Man Utd 1 - 1 Chelsea (26/11/06)

In the words of Svennis, 'First half good. Second half not so good.'

United were the better side in the first half, playing good attacking football and Saha showed no signs of his penalty miss on Wednesday damaging his confidence. Taking Rooney's pass he managed to evade the attentions of the Chelsea defenders to curl the ball into the goal, catching Cudicini by surprise at the near post.

Chelsea made changes at half-time, showing how strong a side they are and the quality of players available to them on the bench. United were hemmed back for much of the half and, although they had several opportunities to increase the lead on the counter, an equaliser was inevitable. Carvalho met Lampard's corner and headed powerfully, Saha only managing to head the ball off the underside of the crossbar and in, preventing Van der Sar from intervening.

The result still keeps United 3 points clear at the top of the table but Ronaldo and Saha are doubts for the next match. The first team has shown that they are a match for any team but beyond the first XI there are still doubts, particularly in attacking options.

Celtic 1 - 0 Man Utd (21/11/06)

Well, it was from a freekick that never should have been but it was a cracking goal. Saha managed to miss a penalty in the closing minutes. Would Ruud have scored?

Sheffield Utd 1 - 2 Man Utd (18/11/06)

"He is the King" was Neil Warnock's post-match remark and no one could disagree. After a temporary loss of form earlier in the season, Rooney was back to his best, not only scoring twice but being involved in nearly all of United's attacks. He even had time to rival Ronaldo's showboating only for the subsequent cross to be skewed over the bar from 6 yards out by the Portugeuse player when scoring looked easier.

Despite Rooney's mercurial form, Sheffield United did not make this an easy victory. Evra gave United old boy Gillespie the freedom of the penalty area allowing him to head home. Over the last few seasons, United would have struggled to overcome such an early setback but there's a belief in this side. Before the first half was over, Rooney had evened the score, deftly bringing down the ball with his left foot before volleying into the back of the net with his right.

Sheffield United continued to offer strong resistance in the second half before Rooney scored the winner. There were two penalty claims and Ronaldo's glaring miss but 2-1 was a good result against a physical, determined side.

Blackburn 0 - 1 Man Utd (11/11/06)

Another tough game, in appalling conditions against a team that took all 6 points off United in the league last season. For much of the game, it looked like United where going to have a frustrating evening, not helped by referee Riley's poor officiating.

There were moments when United broke fast with some great one touch passing but these were few and far between. When O'Shea took to the field at half-time, replacing Neville at right back, fans must have feared the worst. However, he has a mostly solid half and it was his cross that Giggs managed to divert into the path of a sprawling Saha to convert, taking him past the half-way mark of last year's total.

Still, having scored more goals than last season, 3 points clear at the top of the table and getting points off one of their bogey teams, things are still looking good. Chelsea's visit at the end of the month is still the fixture that United's title credentials will be judged on.

Southend Utd 1 - 0 Man Utd (07/11/06)

The O'Shea/Silvestre experiment continues with poor results.

Man Utd 3 - 0 Portsmouth (04/11/06)

With the team restored to full strength after the tampering in Denmark, United carried on where they left off against Bolton last weekend, totally outplaying high placed opposition and killing off the game in the opening exchanges. While Ferguson refused to have a presentation before the game to mark his 20 years at the club, his team paid tribute on the pitch.

With less than 2 minutes played, Portsmouth found themselves trailing to a Saha penalty after Rooney was fouled in the box. Ronaldo's stunning freekick doubled United's lead and Pompey left the pitch grateful that the lead wasn't even greater given the nature and style of United's play.

A chance to reduce the deficit was wasted before Vidic scored a third and his second of the season. Even then United continued chasing for a fourth when in the past they would have sat on the lead, the type of marauding football that typifies a Ferguson side. Even the introduction of O'Shea couldn't spoil the party.

Another goal for the 'missing Ruud' column, 35 goals in all competitions and a team playing their best football for years. Suddenly talk of Sir Alex retiring seems a little premature.

FC Copenhagen 1 - 0 Man Utd (01/11/06)

The biggest disappointment was not the loss but the number of unforced changes to the team that predictably lead to it. Saha, Giggs and Neville were already out due to injury so with the chance of qualification against the weakest team in the group, you'd still expect a strong team selection.

However, on top of Brown replacing Neville, both Silvestre and Heinze were drafted in, both returning from injury and neither fit or in form as the game against Crewe showed. Ferdinand, the cement in the back four was rested, leaving the normally solid Vidic struggling next to an unfit and often careless Silvestre. This was highlighted in Copenhagen's winner, with mistakes from Heinze and Silvestre leading to the goal.

Fletcher rightly got a start, given his ever improving, strong performances this season. More puzzling was the inclusion of O'Shea over Scholes. Carrick, still learning his role in the United midfield, was hindered by O'Shea, often trying to cover the same areas of the pitch and getting in each others way. O'Shea struggled to find United's players with his passing and even managed to miss an open goal. In a game where little midfield steel was needed, O'Shea's inclusion was unnecessary and stifled any creativity more than the Dane's midfield could.

With all the changes, there was an inevitability about the result and United looked like a team playing for a draw. Also disappointing was seeing Ole limping off with a hamstring injury. He'll be out for a few weeks now.