Thriller at Old Trafford

The Manchester derby at Old Trafford did not disappoint and that is a tribute to the ability, commitment and competitive instinct of both sides.

There is no doubt that United had most to lose. Apart from being the home side, they were anxious to remain at the top of the Premiership and exert as much pressure as possible on Chelsea by maintaining a nine point lead – at least for a day.

With that in mind, they came out of the traps fast and within five minutes of kick-off stormed into the lead when Ronaldo’s fizzing low cross eluded Distin’s desperate lunge and was swept past Nicky Weaver by Wayne Rooney, who celebrated not only an early lead but his 50th Premiership goal.

It was the first of a stack of chances, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had to wait until the dying minutes of the first half to increase their lead when Trabelsi failed to clear and Saha latched onto Heinze’s cross. However, the City player made amends in the 71st minute with a brilliant left foot finish from 20 yards that gave him his first goal for the club and brought a glimmer of hope, until Rooney’s pinpoint cross gave Ronaldo the luxury of a 5 yard finish to secure the points.

When United are in full flight, they play fast, direct attacking football of a quality which is beyond Chelsea and could be matched only by Arsenal. That, and the imminent arrival of Henrik Larssen, could make all the difference in the world.