UNITED MAINTAIN PACE

 

(Image taken from BBC)

Well the Premiership season was underway and United were looking to get the title back. They weren't doing that badly in getting it. Winning the opening game of the season always helps though drawing the second game was less than ideal. Still, I've seen the Reds have a lot worse starts to the season and other teams this season have also had worse starts. Now though, they had to keep things together. If they could then Fergie's side had a chance of taking an early lead in the Premiership. With Fergie having to live with an early international break it would prove to be a long gap between games but in theory nothing that the squad couldn't handle.

Before the break, West Ham visited Old Trafford. Well United had all the early attacking though it took a Rooney penalty for the Reds to open the scoring and Wayne to get his first goal of the season. Somehow the Hammers managed to stop the Reds from getting a 2nd though. Fine by us though, Nani was quick to grab our second early in the 2nd half. Still, we weren't in any mood for mercy and Berbatov continued his impressive start to the season with our third. We couldn't get a fourth though. Ultimately it didn't matter - there was only one team in that match and that display showed that getting anything from our turf was going to be as hard as ever.

After the break, we faced Everton at Goodison Park. Well the Toffees gave us a significant headache for most of the 1st half and just when the Reds looked to be going through the gears, Steven Pienaar opened the scoring for the home side though Fletcher equalised before half time. Vidic then got his goal of the season to give us the lead early in the 2nd half and yet another goal from Berbatov looked to have finished them off. Yet we just had to throw it away. Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta put the ball in the United net in the dying seconds which meant that we were only going home with one point. Talk about two points blown - seriously annoying.

Elsewhere, Chelsea didn't look in the mood to give up their title without a fight. First up they beat Stoke 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, scoring either side of half time. Then they beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park with the game pretty much over before the Hammers were able to score. The surprise of the Premiership season though continues to be Blackpool, who drew 2-2 with Fulham at Bloomfield road before beating Newcastle 2-0 at St James's Park. That means that United remain 3rd in the Premiership and on course for the Champions League. They lie four points behind leaders Chelsea and just one point ahead of Blackpool and a detour through the playoffs.

North of the border and Aberdeen continued their SPL campaign. Things didn't exactly go to plan though with Kimarnock mugging the Dons 1-0 at Pittodrie for their first defeat of the season, Killie grabbing the latest of winners. That was followed by a 3-1 defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice Park. On that occasion the Dons allowed their New Firm rivals to bury them early on, the Reds pulled one back before half time but couldn't find anything after that. That means that Aberdeen drop to 3rd in the SPL which puts them on course for a Europa League spot. They lie six points behind Rangers and a Champions League preliminary spot and level on points with Kilmarnock and another season without European football but with a +2 goal difference advantage.

Now for the Champions League.

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