Red Devils get that familiar sweet scent of success

GARY NEVILLE has been around Old Trafford long enough to know when the smell of success is in the air and the scent is getting so strong now it must even be wafting its way under Arsene Wenger’s nose.

For the second time in three weeks, Sir Alex Ferguson’s super-charged side took advantage of an early kick-off to pile the pressure on title rivals Arsenal then put their feet up and watch the Gunners’ badly misfire.

So now, the imposing eight-point lead Wenger’s men held at the beginning of last month has crumbled to just goal difference and though United’s tougher six-game run-in still leaves them as slight underdogs, there are plenty of witnesses from the past decade who will confirm that getting in the way of a Manchester United juggernaut is a risky business.

“Arsenal’s defeat at Blackburn a couple of weeks ago provided us with a bit of a push,” said Neville.

“You could sense something extra against Fulham in the following game and it was there again yesterday. There is a really good atmosphere about us and this win sets down a marker for the games which lie ahead.” Though the visitors toiled manfully in the wake of skipper Sami Hyypia’s fourth-minute dismissal for a clear penalty box pull-back on Ruud van Nistelrooy, they threatened the home goal on fewer occasions than legendary prankster Karl Power managed. Houllier had no dispute over the spot-kick award even if he felt his captain’s red-card was harsh, and neither did he feel referee Mike Riley’s second penalty decision, when Igor Biscan sent Paul Scholes flying after the interval was an incorrect one.

The overall outcome must have been disconcerting though, representing as it did, United’s biggest win over their fiercest rivals for half a century.

Houllier though refuses to accept the loss has delivered a catastrophic blow to his team’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, even though they are now five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

“It won’t derail our push for Europe,” insisted the Frenchman.

While Liverpool go away to lick their wounds, United are looking forward with relish to their trip to the Spanish capital, and a meeting with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul and a host of other stars which make up the most expensive football team ever assembled.