Scrapping for the scraps as Blues blossom

SUPPOSE they had a big match and nobody cared? Okay then, we exaggerate for effect, but the fact is that no amount of Sky hype will turn tonight’s game between Arsenal and Manchester United at Highbury into the clash of titans it used to be, BC (Before Chelsea).

It still takes some getting used to, this new world order in which the heavyweights who for so long dominated the Premiership are reduced to fighting for scraps while Chelsea move relentlessly towards the retention of their title.

The infant New Year is still too early to be calling the final outcome, of course, but with the champions - fresh from yesterday’s 3-1 victory over West Ham - now 14 points clear of United and a whopping 25 ahead of Arsenal, it’s hard to see how tonight’s game will have any significant impact on the destination of the title.