Manchester United virtually relinquished their title almost twelve months ago to the day when they went down to Chelsea at Old Trafford. For over an hour at Upton Park it looked as if history was about to repeat itself with West Ham holding a commanding 2-0 lead. That was until Wayne Rooney finally emerged from a frustrating season to grab himself a hat trick inside a quarter hour to propel United to a 4-2 victory and go eight points clear at the top of the table.

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Eight matches remaining, 24 points up for grabs and Manchester United must get every one of them from clashes like the one at West Ham on Saturday if they want to keep their nose in front of their rivals. As Sir Alex Ferguson often admits ‘It’s squeaky bum time’. There have been many dramatic meetings between the two over the years with the eight goal thriller in March 2002 one of the most memorable. Fans may not witness another goal fest this time but the stakes are high for both sides – albeit for totally opposite reasons, which will all but guarantee another tense battle.

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The record books show that Viv Anderson was the last big name player to be transferred from Arsenal to Manchester United in 1987 but two earlier signings proved to be just as significant. Few players have shown the knack of finding the net better than former great David Herd did in the sixties. During his seven years at Old Trafford, the Scotland born striker scored 145 times in 265 appearances. Then there was the Irish centre forward Frank Stapleton who had been rejected by United as a teenager. It was therefore ironic that Ron Atkinson had to pay the Gunners £900,000 for his signature in August 1981. Both Herd and Stapleton proved to be inspirational signings for which the Arsenal contribution has to be recognised.

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Despite the heavy 0-4 defeat suffered at West Ham in the Carling Cup last week, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to again leave a number of senior players out of his starting lineup for Tuesday night’s Champions League meeting with Valencia. Both clubs have already qualified for the knockout round although top spot in Group C is still up for grabs. United have 13 points from five games and will win the group if they avoid defeat against the Spaniards.

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The 4-0 thumping West Ham handed to Manchester United last night was not the first, nor will it be the last of such upsets in the Carling Cup. Remember Coventry City at Old Trafford three years ago? The second tier side avoided relegation by just one point that season while United went on to win the second of three successive Premier League titles yet the champions were bundled out of the cup by two goals from little known Michael Mifsud who has barely been heard of again.

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Copping a 4-0 drubbing should never be this painless! It may not exactly be a humiliation but it should still hurt so why does last night’s hammering at West Ham be seen as no more than a glitch? That long unbeaten record enjoyed by Manchester United had to come to an end eventually and when it did, the Carling Cup was always the best competition to lose it. That will be little consolation for manager Sir Alex Ferguson who hates being beaten at anything but fielding what can only be described as a second string line up against a desperately committed West Ham, the defeat should not come as that much of a shock – except for the 0-4 score line and a surprisingly lack of desire from a side managed by Ferguson.

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