Manchester United’s point at Stamford Bridge may have felt almost like a win, but this was probably the weekend when the balance of the title race tipped in favour of Manchester City.

The January window brings back into focus the issue of scouting and how to tell whether a player you are thinking about buying is worth the risk.

WHEN Real Madrid lost again to Barcelona last week, the difficulty of Jose Mourinho’s task there became grimly apparent.

THE last minute of the game at the Emirates and Arsenal fans who have made for the exits can’t quite bring themselves to leave.

KENNY DALGLISH’S flaming of his hapless Liverpool players is long overdue. For months now their failure to deliver has forced Dalglish into ever more agonised public contortions as he tries to defend them.

WE ALL knew Giovanni Trapattoni wouldn’t want to look at any new players before Euro 2012, but it was still a little disappointing to hear him confirm it on Friday.

MARK HUGHES seems like a realistic man, so he must have squirmed to hear his new chief executive at Queens Park Rangers, Philip Beard, talking about his dream of QPR winning the Premier League.

FOR a man who had just seen his team become the first to win at Manchester City since December 2010, Alex Ferguson did not seem especially happy.