Cech, one of Europe’s top keepers, is now sidelined whilst the comical Hilario takes his place in between the posts. Tevez’s weak finish on Saturday demonstrated the fact that Hilario isn’t actually a Premier League keeper. Chelsea were humbled at home on the counter attack by Manchester City, whilst losing both Belletti (another defender unavailable) and Michael Ballack to red cards. So as Vidic returns to the United backline, are Chelsea’s defensive problems an issue OR have they the squad to cope with it?

I’m sure Chelsea fans will make me aware of the fact that Rio Ferdinand is still injured whilst John O’shea probably won’t play again this season, however it is a far cry from fielding a deep lying playmaker and a competitive midfielder in defense. We are now entering the business end of the season with only a point separating United and Chelsea, whilst Arsenal are becoming a serious contender considering their run in. Chelsea have to come to Old Trafford in April and for the second last game of the season will travel to Anfield. So, it really is too close to call at the moment.

Ok so lets get to the impact that these injuries could have on the side. Cech is reportedly out for a month, something United fans know all too well about. Van Der Sar broke his hand in a pre-season friendly with Bayern Munich and missed the first two months of the season. Having a world class keeper behind your back four is vital to maintain that consistency throughout the season, so in our 28 Premier League games so far this season – Edwin Van Der Sar has played in 11 of those. Compare that to 26 appearances from Cech in 28 games. It makes a monumental difference when you do not have a consistent backline (including keeper to choose from), so it is great credit that United are only a point behind Chelsea with ten games left to play.

I realise Bosingwa is a long term injury concern – but Chelsea’s first choice defense this season has been (from right to left) Ivanovic/Carvalho/Terry/Cole – have played 22, 21, 28 and 24 Premier League appearances respectively. Add in Cech and you’ve got a pretty consistent backline, wouldn’t you agree? Now lets compare United’s first choice defense from last season. Van Der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra – who have played 11, 12, 6, 14, 28. So good old captain fantastic Patrice Evra playing in ever Premier League game so far this season – but Ferdinand’s appearances stand out like a sore thumb – or a sore calf strain if you’re Rio. A half fit Ferdinand and an out of sorts Vidic last played together in the 2-0 defeat at Anfield back in October – the same center half pairing that conceded a mere 12 goals in 27 games (prior to the 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool). So it is clear that the absence and subsequent lower appearances have resulted in United fielding an inconsistent lineup, which is an enormous benefit for the opposition.

So are Chelsea about to experience the problems that United have faced over the course of the season? Every team gets injuries – Arsenal have been without Robin Van Persie for half a season whilst Chelsea were without Cech for a considerable amount of the 2006/07 season – but I doubt anyone could have prepared for so many players in the same position to be out at the same time. Chelsea will be without Cole and Cech for some time (Cech to return at start of April apparently), with Malouda and Hilario deputising. So was the 4-2 defeat to Manchester City a blip for Chelsea? Was it lost in the moment to the media circus that surrounds the John Terry/Wayne Bridge fiasco? Or has Ancelotti got a defensive headache? Shame Maldini turned the chance down to join him at the start of the season – he might have got a game the weekend.

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After we brushed aside a rather naive looking Arsenal in the 3-1 victory in January, I honestly thought there would be no way back for Arsenal. Combine that with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of league leaders Chelsea the following week, I smugly presumed that my prediction from the week before was highly accurate. Fast forward a month and Arsenal are two points behind United and three points behind Chelsea, whilst it appears that the Gunners have an easier run in than both United and Chelsea. So I lay it down to you, are Arsenal serious contenders for the title? Or will they fall at the wayside as they have done in the last few seasons?

Firstly, we at Stretford-end.com wish Aaron Ramsey a speedy recovery from his horrific leg break that he sustained at Stoke City the weekend. No fan wants to see a young starlet suffer such an injury and we hope that he is back playing his football next season. He does look a great talent and Arsenal will obviously suffer without his craft and passing range.

People have also suggested that there is similarity with the injury to Eduardo against Birmingham with the injury sustained by Ramsey, the only difference is that Arsenal managed to fight back and win the match 3-1 – where as they were left shell shocked at St Andrew’s with William Gallas summing up the Gunners feelings that day. I watched the second half on Saturday and Arsenal were clearly distraught for a good ten minutes after the injury, but went onto win the match through a Fabregas penalty and a late Vermaelen strike. So two years on from Eduardo’s horrendous injury, can this Arsenal side now recover from such a set back?

Arsenal have played both Chelsea and United home and away – losing all four games. However, in that time Arsenal have beaten Liverpool at Anfield (United lost 2-0), beaten Fulham at Craven Cottage (United lost 3-0), beaten Aston Villa at the Emirates (United lost 3-0), beaten Everton at Goodison (United lost 3-1) and drew with Burnley at Turf Moor (United lost 1-0). So in the six points that United gain over Arsenal, they have collected thirteen where we have lost. Of course they lost elsewhere, but looking at their run in – you can see them going on a run of wins, which means that our games against Liverpool, Chelsea and City are pivotal. Arsenal’s toughest game will be away to Spurs, however they have a great record there over the last couple of seasons. So where do you see them dropping points?

At the start of the season, although we lost Ronaldo to Real Madrid, I still thought that we would be stronger than Arsenal and have proved that over the two games we have played against them. They will of course argue that they deserved something out of the first game, whilst we will also say that there was no way we should have lost against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a few months later. There is no doubt that this season has been an extraordinary one with no one capitalising on the mistakes of the other. Having said that, I do believe that United will be going into the final hurdle confidently. Regardless of the fact that Nemanja Vidic could well be off in the summer, the availability of the Serbian is a massive boost to Sir Alex Ferguson, who was forced into fielding Fletcher and Carrick as make shift centre halves on multiple occasions earlier in the season. Nani is surprising everyone at Old Trafford with his recent performances, even though slightly tainted by his sending off against Villa earlier in February. United have the experience and quality to win a record fourth league Championship, however there is no doubting now that Arsenal are a major contender to that target – even if we have beaten them home and away this season.

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Manchester United retained the League Cup today having beaten Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley today. Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney scored the crucial goals to give United their fourth League cup win, with our number ten getting lots of superlatives thrown in his direction. Wayne Rooney is without doubt the best player on the planet and our star player by a mile – however, United demonstrated their strength in depth today with superb performances from Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and Ji-Sung Park as we enter the business end of the season.

Dimitar Berbatov contributed to both United goals and was a constant threat, despite some wayward shooting. His hurrying of Richard Dunne resulted in Michael Owen’s strike to equalise, whilst his superb flick out to Antonio Valencia for Rooney’s winner was different class. He demonstrated today, in a big game, as to why Ferguson spent £30million on him. Yes, you will argue that he should be bought to challenge for major European honours, rather than a tournament that was born in 1960. I would agree that his purchase hasn’t worked out as best as we all would have hoped, especially considering Fergie stated recently that he doesn’t believe he can include Berbatov and Rooney in the same side when playing a 4-3-3 formation – which of course is our preferred formation in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Berbatov is our joint second highest goal scorer (other than ‘own goal’ of course) and has a 0.38 goals per game ratio in the Premier League – a decent return for a forward that isn’t a renowned goal scorer. Regular readers of this blog might be a tad confused with this praise for the Bulgarian considering I have blogged about him running out of time at Old Trafford. I still believe that the purchase of the Bulgarian hasn’t been as successful as Sir Alex would have hoped for. I stated that the transfer fee was a major factor combined with the results in big games that he has played in. I’ve always thought (and stated) that I think he is a superb footballer with one of the best touches I have ever seen. But I think the next two months are a big two months, for Berbatov especially. He needs to persuade Fergie that he can play in a 4-3-3 with Rooney, which would result in our top scoring operating on the left of the front three. You only have to look at the Arsenal and Barcelona games last season, with Ronaldo being the main forward in a 4-3-3 – at the expensive of our most expensive player. We will have to wait and see what the line up will be against Milan, but Berbatov put in a great performance today and was pivotal in both goals.

Antonio Valencia has been a major hit since signing from Wigan last summer. £18million looks a snip for the qualities he brings to the side. Pace, athleticism, versatility and most importance in recent games – accurate delivery from a wide area. He is more direct winger, like Andrei Kanchelskis over Ronaldo for example, which is great when there is space in behind the full back for him to gallop into. In the second half he set up Wayne Rooney for his 28th goal of the season and five minutes later put in another superb cross for Rooney to smash against the post. You may be surprised to learn that Valencia has the most appearances for United so far this season – with 38. Ferguson has recently rested the Ecuadorian International, whilst before Christmas he was present in most starting line ups. There is no doubt he is being rested for the final push and will be present in the starting line up against Milan Wednesday week. He received the man of the match award for his performance today and added yet another assist to his statistics this season.

Ji-Sung Park, for me, was the best player on the pitch. Some fans still question the quality of the Korean and Ferguson’s decision to include him within the side. If you asked the majority of United fans to pick their ideal starting Xi, when all players are available – I guarantee that Park wouldn’t feature in 95% of the them. So its a good thing that Fergie picks the side and not us! Today, he really showed why Ferguson does include him in the side for major games. Park usually occupies the left hand side, but recently against Milan he drifted inside to occupy the space in front of Carrick, Scholes and Fletcher. He may well have been put there to nullify the impact of deep lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo, however his attacking quality where on show in abundance today. He was unlucky not to score as his first half strike smashed the post just before half time, whilst his movement from left to the centre of the park – saw him pick up the ball behind Milner and Petrov and drive forward. I have always been a big fan of Park and believe that he is an important part of the squad that Ferguson has. His performances against Arsenal over the past two season have been exceptional and he was excellent against Barcelona at Old Trafford in May 2008. He hasn’t featured too much this season (less than Vidic and Nani) and i’m pleased he is showing his qualities as we approach the final hurdle. For me he was man of the match today.

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