Arsenal, Chelsea stutter as Red Devils triumph

After the holiday break, it's still tight in the middle of the top half, with four points separating third from sixth, and some deciding matches came about on Saturday, most notably Sheffield United's 1-0 win over Arsenal. Arsene Wenger's young squad can look absolutely horrible when they lack key players, like Fabregas, Hleb and Adebayor. While I often think Alexander Hleb can be disposessed easily at times, at least he runs at defenders and causes trouble, and the energy of Fabregas is always missed when he's not starting. Of course, the nervy performances by the back four are another thing of worry in Gooner nation, and it looks like a good time to welcome back the skipper Thierry Henry. A loss like this surely solidifies the fact that Arsenal are in another dogfight for 4th place this year, and can only hope to regain fitness and rhythm before the restart of their European campaign in February. [BBC Football]

Chelsea can also hope to benefit from the time between now and the knockout round of the Champions League. The loss of skipper and defensive power John Terry has revealed a holey defense, as they find themselves coming from behind a lot in recent matches, something last year's squad wasn't used to. And the same can be said of dropping points, which is exactly what the Blues did today at Stamford Bridge against Fulham, which sees league leaders Manchester United go six points clear after their win today. A perfect opportunity for Jose Mourinho to begin the mind-tweaking, as he claimed some of his players don't contribute at all (poor Sheva). Like Arsenal, Chelsea wasn't able to come back, as they should have against the quality of their respective opponents, and it has cost them dearly in the race for the top spot. [SportingLife]

For Fergie, well he's just riding high after the holiday, and he's got perhaps the best young talent in the Premiership with Cristiano Ronaldo at the moment. The villian (for England) from this year's World Cup is having an incredible season, and despite retaining his penchant for hair product and Eurotrash style, he's dropped the needless flair and converted his technical skill into goals. He's just another example of Fergie's ability to mold winning teams. The effectiveness of Paul Scholes, Ole Gunnar Solsjaer, and Ryan Giggs have diminished little when it comes to winning games, because their intelligence and instincts can compensate for aging. A 3-2 win over Reading put the Red Devils six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table. In a high-stakes game where consistent performances are keys to success, off-days are the kind that Manchester United have taken care to avoid, which can't be said for the rest of the pack. [Telegraph]

-bl