Van Persie gets back to scoring ways

Robin van Persie felt compelled to thank his colleagues after scoring his first goal in eleven games during United's vital victory at Stoke City.
The Dutchman won and converted a second half penalty to net his first goal since February before joining United, his staff and the substitutes on the visitors' bench at the Britannia Stadium.
"I had to score that one and thankfully it went in, and after that the relief of a couple of weeks came out, I would say,"laughed the Dutchman. "I wanted to celebrate with everyone; with the players, the staff, with all the players involved even on the bench because they've been great to me from day one.
"Even when sometimes it is a little bit harder, they still believe in me and they still support me and help me wherever they can. That's why I wanted to join everyone."
Wayne Rooney paid tribute to van Persie's bravery in deciding to take the penalty, with the weight of expectation bearing down after so long without a goal.
"I'm sure he would have thought about it (the drought) before he took the penalty, but he showed a lot of courage to step up and put it away. Credit to him for that.
"Every player in the world has had a few games on the run without scoring. Robin's kept his head down, kept working and thankfully today he's got his goal and hopefully that'll kick him on because he'll be a massive player in the next few games for us."
Robin was speaking to MUTV and Sky Sports.

Sir Alex praises his players

Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for his players after a deserved 2-0 win at Stoke City on Sunday.
Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie scored the goals as the Reds took an important step towards a historic 20th league title.
After losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup and to Manchester City in the derby, some pressure was on the league leaders going into the hostile environment at the Britannia Stadium.
"It was a big one coming on the back of the defeat on Monday night and it was essential for us in terms of standing up and being counted," the boss told MUTV . "Everyone did a great job today.
"I said at the beginning of the game that the wind would affect the ball and it was the worst day possible to come to Stoke. They are a handful and it was a really tough match. Credit to the players as they battled all day."
Sir Alex was delighted to see van Persie end his 11-game goal drought but less enamoured to be embraced so vigorously by his enthralled top scorer.
"He nearly killed me!" he joked. "He forgets I'm 71! I always think you should celebrate goals – the boys celebrated right away and it was an emotional part of it. The supporters were encouraged by that.
"It was an absolutely tremendous penalty under pressure, with the wind blowing the ball off the spot two or three times," the manager stated. "He arrowed it right in the corner, a perfect penalty. He did well to get us a penalty after a tremendous ball out to him by Wayne and he was brought down.
"He and the rest of them will think they've done a great job today, very well justified in terms of the performance and having to dig in deep to get that result."
Sir Alex says he hopes Stoke do not go down, even though the defeat leaves the Potters in trouble following Sunderland's 3-0 win at Newcastle.
"I hope Stoke stay up," he insisted. "I think they're a great club with fantastic support and a great manager. Tony Pulis is terrific, one of the best in the business. With the job he's done here, he doesn't deserve to be in the position they are in.
"They should be doing better but I hope they stay up and I think they will get enough points. There was a great determination about them and determination at this part of the season is a good thing to have. I really do hope they stay up."
As for the Reds, the message from the manager is clear: end the season in style.
"The responsibility and expectation is for Manchester United to win every game," he told Sky Sports . "I don't think any of the supporters would think any differently.
"Today was the start and we have got six games left. To go and win the next game is what we want to do."

Match report: Stoke City 0 vs Manchester United 2

Manchester United got the title bid back on track with a convincing 2-0 win at the Britannia that extends the lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League to 15 points.
After the derby defeat to Local rivals Manchester City, a trip to a blustery Britannia Stadium against a team battling to avoid the drop was clearly a potential banana-skin but the Reds' class showed in testing conditions with Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie, from the penalty spot, grabbing the goals.
Sir Alex Ferguson selected Wayne Rooney in midfield with Javier Hernandez handed a chance to continue his fine scoring record against the Potters while Phil Jones and Shinji Kagawa also started. Rooney looked at home and the visitors made the perfect start following a fourth-minute corner.
Van Persie's cross led to right-back Phil Jones trying to hook the ball goal wards but a scramble ensued and Carrick intelligently jabbed into the corner of the net with the outside of his foot. It was a first league goal for the majestic midfielder this term and the 100th for United in all competitions in 2012/2013.
Another van Persie corner saw Patrice Evra lift an attempt over the top while Rooney forced a decent stop out of Asmir Begovic after unleashing a ferocious shot from long range. Stoke's response to falling behind was muted until Robert Huth headed wide from a Charlie Adam cross.

Nevertheless, United controlled the game for the majority of the first half and looked pretty comfortable. Van Persie tried to end his goal drought and lobbed a cheeky effort well wide from 40 yards out after robbing Adam before firing in a snap-shot that was fumbled behind for a corner by Begovic.
Sir Alex was fuming when ex-Red Ryan Shawcross escaped punishment for blatantly wrestling Hernandez to the ground as the home side's strong-arm tactics sometimes crossed the line. Rooney had a chance to score seconds later but his free-kick flew inches wide of Begovic's right-hand post.

Stoke managed to mount some pressure in first-half injury time but a similar pattern emerged after the interval with United in control, without really ramming home the advantage. Superb passes by Rooney and Hernandez carved out an opportunity for van Persie but the Dutchman lashed into the
side-netting from a difficult angle.
As the Potters became more comfortable in defence, they tried getting the ball forward quickly and started to make attempts of their own. Jon Walters hooked over the bar and Adam worked David De Gea with a couple of wind-assisted shots. Kenwyne Jones then blazed off target but the warning signs were soon heeded by the Reds.

Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia worked the ball cleverly down the right and Rooney bided his time before releasing van Persie. Andy Wilkinson made a reckless tackle as van Persie dummied back and, ultimately, floored United's leading goalscorer inside the area to prompt referee Jon Moss to point to the spot. Calmly ignoring the fact that the wind initially blew the ball from the
spot, van Persie stepped up to place his penalty wide of Begovic before sprinting off to celebrate with Sir Alex, Rene Meulensteen and Alexander Büttner on the sidelines.
The second goal led to unrest among sections of the home support but City's response on the pitch was more impressive with De Gea forced to smother a shot by Ryan Shotton following a slip by Evra, which could have proved costly. Kenwyne Jones then tumbled over a grounded Nemanja Vidic inside the area but, despite the appeals, a spot-kick would have been ridiculously harsh.
The introduction of Danny Welbeck, for Hernandez, and Michael Owen gave the away fans the chance to go through some of the song-book as the clock ticked down on a 12th away win of the league campaign. Stoke's performance may have highlighted a lack of confidence but Adam, voted his team's man of the match on the tannoy to ironic cheers from the visiting supporters, again worked De Gea with a free-kick that drifted towards the far post.
Shotton's embarrassing miskick perhaps summed up the hosts' afternoon but United now only need seven points from six games to clinch a record 20th title - starting with Wednesday's visit to West Ham.

Rooney: Sir Alex inspires me

Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson for helping to motivate the squad after last season's dramatic end, which saw rivals Manchester City win the title in the closing seconds of the campaign.
This season, Sir Alex's side have proven to be the dominant force in the Premier League, which is reflected in their 12-point advantage over second placed Manchester City.
Rooney - as Unitedprime blog exclusively revealed last month has admitted to team-mates he could leave the club in the summer,says that his boss deserves the credit for United's position at the top of the table because his man-management skills have such a positive impact on the squad.
He told the Times of India: " We have regular team meetings and he speaks to a lot of players individually too. And his team-talks are brilliant. They really inspire you. It doesn't matter that we might be a few points clear, he never lets you feel like that before a match because he wants us to keep going.
"The important thing is to go out and play each game with a positive attitude. We have to stay focused. We have to make sure we keep doing our job and keep our concentration. "
The 27-year-old said: "It's a great position to be in but nothing is over yet. We've just kept plugging away and have been getting results and thankfully the other teams have dropped points. But we have to keep things going, keep pushing on and working hard to make sure that gap stays as big as possible. It's going to be a big few weeks for us now.
"Of course, to lose the league in the last second last season was bad. But when you are at a club like United, you have to be full of motivation and desire to win every year. That comes from the manager."

Chicharito: Winning is all that matters

Chicharito insists that the Reds are not worried by a recent lack of goals and insists winning games is all that matters at the moment.
After failing to score in the FA Cup replay at Chelsea, the Reds' two goals in the last two league games have come courtesy of the opposition.
Hernandez maintains it doesn't matter who or how many goals United score, as long as the team wins. And he says the players are determined to bounce back from the Manchester derby defeat with victory at Stoke on Sunday.
"Sometimes you can score a lot of goals and sometimes you are only scoring a few. It's part of football," he told MUTV 's Countdown to Kick-off show.
"In some parts of the season we have scored a lot of goals. In December [and into January] we scored at least two goals in a few games in a row. That happens.
"We are working very hard to try and create as many chances as we can and when we have those chances we always try to score. The most important thing for us is to win the games - even if we win 1-0 we would still love that."

United only need 10 points to reclaim the Trophy, but Chicharito insists no-one at Old Trafford is thinking of anything but three points on Sunday.
"We have to forget about that [when United could win the title]. We are only thinking about Stoke," he adds. "We aretaking it game by game. It's Stoke now and then we'll thinkabout West Ham [on Wednesday] and then the next game.
"We are working very hard in training and doing what the gaffer wants us to so we can put in a performance on the pitch."

Ferdinand: no hangover from Madrid match

Rio Ferdinand insists the Reds are not suffering from any kind of hangover from last month's Real Madrid defeat, despite some disappointing results of late.
After losing out in the FA Cup quarter-final replay away at Chelsea, having initially been in control of the tie at Old Trafford, the Reds went down 2-1 in the Manchester derby on Monday night.
Ferdinand maintains the players simply didn't reach the levels needed against Chelsea and City and says the results were not affected by the Reds' Champions League exit.
"There has been no hangover at all," he told MUTV 's Countdown to Kick-Off show. "The Madrid game was a weird one - you're gutted obviously, but it didn't feel the same as when we lost to City because we didn't play well in that game.
"Against Madrid we did everything that was asked of us as players, but one decision took us off the rails and had a big impact on the way the game finished. So I wouldn't say that [about there being a hangover].
"We've had a couple of hard games against two teams [Chelsea and City] that are up there [near the top]. We've got no divine right to beat those teams, but we should have beaten them given we were playing at home. That's the disappointing thing. But no, there is no hangover."
Despite the loss to City, United remain well in control of their title destiny and Ferdinand says the players are simply focusing on finishing the job.
"Inevitably you have a bit of a down period for a day or so but you've got to dust yourself down and move on, and that's what we're doing," he added. "We go into the Stoke game [on Sunday] knowing we need to put a good performance and result together.
"What you aim for at the start of the season is to get some consistency within your team and that's what we've done. the
results we've had have been churned out through hard work and applying ourselves in the right way and we've got to continue that.
"One defeat in 19 is some going. We can't allow all that hard work to be undone by one or two bad results of late.

Unitedprime blog: Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United

Unitedprime blog: Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United: Form status: Manchester United's 18-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League was ended when local rivals Manchester City triump...

Preview: Stoke City vs Manchester United

Form status: Manchester United's 18-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League was ended when local rivals Manchester City triumphed at Old Trafford, a result that leaves the Reds 12 points clear at the top with just seven games to play. Sir Alex Ferguson's side need just 10 points to secure the title and hope to grab three of those against Stoke City, who have only won two of 12 matches in 2013. As a result, the Potters are in 15th position and battling relegation.

Injury news: The boss expects Ashley Young to miss out after he limped out of Monday's derby defeat with an ankle injury. However, the squad could be boosted by the return of defensive trio Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, while Paul Scholes might also make his long-awaited comeback from injury. The hosts will complete late fitness tests on Matthew Etherington and Mark Wilson,but Gary Whelan is not expected to feature.

Previous meeting: Wayne Rooney recovered from scoring an own goal to strike twice as United recorded a 4-2 win over Stoke at Old Trafford in October. Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck were also on the scoresheet, as well as Michael Kightly, during a topsy-turvy match that was in keeping with the Reds' early-season performances.

Did you know? United, while still named Newton Heath, lost 7-1 in the first ever meeting with Stoke in 1893. Since then, the two teams have contested 96 games, of which the Reds have won 38 and drawn 32, scoring an impressive 145 goals in the process.

Sir Alex's men can temporarily reclaim a 15-point lead over City, who are in FA Cup action.

Referee: Yorkshire-based referee Jon Moss will take charge of this fixture. So far this season, he has dished out 77 yellow cards and one red in 27 matches. United fans last saw him during a 2-0 home win over West Brom on 29 December.

Sir Alex: We are in good shape

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United "are in good shape" ahead of Sunday's trip to Stoke City after injured trio Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling all made positive strides this week.
Speaking during his Friday morning press conference at Carrington, the boss confirmed Evans has trained all week and is in contention to start at the Britannia Stadium, while Vidic and Smalling have stepped up their individual workloads to potentially boost the Reds' defensive options.
Paul Scholes should start training next Monday after struggling with a knee problem in recent months, however Ashley Young is set to be out for a fortnight with an ankle injury sustained during Monday's derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford.
"I'm hoping Vida will start training today," Sir Alex told reporters. "Jonny Evans has trained this week, which is better news than we had building up to Monday's game. Ashley Young is out – he got a sore whack on his ankle and is maybe out for two weeks. Other than that, we're in good shape in terms of player availability.
"Chris Smalling started running this week and Paul Scholes will start training with the first-team on Monday. He's done a fair bit in the last week or so and it will be a terrific boost to get his football intelligence back in the squad. He's been out for a few weeks now so he'll need a good bit of training with us.
"You know you're always going to get a hard game at Stoke. That will never change."

Sir Alex: We need a win at Stoke

Sir Alex Ferguson says his team needs to be victorious at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday to get the title charge back on track.
The derby-day reverse to Manchester City trimmed the
lead to 12 points with seven games to play, enough to cause a minor bout of the jitters for some fans in the wake of what happened at the end of last year's Barclays Premier League campaign.
Any trip to Stoke City is usually tough and the Potters are desperate for points themselves after slipping down the table. However, the United manager is determined to secure victory ahead of the midweek journey south to West Ham next Wednesday.
"We have a job to do," stated Sir Alex. "The incentives are there for ourselves in the sense that we've only got seven games left.
"The challenge is there for Stoke as well. I don't think they will go down but, nonetheless, they're in a precarious situation because, down the bottom of that league, you don't pick up a lot of points. I think they'll get enough to get out.
"I don't think we should look at our position in terms of being 12 points clear. What matters is winning on Sunday and we need to do that.
As we always do, we should just try to do our best. We have a job to do on Sunday and we need to do it."
The boss doesn't accept the view that Manchester City deserved to win Monday's top-of-the-table clash at Old Trafford.
"It's always disappointing to lose a derby," he conceded at his press conference. "There was nothing in it between the two teams.
"Possession-wise, they were better in the first half and we were better in the second half but lost two bad goals and you can't do that in derby games. It was a fantastic derby in the
sense of the intensity.
"The start of the game was absolutely brilliant. Both teams went for it and it was end-to-end. Both had half-chances of sorts but it ended up that Joe Hart had the only save in the
match to make. There was only one save in the whole match between the two goalkeepers. That gives you an idea about how close the game was.

Valencia: Manchester United still worried about late title slip-up

Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia has revealed that the team is still "worried" that they could let Manchester City back into the title race this campaign.
Roberto Mancini's side reduced the gap at the top of the table with seven games to go back to 12 points after emerging victorious from their recent derby clash at Old Trafford 2-1 on Monday, courtesy of goals from James Milner and Sergio Aguero.

Valencia feels that even though they remain the
Favourites, they are now starting to look nervously over their shoulder, confessing the club need to take maximum points from their next two matches against Stoke and West Ham to put any doubts to bed.
"We're a little worried. It has already happened to us," Valencia told Ecuadorian radio station Sonorama .
"Last year, having eight points with seven games to go we lost the league, and now we have seven games, 12 points and we don't want this to happen again.
"We want to finish off the two games that are coming as soon as possible, starting off in the right way and ending up victorious."
The winger admitted he was upset only to feature for 10 minutes as a late substitute during the defeat to City and that he is growing frustrated with his lack of playing opportunities recently.
He added: "They are the manager's decisions [to make], but I was still a bit upset.
"In such an important game, to be not taken into account as a starter is upsetting.
"Ten minutes is very short for such a tight, difficult game. The important thing is to come on and play, but yeah, you become restless waiting for the next game and wanting to play 90 minutes."

Stam: Rvp is still world class

Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam believes Robin van Persie is still a "world-class player" regardless his recent form in front of goal.
The striker has been in poor form in recent weeks and, after his strike against Sunderland was deemed to have been a Titus Bramble own-goal instead, his goalless run now stretches to 10 league games.

Stam feels Van Persie has already proven his quality and that there is more to come from him this season.
"Since day one, when he joined, he has done very well," Stam told the club's official website.
"Although I've heard people talking about him not scoring for a while, I think he's scored a lot before that and, when he gets chances again, he will score goals for United in the future.
"He's done exceptionally well and is a world-class player who has proved himself in England really well since he left Holland. So everyone has got a lot of respect for him for what he's done in his career. "Robin has been very important for the club. It's hard for strikers to score in every game and to finish off every chance that they get.
"It's not like that in football. The opponents always know the quality of the strikers so, if van Persie is scoring, a lot of other teams will be marking him with two defenders and making it hard for him to score.
"But it doesn't matter as he's then taking a lot of attention away from the defenders and, if someone else scores, as they have been doing, then it's okay."

Rooney wins March goal award

Wayne Rooney has picked up our latest Goal of the Month award for his effort against Norwich City at the start of March.
In injury-time against the Canaries at Old Trafford, Rooney cut inside and unleashed a dipping drive from outside the box past goalkeeper Mark Bunn to seal a 4-0 win for United, after Shinji Kagawa's earlier maiden hat-trick for the club.
The goal gathered 39% of fans' votes on our seven official websites – English and its Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Spanish and French language versions.
Javier Hernandez's looping header in the 2-2 FA Cup draw against Chelsea came second on 27%, with Kagawa's third goal against Norwich, a neat dink following a fine team move, rounding off the top three (16%).
Kagawa's second that afternoon, an impudent first-time finishfrom Rooney's pass, was also nominated, along with a rocket by Charni Ekangamene and a smart shot by Sam Byrne for the Under-21s and Under-18s respectively

Welbeck making progress

Danny Welbeck is happy with the progress he has made this season and feels he is gaining invaluable experience from playing across the attacking line.
After a successful Euro 2012 campaign with England, the
United player has proved himself to be an important member of United's squad this term, and while he is ultimately disappointed with his goal return, he feels he is making big strides forward in other areas of his game.
"The Euros was a really good tournament on a personal level and it gave me a lot of confidence coming into this season," Welbeck explained in United Review .
"I think my performances have been more consistent [for United]. I haven't always played in my preferred position but playing in different areas allows you to develop an understanding of the other attacking positions which can only benefit you as a player. The one thing I want to do is score more goals."
Welbeck, a regular starter in big matches, points to United's visit to the Bernabeu as the biggest personal highlight of the campaign and hopes to be involved in similar occasions in the future.
"It was a massive day for the club and for myself. The manager picked the team that he thought could go out and get the result and we had chances to win the game there," recalls the England international who made his 100th United appearance against City.
"Ultimately the tie ended in big disappointment for us, but I was pleased with my performance at the Bernabeu and it was an experience I'll never forget.
"It's always great to be playing in the big games, but I want to play in every game! [Laughs] Of course, it gives you confidence, but it's something I just try to take in my stride while focusing on continuing to improve and develop as a player."

Title race: Seven games to go

Despite defeat against Manchester City in Monday night's Manchester derby, United are still sitting pretty at the summit of the Barclays Premier League, 12 points clear of Roberto Mancini's men and with seven matches to play.
And while the Reds' momentum may have derailed in recent weeks, the title is still very much in United's hands. Indeed, 10 points from the remaining seven fixtures will secure a 20th league title, irrespective of Manchester City's results.
Here, we examine the seven sides Sir Alex's men will encounter before the season's end and assess the perils, pit falls and potential for points along the way...

STOKE CITY (A)
Sunday 14 April, 14:05 CAT
First it's a trip to The Britannia, one of the most intimidating grounds in England. And for Stoke fans, United's visit is the game of the season. Encouragingly, the Reds have never lost against the Potters in the Premier League and not in any competition since 1993. What's more, the Reds have scored at least two goals against the Potters in eight of the last 10 meetings, with Javier Hernandez particularly fond of finding the net: he has four in five appearances. It won't be easy, though: Tony Pulis' side are fighting for top-flight survival and renowned for their physical and aerial approach... something that could test Sir Alex's men, who are currently without three centre-backs.

WEST HAM (A)
Wednesday 17 April, 19:45 CAT
Bar the heavy League Cup defeat in 2010, results at Upton Park have generally been positive in recent years. The Reds have been there already this season, although had to rely on a Robin van Persie injury-time strike to salvage a draw. Wayne Rooney didn't play that day but has netted four times on his last two league visits. The Hammers have been steady of late, picking up three wins and two draws from their last 10 games, but they are still in the relegation fight and still require a few more points to be sure of their Premier League status.

ASTON VILLA (H)
Monday 22 April, 20:00 CAT
Paul Lambert's Aston Villa are in an even bigger relegation fight, although their form has picked up in recent weeks and, having claimed an impressive 3-1 win at Stoke in their last away game, they're unlikely to surrender meekly against the Reds. United overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at Villa Park in November and will be determined to avoid another slow start. The Villans are still the last league team to keep a clean sheet at Old Trafford (in December 2009) but went down 4-0 in this fixture almost a year ago to the day; a repeat of that scoreline would do nicely.

ARSENAL (A)
Saturday 28 April, 16:00 CAT
The Reds have lost just once in the last 10 meetings with Arsenal, scored 24 goals and created a pervading sense of dominance in this fixture. Yet Arsene Wenger's side have suffered only one league defeat since mid-January as they push for Champions League qualification. And while it's a long time since the Gunners challenged for the title, Sir Alex pitches Wenger's men among next season's potential rivals. "Arsenal are improving," he says. "There's some indication they are building a better squad than people think." United's 10-point target for a 20th title, coupled with Arsenal's quest for European football, means this could be a match with a dash of the feistiness of old.

CHELSEA (H)
Saturday 4 May, 15:00 CAT (subject to change)
Since United won 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in a stormy and action-packed October affair, the Londoners have held the upper hand. A luckless 4-5 reverse in the Capital One Cup followed for Sir Alex's side and United's FA Cup hopes also ended in the capital after a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. The fixture list continues to look daunting for the Europa League hopefuls, yet they appear to be handling the taxing schedule remarkably well. The Blues have long been formidable opponents but Reds will hope this game evokes memories of United's win late in the 2011 season that virtually secured the 19th title.

SWANSEA (H)
Sunday 12 May, 15:00 CAT (subject to change)
Sir Alex will want the title race done and dusted by the time the Swans visit Old Trafford. If so, there'll be a party atmosphere in the stands. If not, and United still need points to secure silverware, it could be a nervy occasion. Capital One Cup winners Swansea are an impressive footballing side – Sir Alex recently revealed they'd impressed him most of all the teams in the league – and held the Reds to a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium just before Christmas. This one definitely won't be easy.

WEST BROM (A)
Sunday 19 May, 16:00 BST
After kicking off the 2011/12 season at the Hawthorns, the Reds now end the 2012/13 campaign on the same patch. And it's a place United have always enjoyed going. In fact, the Reds haven't tasted defeat in the league there since March 1984 and have scored 11 goals on the last four visits. Manager Steve Clarke has done an outstanding job in his debut season after taking the reins from Roy Hodgson, and his side certainly made United work for a 2-0 victory when the teams met in December. Clarke has led the Baggies to eighth in the league at the time of writing,although they have only won once in the last month.

Match report: Man.united 1 vs Man.city 2

Despite a losing in the
Manchester derby, Manchester united remain on track to win the premier league and reclaim the title from City.
That's a positive take after goals from James Milner and Sergio Aguero, before and after a Vincent Kompany own goal, gave victory on the night to the Blues.

The Reds were without Vidic or johnny Evans, both nursing niggles, and so Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones were paired in central defence for the first time since January 2012 against Newcastle, a game United lost 3-0. But leading up to the derby Sir Alex extolled his faith in the qualities of young defender Jones, who has excelled this season and is destined to take up a role in the heart of the back four.

He certainly didn't disappoint as he had a heavy hand in forcing Kompany to turn the ball into his own net.
In front of the defence, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs,who started his 37th Manchester derby, were the deep-lying midfielders, while Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, WayneRooney and Robin van Persie completed an attacking side. City named Aguero on their bench, leaving Carlos Tevez to lead the line alone in front of a packed midfield.
There was little sign of congestion in the middle of the park as the match got off to a fast-paced, evenly-matched start, with both teams playing on the front foot and referee Mike Dean letting some stern challenges go without stopping play. Welbeck had a glancing header saved easily by Joe Hart, while James Milner's fiercely-struck cross was palmed to safety by David De Gea, and then van Persie stroked an effort wide of the post, all inside the opening ten minutes.
City took the initiative after that, however, and a spell of pressure led to a good opening after 20 minutes when Silva'sneat lay-off from Kompany's lofted pass was superbly anticipated by Jones, who slid in to clear the ball from Tevez's toes.
Outright chances were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes as the game failed to deliver on a blustering opening period. United gradually edged back into the contest and with seconds left on the clock before the break Rafael poked a shot against the bar from van persie's pass inside the area.

The second half began with neither side dominating play until City struck the first blow in the
51st minute as Milner's shot from 20 yards fizzed through sliding challenges from Jones and Carrick and proved too powerful for De Gea's outstretched right hand. United had conceded possession easily in the lead up to the goal as Giggs' attempted backheel allowed Barry to attack down the left.
United's players looked despondent walking back to the centrecircle but within eight minutes the Reds had levelled and the game's complexion appeared to alter. Referee Dean awardeda free-kick on the right flank for Yaya Toure's challenge onRafael and van Persie's incisive, inviting centre was bundled over the line as Jones challenged Kompany in the air. Jones, inexplicably given his undoubted potential, is the butt of City fans' transfer triumphalism and his celebrations – and performance in general – hinted at someone who feels he has a point to prove. He doesn't, but his display was noteworthy even if the goal is certain to be marked down as Kompany's.
The goal lifted the Old Trafford crowd and inspired a confident, more positive approach from Sir Alex's team, butjust as United seemed to be taking assertive control of the match, City struck again on 78 minutes when substitute Aguero evaded four red shirts and beat De Gea at his nearpost with a shot high into the roof of the net.

United could not conjure a response as had been the case after City first found the net, and even now with a 12-point lead over the Blues there is still hard work to be done to deliver title number 20. However, this setback - a first league defeat since November - should ginger the Reds to strive to finish the job.

Ferdinand: trophy more important than records

Rio Ferdinand has said that the Team is not contemplating on setting a record points this season, but that the Team are focused on winnin the Title this season. The Red devils hold a 15-point lead over Roberto mancini's Manchester City who visit the Theatre of dreams on Monday night. Victory over the Blues would put the Reds on the verge of title glory, but attentions in the media have turned to the possibility of United hauling Chelsea's record of 95points in the 2004/05 campaign. Ferdinand, however, insists no-one is thinking about anything other than beating City and edging a step closer to a 20th premier league crown. "It is just about winning. Anything that comes after that is great, but winning it is the most important part," he told PASport. "If you win the league before the end of the season then you can set other targets. For me, personally, we need to get the trophy first, then you can think of all the other stuff thatgoes on around it. "We are not any more hungry because of what happened last season," he added. "That is just the way we are. The mentality of this club, driven by the manager, is that you have to win and you have to be challenging for every single competition you go in for. That has been the case since I have been here. That will never change. "This club, the manager, the management team he has behind him, and the players and the fans demand that." Twenty-five wins from the first 30 games - a record in the top flight - has helped the Reds build a double-figures advantage over Roberto Mancini's side, and United are also on an impressive run of 18 unbeaten games since November 2012

De Gea: Let's finish the job

The United shot stopper is basically relaxed as his team prepare for a potentially significant derby clash on Monday night. De Gea has made 35 appearances already this term but is still feeling fit, fresh and happy with his form heading into the final straight. “I’m feeling well, in good shape and I’m at ease on the pitch,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of matches but I get plenty of rest at home and I eat well – it’s important to look after myself. “I’m more confident and feel I’m playing consistently because I’ve had a prolonged run in the team. But training well and having a good mental attitude brings its rewards. Everything you put in, you get out. That is what you’re seeing now – I’m very happy with how I’m playing.”

Sir Alex predicts glittering future for Phil Jones

Sir Alex Ferguson has predicted a glittering future for Phil Jones and paid tribute to the England international's versatility, although the boss sees him as a natural centre-half. He described the Youngster as an "animal for football", the boss also outlined some of his plans for the defensive positions in the coming years during his exclusive interview with Inside United. "Jones is going to be a fantastic player, his talent is unbelievable. Yes [his best position is centre-back] but you could play him anywhere. I think you could play him centre-forward! He’s just that type of player. the Boss said.

Everyone wants to play the derby game- Sir Alex

Sir Alex has revealed that his players are in good shape ahead of the Manchester derby this coming monday. He admitted that he faces a tough task selecting his team to play against Roberto Mancini's men on Monday night. the Red devils are 15 points clear at the Summit of the Table but will hope to seal their dominance with a win against city. "These are the games that everyone wants to be involved in, the derby games," Ferguson told Inside United . "Over the last few years the derby games have been far more important than they ever were, so we've all been looking forward to them. But we've had a heavy programme leading up to the game so we just have to manage it. "The form in the league has been very good. But the international break came at a difficult time for us, in terms of preparing for the following fixtures. "We had the game on the Saturday against Sunderland andthen the Cup replay against Chelsea on the Monday, after so many of the players had played two international games. "And the calibre of player that we have means they alwaysplay for their international teams, that's for sure." Wayne Rooney missed the clashes with Sunderland and Chelsea earlier this week after picking up an injury on England duty, but Sir Alex says the striker should be fit. "I've no worries about Rooney because he's needing games, he's the kind of player who has to play all the time," he added. "With Van Persie, we have to monitor it because we still don't know all about Robin, and the kind of seasons he's had.I don't think he had a season of such intensity during his time at Arsenal, so we'll have to look at that. "Welbeck's looking strong as well, as is Chicharito."