Just a shaft of light for United

AS a keen student of the sport of kings, Alex Ferguson needs little reminding of the sticky fate of Devon Loch.

Only a collapse of similar magnitude by Chelsea on Sunday will open the door to Manchester United’s dogged attempt to set new benchmarks in English football.

To their credit, Sunderland were true to the insistence by their manager Steve Bruce that they would not roll over and gift his former club the points they required to maintain their hopes of clinching a record 19th top flight crown, a fourth consecutive one in the Premier League.