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