UNITED TURN UP THE HEAT ON CHELSEA

 

(Image taken from Manutd.com)

 

Relegation strugglers Portsmouth should in theory be one of the Premiership's easier sides. Having said that, United's recent record against them isn't that hot. Harry Redknapp being one of the guys who has our number. We've still run out of affordable slip ups if there's to be any chance of catching Chelsea though so to Fratton Park we go.

Portsmouth looked like they knew what the were doing early on though hammering Van de Sar's goal on a regular basis. However United weren't kept down for too long, a Giggsy shot in the 18th minute hammering the bar before the Ruud boy stuck the ball where it should have gone first time. Pompey kept up their attacks but they weren't anything that United couldn't deal with and in the 38th minute Ronaldo made it 2-0 to United from out wide before making it three in the 42nd minute before half time from close range.

With van de Sar picking up an injury and half time, Tim Howard got a rare Premiership appearance. The American had to deal with the home side's renewed assault while Rooney's attempt to make it four by lobbing the Portsmouth didn't come off. Eventually Pompey broke through with a Matthew Taylor header in the 87th minute but it was too little, too late and those'll be our three points.

Elsewhere the Scousers got out of the JJB stadium with a 1-0 win over Wigan but the biggest laugh of the season came when Chelsea got trashed at the Riverside. Boro won 3-0 and a case of the finest red wine Fergie can lay his hands on has probably arrived at the Steve McLaren residence by now. That narrows the gap down between United and Chelsea to twelve points with the Scousers six points back from there in third.

North of the border, the Aberdeen made a Premiership visit to Tynecastle and got some payback for their Cup exit to Hearts on the same ground. The self-destructing Edinburgh side(why can't someone just boot Romanov out?) took an early lead through Callum Elliot only for the Dons to turn this round in the second half thanks to a Steven Pressley own goal and a Chris Clark winner.

Elsewhere, Celtic won an Old Firm derby at Ibrox, beating Rangers 1-0 with Marcei Zurawski hitting the winner. Alex McLeish is on his way out at the end of the season to which I can only say 'unlucky mate' but with the Gers on current form I wasn't expecting much else.

Now it's back to the European scene!

Click here to visit the football archive

Comments get emailed here

Click here to return to sports homepage

Click here to return to Matt G's homepage