Just 180 minutes of nail-biting football will decide this year’s Premier League title. Manchester United’s home fixture against in-form Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday lunchtime is followed on 2 May by Liverpool’s match with Chelsea at Anfield. While United must win any failure by Chelsea could see the title head to Old Trafford.
Spurs’ record at Old Trafford is laughably poor but that is unlikely to fool Sir Alex Ferguson this weekend. Indeed, with Harry Redknapp’s side having beaten both Arsenal and Chelsea in the past week the Londoners feel confident on improving a record that has not included an Old Trafford win since 1989. That victory followed a League Cup win for the Londoners on the same ground six weeks before.
Records are there for breaking but Redknapp’s push for entry into the Champions League third qualification round next season is motivation enough for the Londoners, who lie just two points ahead of Manchester City in fourth.
The question on most United fans’ lips is which Ferguson side will turn up on Saturday: the one with the desire and drive to dominate and ultimately win the Manchester derby last weekend, or the limp outfit that failed to score at Blackburn Rovers?
Ultimately that may come down to the fitness of Wayne Rooney, who looked no more than 80 per cent of his peak against City at the weekend.
Champions League qualification is a problem unlikely to concern Rafa Benitez in 10 days time, with Liverpool five points off Spurs having played a game more. Realistically, the Anfield outfit will fight it out with Aston Villa for a place in next season’s Europa League.
But with Liverpool’s semi-final second leg against Athletico Madrid in the same competition taking place less than three days before Chelsea’s visit Benitez’ side being physically and mentally shattered is a very real threat.
Notwithstanding Liverpool supporters’ laughable desire to see their own side lose. There’s nothing like hating your rivals more than loving your own team. See also: Manchester City.
Chelsea’s last six visits to Anfield in all competitions has yielded just one win but Liverpool’s league position and fixture list makes Carlo Ancelotti’s side marginal favourites for the win.
While United face a trip to Sunderland before a final day home fixture against Stoke, Chelsea play the Potteries club this weekend before a home game against Wigan Athletic on the final day. Each manager will expect their sides to pick up maximum points from these fixtures.
Perhaps United’s only real advantage is that Ferguson’s side meets Spurs a week before Chelsea’s Anfield visit. Win and the pressure for Chelsea to beat Liverpool is then immense. Pressure does strange things after all, with Ancelotti’s outfit unable to cope with their cross town rivals at the weekend.
Indeed, Frank Lampard openly admitted that United’s last-gasp victory at Eastlands deflated his side ahead of the visit to Spurs.
The stress is certainly showing on both sides in what is perhaps the tightest top flight finish since Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield to take the 1988/89 Football League First Division. That year the London side took the title on goals scored, although it would take an extraordinary set of results to produce a similar finish this season.
Down then to which team scores the better result against top-four hopefuls. History suggests United, circumstance marginally favours Chelsea.
We can’t count on a home banker against Spurs – even Villa and Everton who had equally poor recent records against us beat us this year. And I fully expect Liverpool to lay down for Chelsea, firstly because they can’t bear us winning the title and secondly, I expect they’ll want to rest key players if they’re in line for a Mickey Mouse Euro final appearance
Ya right Gaz, ya can’t rely on a home banker as you’ve done in previous seasons, cos hopefully Mr Manc Webb won’t be refereeing fos your close season, unfortunately fo you. Let me tell you one thing, although the media has it that we’ll lie down for Chelsea, trust me we won’t. Know matter what they say, we play to win and that will always be the case, as in the Mickey Mouse cup as you call it, we have no Torres, so although we have a chance of winning it, we won’t rest anyone for the Chelsea game, unless we’re winning with 10-20 minutes left and we’ve at least a chance of a Europa League spot going into the final game. You talk a right load of tosh (to put it mildly!) and if it were you in our position i’d think that what you bull about, you would do, cos ya that type of team, WE’RE NOT! END OF…………
We are going to kick Spurs for you, not bad to dream of the 4th place, eh?
Know nothing about that or not that type of team..
I’ve read one of Eric Cantona philosophises though: “I don’t play against a particular team. I play against the idea of losing”
So defeat Chelsea and give yourself a chance of European football.
I think if we win against Spurs we will put a massive amount of pressure on chelsea ahead of their games with Stoke and then Liverpool. If they win both of those then the pressure is right back on us against Sunderland. But the most important thing is for us to beat Spurs on Saturday.
Sorry Gaz,like every season at united,the only thing stopping spurs winning is the referee,
but this season is ours,it wont matter about your homer ref, we still got too much for ya, we might get the points
this time, but i still think the PL title is yours.
Good article- anything can happen over the next 3 weeks….. This will go down as one of the most eagerly contested titles of late and fingers crossed we pull it off. One thing is for sure though… We need investment in the squad this summer to have a real assault on the prem and Europe next season.
BTW aren’t Chelsea playing Wigan last game?
Sorry boys but this year its our turn to shine…2-1 to the yids…Hope u do take the title though… Make the most of it though as we will give you a run for your money next year 🙂
Also just had a big shout that Lennons starting on Saturday..So that`s Lennon & Bale down both sides…
Wear some brown underwear
COME ON YOU SPURS
I’m not overly concerned if Lennon plays or not. Evra’s more than capable of shutting him out especially if he’s just back from injury. Bale and Modric are a massive worry – Fletcher will have to have a monstrous game to keep Modric quiet but I fully expect Bale to tear Neville a new one, if he plays.
As Dave says, Clattenberg and Webb have a lot to do with that ‘No win since 1989’ stat.
Christ. Yeah that’s it, the five goals we put past you last season and the 28 in the past decade were all down to the ref.
Even with your reddest of tinted specs on you’d have to admit that you were looking pretty bereft of ideas and the crowd had gone completely flat when Webby decided to gift you back into the game.
… And there’s no real arguing against Mendes goal is there? You have to put your hand up and say that you got bloody lucky there!
We (Spurs) will lose this like we do every year at OT. Although I am glad Webb isn’t refereeing – gives us a little less to worry about.
Hopefully Rooney is as poor as he was against Citeh.
The ghosts of Pedro Mendes might come back to haunt you.
abe says: “The ghosts of Pedro Mendes might come back to haunt you.”
pedro ain’t dead, doesn’t have one ghost – let alone two!
It’ll finish 1-1 at Old Trafford, then Spurs do City 5-0.
COYS!
Title is still an outside chance at best; all we can do is try and win our last 3 games. As for Liverpool I can’t see them giving Chelsea an easy game. The fans in the Kop would be furious if their team rolled over to a major rival, particularly on the last home game of the season. They looked good last night against West ham and I would back them to give Chelsea a decent match any day. We have no right to ask other teams for favours – all we had to do was win our own games and we would be in complete control of our destiny!
Whatever happens this coming weekend it’s been a fantastic season throughout the league,with close contests at both ends of the table,added to this with only only a few wins midtable teams can challenge for Europe.Great stuff.
‘Laughably poor record’ due to laughably poor refereeing decisions over the last number of years. What odds on it happening again. Hopefully we get a strong non United supporting referee this year.
Poor Spurs did the big bad ref steal all your glorious victories?
@ Ed.No, but someone seems to repeatedly steal the ref’s eyeballs at opportune moments, with too much regularity, when we visit Old Trafford.
Webb being the main culprit. Seriously, it is mystifying as to how he could not see Gomes make contact with the ball, so that it was diverted out with pace for a throw in. Completely unexplicable. As previously said, you guys looked very flat and you could hear a pin drop in the stadium up until that point. Someone please explain to me how Webb is the designated refereee for England ? Does no one study repeated controversial incidents that go beyond any justifiable explanation? See Webb not giving a penalty for a foul by Salgado on Bale a month back as another example.
Anyways, I’d be happy with a point on Saturday. Although, two wins out of Bolton,Burnley,Man Utd and a draw against City would be enough for us I reckon.
Refs make mistakes – ever since Fergie’s fat ref jibe we’ve been on the end of some massive howlers this season that cost us points against Chelsea (twice) and Liverpool. But got to say bit surprised about the number of Spurs martyrs reading this site!
spurs martyrs ? at least spur s so called martyrs aint called howard webb
No it’s Andre Marriner this weekend, who sent off Nemanja Vidic against Liverpool and Ferguson questioned whether he has enough experience to take big matches. Doubt he’s any friend of United’s unless you’d like to get your excuses in now?
I still think the other 2 games for United and Chelsea aren’t nailed on. If United beat Spurs Sat then Chelsea will be v nervous come Sunday afternoon.
You wont win and playing players age thirty six three of them you don’t deserve to win. This ageing team will be put to the sword by Spurs young squad with our oldest being Dawson 26 score 4-2 in Great game and Rooney and Vidic off Oh HAPPY DAYS. REAL SCORE 1-1