English Premier League: Relentless Man United chase 10-point advantage
League leaders face Fulham at Craven Cottage today.
United would be hoping to extend their lead to 10 points when they take on Fulham today. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON:
Manchester United will hope to profit from title rivals Manchester City’s inactivity by opening up a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a win at Fulham today.
Alex Ferguson’s side were made to toil at home to Southampton on Wednesday before eventually emerging with a 2-1 victory that lifted them seven points above their nearest challengers.
With City not in action until a home game with Liverpool tomorrow, United can strike another psychological blow if they prevail at Craven Cottage.
Despite his side’s struggle to beat Southampton, United captain Nemanja Vidic says the only thing that matters is putting points on the board.
“Winning games is important at this stage of the season,” said Vidic. “But we have to forget what has gone and focus on the next games. Nothing is finished yet. There is a long way to go, but we’re in a good position.”
Ferguson is not worried about his players losing focus over the 14 remaining matches.
“Every game is treated the same way,” he said. “You saw the effort Southampton put in and it was a reminder to us that you get three points for every game, not just the top of the league, but the lower part (as well). I don’t expect my players to become complacent. Wednesday is a great reminder, but I don’t expect that.”
Podolski backs Arsenal to win top-four battle
Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski insists his spluttering side will win their battle to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners host Stoke today looking to bounce back from another sloppy display in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday.
That left Arsene Wenger’s side in sixth place, trailing fourth placed Tottenham by four points, but Podolski is convinced Arsenal are good enough to get that elusive fourth spot.
“We must fight for the Champions League places and this is our focus,” he said. “We want third place and we have a lot of matches to play. We are in the FA Cup and the Champions League but the focus must be on the Premier League.
“We wanted to finish first but we lost a lot of points in the first half of the Premier League and now the difference is too big. The other teams are really strong so we must fight in every game.”
Chelsea need fear factor: Azpilicueta
Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta admits his team must embark a long winning streak if they are to restore the fear factor opponents used to experience when facing the Blues.
Azpilicueta and his team-mates travel to face Newcastle today after a frustrating 2-2 draw at struggling Reading in midweek when they conceded two late goals after appearing to be on course for victory.
“Teams get scared when you win games in a row,” he said.
“When you win you get more respect. We have a lot of players with experience. They’ve played a lot of important games. We’ve had this situation a lot of times. We have to recover well because we have an important game before the international break.”
Today’s fixtures
Arsenal v Stoke
Everton v Aston Villa
Fulham v Man United
Newcastle v Chelsea
Reading v Sunderland
West Ham v Swansea
Wigan v Sopton
QPR v Norwich
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2013.
Manchester United will hope to profit from title rivals Manchester City’s inactivity by opening up a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a win at Fulham today.
Alex Ferguson’s side were made to toil at home to Southampton on Wednesday before eventually emerging with a 2-1 victory that lifted them seven points above their nearest challengers.
With City not in action until a home game with Liverpool tomorrow, United can strike another psychological blow if they prevail at Craven Cottage.
Despite his side’s struggle to beat Southampton, United captain Nemanja Vidic says the only thing that matters is putting points on the board.
“Winning games is important at this stage of the season,” said Vidic. “But we have to forget what has gone and focus on the next games. Nothing is finished yet. There is a long way to go, but we’re in a good position.”
Ferguson is not worried about his players losing focus over the 14 remaining matches.
“Every game is treated the same way,” he said. “You saw the effort Southampton put in and it was a reminder to us that you get three points for every game, not just the top of the league, but the lower part (as well). I don’t expect my players to become complacent. Wednesday is a great reminder, but I don’t expect that.”
Podolski backs Arsenal to win top-four battle
Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski insists his spluttering side will win their battle to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners host Stoke today looking to bounce back from another sloppy display in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday.
That left Arsene Wenger’s side in sixth place, trailing fourth placed Tottenham by four points, but Podolski is convinced Arsenal are good enough to get that elusive fourth spot.
“We must fight for the Champions League places and this is our focus,” he said. “We want third place and we have a lot of matches to play. We are in the FA Cup and the Champions League but the focus must be on the Premier League.
“We wanted to finish first but we lost a lot of points in the first half of the Premier League and now the difference is too big. The other teams are really strong so we must fight in every game.”
Chelsea need fear factor: Azpilicueta
Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta admits his team must embark a long winning streak if they are to restore the fear factor opponents used to experience when facing the Blues.
Azpilicueta and his team-mates travel to face Newcastle today after a frustrating 2-2 draw at struggling Reading in midweek when they conceded two late goals after appearing to be on course for victory.
“Teams get scared when you win games in a row,” he said.
“When you win you get more respect. We have a lot of players with experience. They’ve played a lot of important games. We’ve had this situation a lot of times. We have to recover well because we have an important game before the international break.”
Today’s fixtures
Arsenal v Stoke
Everton v Aston Villa
Fulham v Man United
Newcastle v Chelsea
Reading v Sunderland
West Ham v Swansea
Wigan v Sopton
QPR v Norwich
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2013.