Gunners go second

Team		P	GD	PTS
1	Chelsea	12	+21	30
2	Arsenal	11	+22	25
3	Man Utd	12	+11	25
4	Tottenham	12	+6	22
5	Aston Villa	12	+8	21
6	Man City	11	+7	20

Results: 7/8 November

Aston Villa 5-1 Bolton
Blackburn 3-1 Portsmouth
Man City 3-3 Burnley
Tottenham 2-0 Sunderland
Wolverhampton 1-4 Arsenal
Chelsea 1-0 United
Hull 2-1 Stoke
West Ham 1-2 Everton
Wigan 1-1 Fulham

Arsenal leapfrogged United to go second after a vintage display at Molineux earned them a 4-1 win over Wolves.

The Gunners had Wolves pair Ronald Zubar and Jody Craddock to thank for their opening two goals - the first came on 28 minutes when Zubar turned a Cesc Fabregas corner into his own net and eight minutes later Eduardo's chip deflected in off Craddock's head.

Fabregas added a third on the stroke of half-time after being brilliantly set up by Robin van Persie. Andrey Arshavin netted the fourth with a low drive from the edge of the area on 66 minutes before Craddock headed a late consolation. The victory edged the Gunners ahead of the Reds on goal difference.

Elsewhere, Manchester City were forced to settle for their fifth league draw in a row after conceding a late equaliser at home to Burnley resulting in a 3-3 draw.

Tottenham moved back into the top four with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at White Hart Lane thanks to goals from Robbie Keane and Tom Huddlestone. Aston Villa are just a point behind after their 5-1 demolition of Bolton at Villa Park.

Over at Ewood Park, Blackburn came from behind to beat Portsmouth 3-1.

Source: manutd.com

Defeat hurts Sir Alex

“The referee’s position for the free kick was absolutely ridiculous. He can’t see anything. He’s got a Chelsea player standing right in front of him and he doesn’t even move. It was a bad decision, but what can you do?"

- Sir Alex Ferguson



Sir Alex Ferguson was left frustrated on two counts at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea’s dubious winner and United’s inability to convert dominant possession into goals led to a disappointing 1-0 defeat.

United might be able to take positives from this commanding performance, although Sir Alex found it tough to hide his disappointment.

“It's very hard to take, sickening actually," admitted the boss. "I don’t think it was [one of our best performances] this season. Stoke City, Tottenham and Wigan were all excellent away performances.

"We didn’t win today. We did play well and were by far the better team, but Chelsea have gone five points clear and if we had won we’d have gone top.”

Refereeing decisions were again the subject of Sir Alex’s post-match ire, though even his most hardened critics will surely see his side of the story. Darren Fletcher’s challenge on Ashley Cole for the free kick that led to John Terry’s winner was perfectly legitimate.

“Clearly Darren has won the ball,” the boss complained. “He never touched Cole who has jumped up in the air. Then Drogba pulled Brown to the ground for the goal.

“The referee’s position for the free kick was absolutely ridiculous. He can’t see anything. He’s got a Chelsea player standing right in front of him and he doesn’t even move.

"It was a bad decision, but what can you do? There’s nothing we can do about it. You lose faith in referees sometimes, that’s the way the players aretalking in the dressing room. It was a bad one.”

But Sir Alex didn’t just point the finger at the officials, he said his players needed to shoulder some responsibility as well.

“That goal should not have been allowed, but we dominated the game and had some chances to win the match,” he added. “We had great opportunities in terms of the football we played to get to the edge of the box, and some good chances in and around the box. But we should be finishing it off.

"We only have ourselves to blame in that respect. Sometimes you need a bit of a break, and we never got the break we needed.”

Wes: Drogba fouled me

Wes Brown was bitterly disappointed with the manner of defeat at Stamford Bridge, and says United “didn’t deserve” to lose a game the team had dominated from start to finish.

The Reds players were visibly downbeat with a heavy sense of injustice upon departing West London on Sunday, and with good reason.

There were several issues with John Terry’s 77th minute winner. First, Darren Fletcher clearly won the ball for the initial free kick. Brown then says Didier Drogba impeded him from trying to clear the ball, and the Ivory Coast forward also appeared to be in an offside position and interfering with play.

“It’s very hard to take, we played really well,” Brown told MUTV after the match.

“I thought we played really well as a team and passed the ball brilliantly. We were the better team and had more chances. We should have done better with our chances, but we definitely didn’t deserve this result and it’s tough because we go home with no points.

“I don’t think the referee played well and we’ve been let down by that goal. The decision to award the free kick was harsh. Then Drogba was holding me and pulling me down, obstructing me from challenging for the ball when thefree kick came in the box. The ref didn’t see that either – what can we do about it?”

Brown had been exceptional in central defence alongside Jonny Evans. The pair kept the league’s supposed most potent and powerful strike-force at bay with a commanding performance.

“We were fine,” said Wes. “I thought we played well as a back four and I thought we limited them to very few chances.

"In that sense, we felt like we did our jobs, which makes it worse when they score a goal like that. It’s disappointing. We just have to keep going and try to put this behind us. We need to carry on playing as we did today, but just add goals to the performance.”

Source: manutd.com

Today at Old Trafford

Bookmark this page - ManUtd.com/todayatOT - and return for regular observations from United's editorial team, or have your say on Talking Reds. We try to link responsibly but can't be held accountable for external websites. The views expressed are personal to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United.

Thursday 5 November

17:40 That's all from us today but overnight, I'd like you to think of some questions for Jesper Olsen please. We'll be interviewing the 1985 FA Cup winner next week and all suggestions are welcome in our message board thread. (AB)

16:39 Mark our museum curator has received a military-style bugle in the post but he's no idea why, as it didn't arrive with a letter of explanation. His email to all staff appealing for information was too good an opportunity for the comics at Carrington. "Did it come in the 'Last Post' ?" read one reply. "Stop blowing your own trumpet Mark!" read another. (AB)

13:49 I've just got back from interviewing Gabriel Obertan. A really nice guy, he speaks flawless English and is both humble and ambitious. He said he would love to get on at some point against Chelsea and says all the lads are confident United can get a result. (BH)

12:25 Steve's also at the training ground, to interview reserves defender Oliver Gill for a feature in the next issue of Inside United. The current edition, which went on sale yesterday, has a similar article on Oliver's team-mates, the Norwegian duo Magnus Eikrem and Joshua King. 'Norses for Courses' is the rather splendid headline. (AB)

11:44 Ben's just headed down to Carrington for a chat with Gabriel Obertan. The Frenchman made his Reds' debut last week at Barnsley after being sidelined by injury for the first few months of his United career. He also came on against Blackburn and CSKA Moscow and has made a promising start so far. (GT)

08:43 It's cold and wet in Manchester today and I stepped in a puddle on the way to work! Anyway, quite a few things going on at OT. We're kicking off the day with our feature looking ahead to Chelsea. Sammy McIlroy has answered our five questions - and given the rousing team-talk he'd send his players out with at Stamford Bridge. Read the interview and then post your answers to the questions on the Talking Reds thread. (BH)

Your questions for Jesper

Our series of ex-player interviews continues next week when former United winger Jesper Olsen will be answering your questions.

Signed by Ron Atkinson in July 1984, Jesper made 149 starts, 27 substitute appearances and scored 24 goals for United. Although diminutive in stature, he arrived with a big reputation, having won two Dutch league titles and a domestic cup with Ajax. He'd also starred on the international stage, scoring a spectacular goal for Denmark against England.

Atkinson predicted that Olsen would become United's most exciting player since George Best but the Dane's finest season was arguably his first, when he helped the Reds to reach and win the 1985 FA Cup final - a match most often remembered for Kevin Moran's controversial red card and Norman Whiteside's glorious winner in extra-time.

Olsen remained at the club for the first two years of Sir Alex Ferguson's era but was sold to Bordeaux in November 1988 for £400,000. He later played for Caen, also in France, before retiring in 1992.

Jesper returned to the Manchester area and while working as an agent, he made a few appearances for the United Masters team in indoor six-a-side tournaments. He now lives with his family in Australia where he runs a successful football coaching business.

Please post your questions for Jesper on manutd.com/talkingreds - in the Legends forum - and we'll put the best ones to him on your behalf.

Source: manutd.com

Match Pack: Chelsea

United need a first win at Stamford Bridge in seven years in order to regain pole position...

Form Guide: Chelsea have amassed a total of 13 goals in their past three league games, taking a two-point lead over United in the process. Their bid for a fifth straight win in all competitions failed in midweek, however, when Sergio Aguero struck a last-minute equaliser for Atletico Madrid; Didier Drogba’s two goals in the final eight minutes looked to have sealed a Champions League win but the 2-2 draw in Spain was still enough to send the Blues into the last 16. United, meanwhile, were on the right end of a last-gasp leveller and will be buoyed after coming back from 3-1 down to book a place in the knockout stages. Domestic matters now take priority and the Reds will see Sunday's game as a golden opportunity to reclaim top spot after conceding it with defeat at Anfield.

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti has made an impressive start in English football, having joined Chelsea in the summer after a long and successful spell with Milan. While at the San Siro, he picked up a number of major prizes, most notably the Serie A title and two Champions League crowns in 2003 (at Old Trafford) and 2007 (after beating United in the semi-finals). He might have conquered Europe earlier, with Juventus in 1999, had the Treble-chasing Reds not pulled off a stirring comeback in the second leg of the semi.

Ins and Outs: Chelsea may recall Nicolas Anelka and Deco to the starting line-up as they target the victory that would put them five points ahead of United. Defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Branislav

Ivanovic are also likely to return after resting on the bench for the match in Madrid. Meanwhile, United are likely revert back to the team that beat Blackburn with Dimitar Berbatov, Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs all set to recover from their respective injuries. However, Gary Neville is still suspended and Rio Ferdinand could miss out again due to a calf injury.

Star Man: Frank Lampard. Having gone ten games without a goal, the England midfielder has netted in three of Chelsea's last four matches. His ability to create opportunities for Drogba and Anelka also makes him a threat.

Referee: Martin Atkinson. The man who refereed arguably the greatest Manchester derby of all time will be the man in the middle on Sunday. He's brandished 56 yellow cards since the beginning of the season but has yet to show a red.

Rivals Watch: Man City v Burnley Sat 15:00, Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal Sat 17:30, Liverpool v Birmingham Mon 20:00.

Source: manutd.com