United take a step closer to the title as Liverpool and Chelsea continue to try to hand it to them

Once again yesterday, Manchester United took another step towards winning the Premier League without even playing. But for a Frank Lampard header in injury time, the title could have all but been won on an afternoon when United were preparing for today’s Carling Cup final.

When the season began, United didn’t look like defending their EPL title. Liverpool looked like serious contenders and Chelsea, under Luiz Felipe Scolari, looked as though they would definitely take their revenge for being pipped at the post in the big two trophies.

Uninspiring

In their first seven competitive games at the start of the season, United recorded just one win. An uninspiring 0-0 draw in the Community Shield was followed by an even less inspiring home draw with Newcastle. Things looked to be back on track with a win at Portsmouth but defeat followed in the Super Cup against a Zenit St Petersburg side that was anything but super in the Champions League.

Defeat at Liverpool in the next game was followed by draws against Villarreal and Chelsea. Things looked pretty bleak for Fergie’s men.

Since then, United have been defeated just twice in thirty-eight competitive games. They lost at Arsenal and in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at Derby. Other than that, twenty-nine of the other thirty-six games have been won.

Challenging

Whilst United have been accumulating enough points to be challenging the top teams after their disappointing start, they have actually been able to open up a commanding lead over the others as they have all done their best to self-destruct.

Arsenal were never serious contenders this year and they face a battle to qualify for the Champions League. Aston Villa have been exceptional but they were never likely to sustain a serious challenge this season.

The two teams who could and maybe should have knocked United off their perch at the top were Chelsea and Liverpool. Somehow, despite their great chances and potentially great seasons, we have seen these clubs lose their manager amidst rumours of dressing room unrest and lose a chief executive and have a manager refusing to sign a contract. How have they both managed to make such a mess of things?

Coffin

Liverpool’s defeat at Middlesborough yesterday may well have been the final nail in the coffin of their chances. If Manchester United win their game in hand, they will go ten points clear of Liverpool with just eleven games to play. Can anyone really see United losing that sort of lead?

Chelsea pulled up to be level with Liverpool when Frank Lampard headed home in injury time to secure a 2-1 win over Wigan. That’s the second injury-time winner Lampard has delivered in the past few weeks. It has kept them in the hunt, but only just.

Arsenal’s 0-0 draw at home to Fulham just confirmed that they are out of contention.

Impressive

When you look at the away form of the top three you see broadly similar records. They have each been beaten twice on their travels. It is the home form that sees United pulling well clear. Twelve wins and a draw for United at Old Trafford is pretty impressive. Liverpool have dropped points six times at Anfield whilst Chelsea have failed to pick up all three points at Stamford Bridge seven times.

Why should this be? Anfield has always been a fortress and Chelsea hadn’t lost a game at home for years before this season. OK, there are a lot stories about United getting all the important decisions from referees at Old Trafford, but don’t tell me that referees are any more intimidated there than they are in front of the Kop or the Shed.

Liverpool fans are rightly renowned for their loud and passionate support. Chelsea fans can be a little quiet but it is the United crowd that is constantly criticised for being too quiet and not passionate enough. It is they who led Roy Keane to make his famous ‘prawn sandwich brigade’ comments.

At such a ground, how can referees be scared? People say it is Fergie they are scared of. Has he been convicted of assaulting a referee? Are they worried that he may ‘stick the Glasgow kiss’ on them?

No, we are led to believe that referees are scared of him because if they give a penalty against United he might shout at them a bit!

Real

Let’s get real. The reason United are ahead of the other two at the moment is because they are a better team and their club is run in a more stable fashion than the other two are. When Chelsea took over as the best team under Mourinho, United stuck with their manager, supported him and worked hard to get back to the top.

Today, United are going to try to get the second of the five trophies they are after. I have a sneaking suspicion that Tottenham might put an end to that ambition. Even if they do, Liverpool and Chelsea have still got a long way to go until they can claim to be on the same level as United.