Ancelotti twists the knife

CARLO ANCELOTTI turned the screw a little tighter in the title race after his side’s pivotal victory at Old Trafford on Saturday by claiming Manchester United struggled to cope not only with his own side’s remarkable performance but also with the absence of Wayne Rooney, an analysis that leaves Alex Ferguson with food for thought this morning just 48 hours before a Champions League quarter-final.

It was perhaps a rather mischievous piece of punditry from the Chelsea manager but incisive, too, because as good as his team were during a 2-1 victory on Saturday that leaves them two points clear at the top of the table, the absence of Rooney, ruled out for three weeks with an ankle injury, was equally significant as United produced a disjointed and lacklustre performance that does not augur well for their trophy hopes.

United must recover quickly because they face Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Wednesday and then Blackburn in a do-or-die Premier League clash at Ewood Park next Sunday, both of them without their talismanic striker.