Manchester Utd., Arsenal Keep Pressure on League Leader Chelsea

Manchester United routed Wigan 5-0 to move within two points of Chelsea atop soccer’s Premier League as Arsenal kept pace with the top two with a 4-1 win at last-place Portsmouth.

Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Rafael da Silva, Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia all scored at Old Trafford last night as United sealed a second 5-0 win over Wigan this season.

The victory lifted the defending champion to 43 points and took United’s goal difference to +27, two less than Chelsea’s. Both teams have scored 45 goals through 20 games, though the Blues have allowed two fewer.

“We recognized that it was an opportunity to get goals,” United manager Alex Ferguson told MUTV. “Goal difference, you never know, could be important come the end of the season. We’re now two points behind Chelsea and our goal difference is up there with Chelsea’s. We’re in with a great chance.”

Arsenal boosted its tally to a league-leading 51 goals as Eduardo da Silva, Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Song scored against Portsmouth, which may face bankruptcy after the U.K. government started legal proceedings over taxes owed by the club.

The Gunners, who won their last league title in 2003-04, head into 2010 having played a game fewer than the top two and can move past United and close to within a point of Chelsea by beating Bolton at home on Jan. 6.

“We’re up for it, the commitment is there and the talent is there,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports. “We’ll fight and this team is ready to give everything.”

Rooney Starts Rout

At Old Trafford, Rooney opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a near-post finish from Rafael’s cross before Carrick swept in United’s second. It was Rooney’s 14th league goal of the season, putting him level with Didier Drogba and Jermain Defoe as the top scorers.

Rafael added the third with a left-foot shot just before half time before Berbatov tapped in after the break. Valencia added the fifth with a 75th-minute chip against his former club.

“Winning 5-0 in the Premier League is quite a rare feat these days and I’d say it was one of our best performances of the season,” Rooney told MUTV.

Arsenal went ahead at Fratton Park when Eduardo’s 28th- minute free kick deflected in off Younes Kaboul. Nasri added the second to put Arsenal 2-0 up at half time and Ramsey made it 3-0 from 20 yards out in the 69th minute.

Nadir Belhadj got a goal back for Portsmouth before Song headed in Nasri’s cross with nine minutes remaining to re- establish the three-goal margin. “It was a big game for us,” Wenger added. “We knew, to keep chasing, it was important to win here.”

Read Full Entry

Beckham returning to Old Trafford

Manchester United in the first knockout round of the Champions League. Beckham, who is set to return to Italy next month for a second loan from MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy, got exactly the match he hoped for at Friday's draw.

“I think David wanted this match and destiny looked after him,” Milan director Umberto Gandini said at UEFA headquarters.

United spokesman Phil Townsend said Beckham would get a fantastic reception on his first return to the club he helped become European champion in 1999.

Milan will host the English champion on Feb. 16, and United — as a group winner — has home advantage in the second leg on March 10. Also, Italian champion Inter Milan will face Chelsea in a meeting of coach Jose Mourinho's current and former clubs.

“Absolutely unbelievable,” Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said of Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge where he won two consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and '06. “It's a huge game and obviously with Jose it adds even more spice.” The first leg on Feb. 24 will be played at the San Siro, where Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti spent the past eight years coaching AC Milan, and won two European titles.

Former Inter forward Luis Figo said his fellow Portuguese have nothing to prove to Chelsea, which stages the return March 16. “[Mourinho] brought titles to them and I think people there love him,” Figo said. “It will be an emotional return for him.”

Defending champion FC Barcelona was drawn to play Stuttgart, which has struggled in the Bundesliga and fired coach Markus Babbel this month. The Germans host the first leg on Feb. 23 with a March 17 return at the Nou Camp. Nine-time champion Madrid — whose Santiago Bernabeu stadium hosts the final on May 22 — will take on Lyon in France in the Feb. 16 first leg.

Arsenal drew a comparatively low-key matchup against FC Porto, with the first match in Portugal on Feb. 17 and the return on March 9. “(Manchester United and Chelsea) will capture the headlines and that probably suits us,” Arsenal club secretary David Miles said. “We will go about our work and do a thorough job.”

In other matchups, it was: Olympiakos v. Bordeaux; four-time winner Bayern Munich v. Fiorentina; and CSKA Moscow v. Sevilla. Also Friday, Ajax and Juventus were drawn together in the next round of the Europa League for a rerun of the 1996 Champions League final. Ajax will host the first leg of the round-of-32 match on Feb. 18 before travelling to Turin for the return a week later.

Read Full Entry

I hope Wolves pay for Mac's surrender

So everything Roy Keane said about Mick McCarthy was right after all. His decision to wave the white flag at Old Trafford on Tuesday brought football into disrepute. Facing a Manchester United side there for the taking, McCarthy decided to take it easy. Why did he not just phone Fergie earlier in the week and suggest a three-goal win for United by default and save everybody the bother of turning up? The Spurs team Wolves beat on Saturday are a damn sight better than this current United mob. On Saturday's evidence so are Wolves.

I made a conscious decision six weeks ago to oppose Manchester United every match. The only way to make money from punting is to be one step ahead of the bookies - and bookies have not yet realised that this is a United in serious decline.

Even better, neither has Fergie. So, yes, I backed Wolves at silly odds on Tuesday. Silly me. On the bottom of the Wolves teamsheet I hear that McCarthy wrote a note saying: "Dearest Fergie, have three points on us, and a prosperous New Year. Yours obediently, Michael." It must have made the Molineux faithful ashamed to be Wolves fans and that hasn't happened since last Friday. Loyal Wolves fans paid £42 a head to watch their reserve team.

The first team aren't even worth that much - I mean in the transfer market. Footballers strive to reach the Premier League for the chance of playing at places like Old Trafford, yet McCarthy basically told his best players he's saving them for the delights of Fratton Park and the KC Stadium.

After the trip to Old Trafford, Wolves had four days to prepare for the visit of Burnley - not Barcelona. In McCarthy's defence, you have to ask when was the last time a newlypromoted side beat United? Oh yes, it was Burnley earlier in the season.

This is no McCarthy witchhunt, but I now hope to God Wolves go down on goal difference. They are 5-6 to be relegated. That's with Hills who are also betting on how many of the second-stringers who started against United are in the starting XI against Burnley on Sunday - and zero is just 6-4.

Read Full Entry

United must bite back - Vidic

With Chelsea only managing a 3-3 draw with Everton on Saturday, second-placed United passed up the chance to move level on points with the leaders when, later that day, they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Vidic returned to the side against Villa following a spell on the sidelines with illness. And as United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's injury problems continue to lighten, Vidic could be joined by Wes Brown, who has been missing with a hamstring injury, against a Wolves team who climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0 win away to Tottenham last weekend.

Serbia international Vidic wants English champions United to show what they are made of against a team tipped for relegation. "This is our best chance to play well, score goals and bring the confidence back," he said.

"It's important when you lose a game to have the next one quickly, so you can play better and fix what you did in the last match. "We are very disappointed. We had a game at home and the chance to share the first position with Chelsea but we didn't take it."

South Korea midfielder Park Ji-Sung believes the congested festive period is the time when United will put together a run that will pile the pressure on Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea.

United traditionally come on strong around the turn of the year and Park, who has retuned to the team in recent weeks following a knee injury, is banking on a similar run as the Old Trafford club aim for a record fourth straight league title.

"We have a lot of games until the end of the season and December and January are particularly busy," Park said.

"It's going to be hard but we have done well at this stage in the last few seasons so we have to do that again. "We can't worry about what other teams do, we just have to concentrate and do our best in every game." Park added: "It's a pleasure to be back among the team. When you play you feel more a part of the side.

"I want to play as many games as possible and I want to help the team win as much as possible, starting with the (English) title. It would be amazing to win four in a row. "To make three Champions League finals in a row would also be amazing for the club.

"The FA Cup is one I haven't won yet so I want that but all four (United are also in this season's English League Cup semi-finals) would be great." Wolves pulled off one of the shocks of the weekend with their victory at White Hart Lane. They are though set to be without midfielder David Edwards with an ankle injury sustained at White Hart Lane.

But there was better news with chief executive Jez Moxey promising owner Steve Morgan will back manager Mick McCarthy in the January transfer window. "Steve Morgan is so passionate about the club that he thinks about it 24/7," Moxey said.

"As regards January our position is quite simple - if we found the right players that the manager thinks can strengthen the team, then the board will do everything within its power to try to bring that player to Molineux. "We have also done good business in January in previous years and are currently looking to see if we can strengthen the team."

Read Full Entry

Chris Hughton plays down talk of Sol Campbell joining Newcastle

Sol Campbell does not expect to join Newcastle United even though Chris Hughton has not ruled out signing the former England defender.

Campbell, who is a free agent after Notts County released his registration yesterday, had revealed his interest in a move to St James' Park last month.

But Hughton has always been cautious and would prefer to sign Sheffield United's promising centre-back Matthew Kilgallon.

"Sol is an absolute top, top defender and I think that shows by his achievements," the Newcastle manager said. "We're not prepared to rule it out, because he's a player who would be available, but we have other options. It would not be appropriate for me to say whether Sol is first choice or not."

The managing director of Newcastle, Derek Llambias, has claimed money will be spent only on young players, which may explain Hughton's stance. Campbell said: "I have a few clubs tabling offers at the moment, but one of them doesn't seem to be Newcastle now."

Newcastle are hoping to turn the right-back Danny Simpson's loan move from Manchester United into a permanent one next month, but the versatile defender Zurab Khizanishvili will be sent back to Blackburn Rovers when his loan deal expires at the end of this month.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United set to be boosted by Nemanja Vidic return

In total, Ferguson was without 14 senior men for Tuesday night's Champions League encounter with Wolfsburg, eight of them defenders. Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher joined Patrice Evra in an unrecognisable three-man defence and the midfielders seem set to remain in post as Wes Brown's hamstring injury is not responding to treatment.

Because of the lack in defensive cover, Manchester United have been linked with a move for 35 year-old Sol Campbell, who has finally reached an agreement over his registration with Notts County, and has been training himself since leaving the League Two club in September.

However, Campbell would not be able to play until January, by which time Ferguson hopes to have a far cleaner defensive bill of health. Ferguson said: "I expect Vidic to be fit and, if he is available, we would have him and Michael Carrick, plus Darren Fletcher and Patrice Evra. I would be happy enough with that."

Ferguson also expects to have Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov available when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford on Saturday. That might mean a quick relegation back to the substitutes' bench for Michael Owen, who marked a rare start by converting his first Champions League hat-trick since 2003.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United close in on Wolfsburg striker Dzeko

Manchester United are lining up a summer bid for giant Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.

The Bosnian striker has caught United's eye by blasting three goals in five Champions League games including one.

At Old Trafford during the Reds 2-1 win earlier this season. And he gets another chance to impress when United travel to Germany to take on his club in Europe this week.

United's assistant boss Mike Phelan admits the Reds are keeping tabs on Dzeko and reckons he is perfect for the Premier League. He said: “Any major football league would be interested in a player like that and I'm sure there are numerous clubs looking at him as a possible target.

“He has shown good form and he is a talented footballer. We are looking at talent all the time and we are in there with the rest of them. He has impressed because he came into the Champions League on the back of a very good season.

He showed his threat in the game at Old Trafford and he continues to do that in the Champions League. He appeals because he is a tall boy and is skilful and in some ways he is an ideal player for the league in England. “He has stature, his feet are good and he is producing some very good performances. I am sure everybody has looked at him and thought about him. “I don't think it is a surprise what he has done.''

Read Full Entry

Manchester United accused of causing 'psychological shock' to Adem Ljajic

Manchester United have been accused of subjecting Adem Ljajic to "psychological shock" after pulling out of the £9m deal to sign the player dubbed 'Little Kaka' in Serbia, believing him to be too much of an expensive gamble at a time when the club's owner, Malcolm Glazer, is imposing financial cuts at Old Trafford.

Mladen Furtula, Ljajic's agent, has described the 18-year-old as "surprised" and admitted that United's decision to invoke a get-out clause not to go through with the transfer from Partizan Belgrade would "change our lives".

Goran Stevanovic, Partizan's head coach, praised Ljajic for "handling the situation well" and "overcoming the psychological shock". Savo Milosevic, the former Aston Villa striker who is running for the position of Partizan's new chairman, added: "For Ljajic, psychologically, this could have a negative impact, but I hope that this won't be the case."

The suspicion at Partizan is that United withdrew because of the club's spiralling debts under Glazer's ownership. Ivan Tomic, Partizan's sports director, said United had missed out on an "excellent, young player, a footballer of big potential". He added: "I think that they will regret this decision in future."

Ljajic, described by United as "Serbia's brightest young talent" when they announced the deal last January, was due to complete the move in next month's transfer window and has regularly visited Manchester over the last 11 months to work with his prospective new employers, the last occasion being in November when he was given no reason to believe there was a problem. Zoran Tosic, who moved in the same direction for £7.3m, has made only five substitute appearances and United fear he may have to reapply for his work permit.

A Serbia under-21 international, Ljajic had stayed in Belgrade to get some first-team experience, with Ferguson tipping him to be a big part of the next generation of United players to replace his older players – one of whom, Paul Scholes, admitted yesterday that his form had dipped this season and that he was "not making as much of a contribution as I'd like".

He will assess his future next summer: "You do think about the future. I am not too sure. I'll just carry on and we'll see what happens come the end of the season."
United then announced this week , in a statement endorsed by the chief executive David Gill, that they no longer considered Ljajic good enough to make the grade.

That, however, was contradicted today by the assistant manager, Mike Phelan, who said it was not because of the player's ability but because of potential work permit problems. "We made a tentative approach to get a work permit and the word we got back from the Home Office was that we couldn't get that through in time to get Adem signed in January," Phelan said.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United quiet in transfer market since Malcolm Glazer's takeover

United's decision to walk away from a £10 million option to buy Partizan Belgrade teenager Adem Ljajic this week has prompted claims by the Serbian club that a 'financial crisis' at Old Trafford prompted the deal to collapse. Senior United officials have strongly rejected Partizan's assertions by insisting that the decision not to sign the 18 year-old was based solely on his football ability.

But with the net spending under the Glazers amounting to an average of just £6.48 million a season, the club's failure to reinvest the £80 million banked from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid this summer has prompted fears among supporters that the club's main priority is now to service their £699 million debt rather than strengthen Sir Alex Ferguson's first-team squad.

The sale of Ronaldo, the £5 million raised from Fraizer Campbell's transfer to Sunderland and the decision not to take up a £25.5 million option to sign Carlos Tevez or the £10 million deal for Ljajic, has left United with an apparent £100 million transfer fund once the £20 million summer signings of Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan are accounted for.

Duncan Drasdo, the chief executive of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust, said: "Whatever the reason for the Ljajic deal falling through, the fact is, with the revenues flowing into the club, Manchester United should be competing with Real Madrid and Barcelona for players of the calibre of Lionel Messi and Kaka. But instead, we have to carry the deadweight of the Glazers' ownership on our backs.

"The true picture will not be clear until after the January transfer window, but with the £80 million Ronaldo transfer fee, plus the supposed £25-30 million annual transfer kitty, a spend of £100 million would effectively be break-even. "Supporters will rightly be asking where the money has gone when they've been forced to pay more and more through the huge ticket-price rises in recent years."

A spokesman for the Glazer family insisted during the summer that £60 million could be "reinvested in the squad, doing up the toilets or on new carpets", but United spent a mere £20 million on Valencia and Obertan during the closed season after refusing to meet the £35 million valuation of Lyon forward Karim Benzema.

According to United's figures, the club spent a net £8.1 million on transfers in the year ending June 2006, followed by £1.2 million in 2007 and £44.9 million in 2008 before making a profit of £38.7 million in 2009 following the sale of Ronaldo.

Since June of this year, United have spent a net £16.9 million. Manchester City's £117.5 million summer spending spree highlights United's more cautious spending approach, with Ferguson claiming there is little value in the current market. As a result, United have set their sights on the likes of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik and Wolfsburg forward Edin Dzeko.

As recruitment targets rather than challenge Chelsea for the £40 million-rated Sergio Aguero. Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand is targeting a first-team return in the FA Cup third-round tie against Kettering or Leeds next month after undergoing intensive treatment on a long-term back problem.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is set to keep faith with the youngsters defeated by Besiktas last week against Tottenham in the Carling Cup quarter-final tonight.

That means teenage trio Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda and Rafael Da Silva will all be involved, as well as Darron Gibson and Gabriel Obertan, who have just 25 first-team appearances between them.

Ferguson was irritated by the criticism his players received last week and at the first appropriate opportunity, he launched a fierce counter-offensive.

He said: 'Those lads need to be challenged and I thought they did okay. They did not deserve that kind of criticism. Those same people will be going cap in hand to them, begging them for interviews in a few years' time, mark my words. It is so hypocritical.

'What is the difference between that and Alan Hansen doing it in front of millions. Yet one gets slaughtered for it and this guy gets off. Wonderful. What a world.' Ferguson was referring to Hansen's criticism of Wayne Bridge after Manchester City's draw with Burnley earlier this month.

As the person who left Hansen out of Scotland's 1986 World Cup squad, there has never been any particular empathy between the pair. However, there is a recognition of the respect Hansen has gained in his role as a pundit, and his insight into the art of defending. Ferguson clearly feels others sitting in judgement do not possess the same depth of knowledge.

'I don't need to motivate them (the players) with what has been said. Their future is well mapped out. But the one thing we cannot give them is an old head, which is what we saw in the last third of the pitch last week. 'They got anxious. They created good chances and they hurried the thing, but that is not the biggest crime in the world.'

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp insists the time has come for his team to start winning on their travels against the big-four teams. Redknapp was encouraged by the manner of his team's performance at Aston Villa on Saturday - showing the progress being made at Spurs - but they still struggle to get victories at the country's toughest grounds.

After showing themselves to be contenders for a Champions League place, winning at places like Old Trafford would be seen as the next step. He said: 'This time last year, you wouldn't even have considered us breaking in there, we were at the bottom of the league. But you look at the way we played during the second half on Saturday and to dominate a team like Villa as we did second-half.

'Normally, you see a Man United dominate someone like that or a Liverpool. I think we are getting to the stage where we it is possible for us to go away (to top-four clubs), we can play at these places and feel we've got a chance of winning.'

Manchester United team (from): Foster, Kuszczak, Amos, Neville, De Laet, Brown, Vidic, Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Evra, Rafael, Obertan, Valencia, Gibson, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Park, Tosic, Berbatov, Rooney, Owen, King, James, Macheda, Welbeck.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United - Besiktas live online for free

There's not much riding on the clash at Old Trafford - Man Utd have qualified for the knockout stage, while Turkish champions Besiktas, beaten 1-0 by United in Instanbul in September, are already eliminated.But they could still qualify for the UEFA Europa League by finishing third.

A position currently held by CSKA Moscow. Fans of the Red Devils must be delighted at having qualified so comfortably. Read what they think in these Manchester United blogs. It's much tighter in Group F of the Champions League, with only three points separating Barcelona, Inter Milan, Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev.

Read Full Entry

Manchester United star Valencia hoping to show off his celebration moves

Antonio Valencia is dusting down his dancing shoes after promising more goals for Manchester United. The Ecuadorian winger has managed just three strikes since signing for the Red Devils in the summer, his latest coming on Saturday against Everton.

But he is so determined to hit the back of the net more often he is already dreaming up new celebrations to entertain the fans. He said: “I’m trying to work on a celebration. I’ve been listening to a lot of music at home so maybe when I score again you will see a little dance.”

Valencia accepts he has not hit the target enough to satisfy his critics in his early days at United. Goal scoring does not seem to be part of his footballing make-up — even at previous club Wigan he managed a paltry seven goals in three years.

But he hopes lining up alongside the creative talents of messers Rooney, Giggs and Scholes will allow him to increase his goal tally. He said: “I only scored seven times during my spell at Wigan and that included all the training sessions!

“So I think the criticism of that side of my game is fair. But now I am surrounded by fantastic players so I hope to get more chances.

“I’m working on that side of my game but goals aren’t the only thing I bring to the team.

“I provide crosses, tackle back and try to make clever passes to my team-mates. It is the all round game that is important.’’

Read Full Entry