Nine points. Roman Abramovich is used to big numbers but he might baulk at the size of the digit attached to Manchester United’s points lead at the top of the Premiership. This could not be what the Russian envisaged when he dipped further into his lake of roubles in the summer to add Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack to a side who had won the Premiership two years running. An oddity of the fixture list means that, with Chelsea playing three times before United do again, the Stamford Bridge side could be back on level terms when Sir Alex Ferguson’s team kick off at West Ham next Sunday.
With Arsenal visitors today at Stamford Bridge the pressure, nevertheless, is on. “With us playing before Chelsea we can relax now and watch the game and be supporting the Gunners. That doesn’t happen often,” said Ferguson with the broadest of smiles. “Hopefully by Monday morning we’ll be in a better position. It’s been a great week. You have to earn the right to win these derby matches and we did that.”
Tempering his jollity there was relief. Given the skills gap between the players at times, this should have been easier than it was. United gained an early lead, a comforting goal before half-time, and had a spell in the second period when they swept the ball around magisterially, to cries of “Ole!”.
And yet Manchester City were never quite out of it until Cristiano Ronaldo burnished another match-winning performance with his team’s third goal, six minutes from time. Casualness and carelesness by United, especially in the box, was partly to blame but City’s spirit had to be acknowledged. Joey Barton and, surprisingly, Darius Vassell ensured their team always competed spikily, and home bums were squeaky for a time following Hatem Trabelsi’s gorgeous goal. United were never wholly comfortable under the high balls Stuart Pearce had his side play into their area and, at 2-1, there were nervous moments when Edwin van der Sar hesitated before fielding a bouncing cross at the second attempt, Vassell in wait.
Ronaldo may have been just offside when he scored his goal but deserved something for the puckishness he brought to a fixture in which flair players of lesser fibre have often hidden. United having retained possession patiently, Gary Neville found Wayne Rooney inside the box and Rooney jinked himself a yard of space in front of Sylvain Distin before driving the ball into the six-yard area where Ronaldo, loitering beyond Richard Dunne, cracked a volley past Andreas Isaksson.
“3-1 in your Superbowl,” United fans crowed, throwing City supporters’ insults regarding the Glazers back in their faces. Glee gathered when Bernardo Corradi was sent off when, already booked for an elbow on Nemanja Vidic, he attracted another yellow card, following a blatant swoon at the feet of John O’Shea. “The referee got it right,” said Pearce. “I thought our player went down too cheaply and I’ve had a chat with him about that.”
Ronaldo received the player of the month award before kick-off and just five seconds after it was already on the ball, hunting victims. He twirled past Ben Thatcher and drew a foul from Barton. When he faced Thatcher again, doubts made the defender back off, and Ronaldo sent a low cross into the box which Distin made a horrible swipe at and missed. The ball ran to Rooney, who sidefooted past Nicky Weaver for his 50th Premiership goal. With only five minutes and four seconds gone a rout looked possible, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Ronaldo had Thatcher booked when the only way the poor full-back could imagine stopping his opponent was by shoving him in the chest, but it was City who began running at United. Barton and Claudio Reyna were more eager in the tackle than Paul Scholes and the laid-back Michael Carrick, and Vassell’s pace was troubling Neville. A long free-kick saw Corradi and Vidic jump together but miss the ball and Micah Richards got there before Gabriel Heinze to head goalwards and then head the ball again as Rio Ferdinand closed, but it dropped wide.
Shelling United’s box again, City produced another near miss when Corradi nodded back to Georgios Samaras and the Greek forced a fine save from Van der Sar with a sweet volley. Samaras got another decent shot in when Van der Sar could only palm at a cross and Richards headed for goal at a corner only for Samaras to stop his teammate’s goalbound effort and send the ball over the bar.
Still, their neighbours may have exposed a weak spot in the league leaders. “We had to fight and scrap against all the high balls into our box,” Ferguson admitted. “It was difficult to play against at times.”
United had not been dormant following their opener, and the force of a Rooney volley almost knocked Weaver into his own net as he parried it away, but the home team seemed too relaxed about their slender lead.
Louis Saha fattened it on the beat of half-time. Trabelsi dallied by the corner flag and made a poor attempt to find Dunne. Rooney intercepted and fed Heinze, who drove in a shot from a tight angle. His effort flashed across the six-yard box, where Saha arrived and poked the ball against Weaver. Topspin sent it teetering upwards and bouncing across the line.
United were more urgent in the second period and Isaksson, on for Weaver, made his case to resume as City’s No 1 when saving point-blank from Rooney after Giggs found the youngster with a volleyed cross.
Pearce also brought Stephen Ireland off his bench, and the Irishman brought more guile to City’s attacking. Ireland twisted past Vidic and drew Heinze before cleverly setting up Trabelsi, and the Tunisian rounded Ferdinand before curling the ball beautifully beyond Van der Sar, and in off the bar, from the edge of the box.
With 18 minutes remaining City had a chance but lost Richards to injury, then another goal, then Corradi. A triple whammy. United, meanwhile, rejoice in the power of nine.
Star Man: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Player Ratings: Manchester United: Van Der Sar 6, Neville 6, Vidic 6, Ferdinand 7, Heinze 6, Ronaldo 7, Scholes 7, Carrick 6, Giggs 7, Saha 6 (O’Shea 66min, 6), Rooney 7
Manchester City: Weaver 6 (Isaksson h-t, 7), Richards 6 (Beasley 75min, 6), Dunne 6, Distin 5, Thatcher 5, Trabelsi 6, Reyna 6 (Ireland h-t, 7), Barton 7, Vassell 7, Corradi 6, Samaras 6
Referee: G Poll
Attendance: 75,888
