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19/09/2007 20:58, Report by Gemma Thompson

Ronny hails 'perfect' evening

Cristiano Ronaldo hailed his return to his homeland as "the perfect night" after firing United to victory against his former club.

The Portuguese international headed home Wes Brown's cross just after the hour to give United a priceless victory and set them on their way in Group F.

Ronaldo was pleased with the result, but admitted that he felt a tad guilty about netting against the club he calls his second home.

"It's a perfect night for me. I scored and the team won. So it's been a great night for me and United," he told Sky Sports at the final whistle.

"It's always important to win away from home. Both teams played well, but I think the result is a fair one because we did better.

"Red is my colour and I want to win for United. I said before the game that Sporting Lisbon is my second home and I feel a little bit sad [that they lost], but the most important thing is United. They are my team and I'm very happy with the victory."

Some sections of the home fans rose to applaud Ronaldo's goal, before the whole stadium gave him a standing ovation when he was substituted in the final few minutes. It was a gesture which delighted the 22-year-old winger.

"The people here are very important to me," he insisted. "They helped me a lot when I played here.

"When I scored I didn't want to do too much because I don't think it's fair. But I'm very happy with the three points."

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19/09/2007 20:56, Report by Gemma Thompson

Boss pleased by away boost

Sir Alex Ferguson believes United's slender victory over Sporting Lisbon will give his players just the boost they need for their upcoming Champions League away trips.

The 1-0 win in the Portugal capital, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's second half diving header, was only United's third Champions League win in the last 15 on their travels.

The boss was pleased with his side's penetration after the break and is hopeful that this result will set things up nicely for United in Group F.

"It was good night for us," he told Sky Sports. "Winning your first match of the group away from home, just like we did last season, sets the tone. Getting a good start is always important.

"This victory will give the players a good confidence boost because we went a couple of years without winning away from home in Europe.

"Last season we changed that trend and it got us back to how we were eight or nine years ago when we were a constant threat away from home.

"Tactically things were, in the main, very good. Our penetration was better in the second half and there was more purpose to our game. They had some opportunities from the edge of the box, but they never really opened us up and that was our plan."

Ronaldo's 62nd minute goal was sportingly applauded by some sections of the home crowd in tribute to their former servant.

"It was interesting to see that - it's a rarity in the modern day game, but given that he's an ex-player for the club it's understandable in some ways," said Sir Alex.

"I'm pleased that he's off the mark for the season. His suspension derailed him a little bit, but I'm sure he's back on track now."

Another United player back on track is Wayne Rooney, who completed 71 minutes of the match, his first since breaking his foot in the opening game of the season last month."It was difficult to measure how long we kept Wayne on the pitch, but as soon as we scored I decided it was time to get Louis [Saha] ready," explained the boss. "Wayne will be better for his minutes on the clock and I'm sure he'll be ready for Sunday."

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20/09/2007 13:21, Report by Ben Hibbs

Saha bides his time

Louis Saha admits he was frustrated after being left out of the starting line-up to face Sporting Lisbon, but he says Sir Alex Ferguson made the right decision for the team.

The 29-year-old Frenchman, still waiting for his first Reds start since February, was praised by Sir Alex this week for his physical presence and ability to lead the line, his qualities playing off perfectly against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney was given the lone striker role in the 1-0 win over Sporting, but Saha will hope he is named in the first eleven when Chelsea visit Old Trafford this weekend.

"Everyone gets frustrated if they're named on the bench in a Champions League game," he said. "Difficult choices always have to be made and I think the manager made the right decision. It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch so it was a great win in the end."

The Reds have become masters of the 1-0 scoreline in recent weeks, and Saha would gladly take a fifth such result in a row on Sunday. "That's the main thing. We need to get points and that's what we're doing now," he said. "We've got the confidence back and we want to keep getting results because that is what will make us champions."

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20/09/2007 10:21, Report by Ben Hibbs

Queiroz denies quit claims

Carlos Queiroz has denied speculation that he will consider his future at the end of 2007 and says he is excited about continuing his role at the club.

Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant was quoted in the press as saying: “I need to reflect on what I want to do in this last part of my career. In December I’m going to stop and think about myself." But, as he explained whilst on United's visit to Lisbon, "it is just a misunderstanding".

"I don't understand why that has come up," he said in an interview with Sky Sports. "But the most important thing is that I'm happy, I'm very happy with the job and the position at Manchester United.

"The club is happy with me, so there's no reason to waste time with that issue."

Queiroz plays a crucial role at United in aiding Sir Alex on a daily basis, and his influence on players like Cristiano Ronaldo is immeasurably important to the Reds. And with a fresh influx of young talent at the club, Queiroz relishes what the future holds at Old Trafford.

"Especially at this moment, we have made a lot of decisions with a medium and long-term view," he added. "We expect a lot of things from our youngest players, talented players that we have got in the last season.

"So there are a lot of hopes and expectations about the future, and I want to be part of that future - it is really a big challenge for all of us."

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Papers: Boss eyes whizz-kid
20/09/2007 08:55

Fergie chases Rabiu
Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to raid Sporting Lisbon again - this time for Nigerian whizz-kid Rabiu Ibrahim. Ibrahim, 17, has caught Manchester United's eye and Fergie is hoping his relationship with Sporting Lisbon can give him the edge on Liverpool and Chelsea, who have been watching the attacking midfielder. Sporting's past discoveries have in cluded United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani.
Staff reporter, Daily Mirror
Following his winning goal in Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he felt sorry for his former team. The United winger kept his celebrations muted after scoring the only goal of the game.
Elsewhere, The Sun report that Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager was doomed after a dramatic bust-up with his trusted skipper John Terry. The reports came after Chelsea confirmed Mourinho had left the club by mutual consent.

Round up by Gemma Thompson

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20/09/2007 07:21, Report by Steve Bartram

Jose leaves Chelsea post

Chelsea have sensationally parted company with manager Jose Mourinho ahead of Sunday's clash with United at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese tactician has left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent after an indifferent start to the season, and Chelsea have confirmed former director of football Avram Grant as Mourinho's successor alongside Steve Clarke.

Grant, a close friend of club owner Roman Abramovich, joined the Blues in the summer from Portsmouth, where he was technical director. He has also coached Israel, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Maccabi Haifa.

Mourinho's departure is sure to stun the world of football, given the immense success the 44-year-old had enjoyed in his three years at Stamford Bridge. Having arrived from Porto in the summer of 2004, he won two Premier League titles, two Carling Cups, the FA Cup - at United's expense last May - and reached the Champions League semi-finals twice.
As recently as Tuesday morning, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon had denied rumours that Mourinho would be sacked. "There's loads of speculation that if we don't win Jose gets fired, but that's not the way we think," he said.

It throws Chelsea's preparations for Sunday's visit to Old Trafford into further turmoil as Didier Drogba (knee), Frank Lampard (hip/thigh), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and Claudio Pizarro (calf) all face a race to be fit for the trip to Manchester.

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20/09/2007 10:51, Report by Ben Hibbs

Rooney ready for Sunday

Sir Alex will be hoping to have a fit and firing Wayne Rooney for Sunday's visit to Chelsea after the striker completed 72 minutes during the Reds' 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.

It was the 21-year-old striker's first outing since the first day of the season against Reading, where he suffered a fractured metatarsal following a challenge from Michael Duberry.

Playing the lone striker role was demanding for the Reds front man, and as such Cristiano Ronaldo's goal allowed Sir Alex to take him off with Sunday's visit of Chelsea in mind.

"It was difficult for Wayne, having to play up front on his own," admitted the boss.

"We had to decide how long we kept him on the pitch, but as soon as we scored I decided it was time to get Louis Saha ready," he added. "Wayne will be better for his minutes on the clock and I'm sure he'll be ready for Sunday."

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21/09/2007 08:40, Report by Ben Hibbs, at Carrington

Sunday too soon for Reds duo

Thigh injuries have ruled Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville out of Sunday's clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.

The pair have both trained this week, but Sir Alex Ferguson expects them to return either side of next Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Coventry City.

"Owen Hargreaves is in training and improving all the time, he's in contention for Coventry," Sir Alex told his pre-match press conference.

"Gary Neville has joined first team training, but the Coventry game will be too early for him. We'll be looking at 7-10 days. For Sunday's game against Chelsea we'll be relying mainly on Wednesday's squad."

No new injuries were collected in United's win over Sporting Lisbon, giving Sir Alex a bulging squad for the visit of the Blues, who face their first game since the departure of manager Jose Mourinho.

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21/09/2007 09:25, Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex will miss Mourinho

Sir Alex Ferguson paid a brief but glowing tribute to former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, and admits that he will miss the challenge of squaring up to his Portuguese counterpart.

But, at the manager’s pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s fixture between the two teams, this was no lingering farewell, nor was it a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Sir Alex was to the point, clearly determined not to let the goings-on at Stamford Bridge overshadow the need for three points at Old Trafford.

“Jose leaving is a disappointment for the game,” he said genuinely. “I think that he was terrific for football and, of course, for Chelsea. I enjoyed the competition with him and I think he brought something fresh and new to our game. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with my wine now!

“What has he done? He’s been fantastic and brought unparalleled success,” he added. “It’s certainly a challenge for the man that replaces him. At the moment it’s Avram Grant, and it’s a big test for him.

“I wish Jose well, but that’s as far as I want to put it,” he said, before declining to take any more questions on the matter. “What happens at Chelsea doesn’t matter to us, we’ve got to focus on our game because it’s still the same set of players that we will be facing. And that’s a challenge enough for us.

“When you play Chelsea it’s always a big game. I don’t think it will be a defining moment, but it’s important.

“If you look at the record between the two teams over the last three or four years there is nothing in it. Very few goals are scored. It’s always a tight, tight game.”

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21/09/2007 07:16, Report by Gemma Thompson

Giggs: Sunday is no title-decider

Ryan Giggs believes the result of Sunday's United-Chelsea clash at Old Trafford will have little bearing on the eventual outcome on this season's title race.

The Blues will pitch up at Old Trafford with a new manager following the shock departure of Jose Mourinho on Thursday.

Avram Grant, formerly the club's director of football, will take charge of his first match as Blues boss on Sunday, with Steve Clarke assisting.

Giggs is expecting a tough encounter and says United are determined to come out of the game with a positive result. But the stand-in skipper insists the match is by no means a title decider.

"Whether we win or lose the game, I don't think it'll have too much bearing on where the championship goes," he told this month's Inside United Magazine. "It's all about being consistent across the entire season.

"Chelsea are a solid team with good experience. They have great discipline so it's hard to create chances against them, but we've done alright in the last few years.

"They're normally tight affairs so you like to try and score the first goal. But it's all about having consistency against all the teams you have to play against. Hopefully we can get the result we want."

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21/09/2007 06:40, Report by Gemma Thompson

Jose exit will boost Reds

Former United defender Arthur Albiston believes Jose Mourinho’s sharp exit from Stamford Bridge will work in United’s favour when Chelsea arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Avram Grant was installed at the Blues’ helm following Mourinho’s departure on Thursday morning.

Albiston believes many of the Chelsea squad will be somewhat deflated by this week’s events and is backing United to end the weekend victorious.

“I’m expecting a full-blooded affair at Old Trafford and personally I believe Jose Mourinho’s departure will work in our favour,” he told ManUtd.com.

“It’ll be a huge loss for Chelsea and no matter what their players say leading up to the game, privately most of them will be very deflated at his exit.

“Many of the foreign lads probably only signed for the club because of Mourinho, while the two main English lads, John Terry and Frank Lampard, who were close confidants of Mourinho’s, will be absolutely gutted.”

Like United, Chelsea have not exactly made the start they would have liked. However, while the Reds have turned things around with consecutive 1-0 victories in their last three league matches, Chelsea have taken just four
points from their last four games.

Albiston admits Sir Alex's men have not yet the heights of last season, but believes a win on Sunday would go a long way to aiding their title defence.

"Even if Mourinho hadn’t left, I’d still have said it’s a good time to play Chelsea," declared the MUTV pundit. "They’ve had a stuttering start to the season, losing at Villa and drawing at home to Blackburn, so they’ll be coming into the game on a bit of a downer.

"We haven’t been playing to our full capabilities, but the encouraging thing is we’ve still grinded out some excellent results. Of course, it’s still early, but it’s always very important to get results against your main rivals and a win on Sunday could go a long way to helping us retain our title."

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Papers: Boss feels for Jose
21/09/2007 06:25

Fergie amazed by Jose's exit
Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Chelsea had put ridiculous pressure on Jose Mourinho. The Blues announced this week they wanted Mourinho to win two Champions League titles in six years. United manager Fergie admitted: “It is amazing to put pressure on the lad to win two European Cups.” Meanwhile, United No 2 Carlos Queiroz reckons an ‘attitude problem’ could have cost Mourinho his job. Queiroz said: “Maybe the attitude he brought to the club created some obstacles. Maybe his attitude to the new policy of the club made it easier to take this option to leave.” And Queiroz believes that fellow Portuguese Mourinho will now head for Spain. He added: “I don’t think he will stay in England because the biggest clubs are all stable. Spain seems like a league that would better suit him.”
Staff reporter, The Sun

Meanwhile, The Sun claims Didier Drogba will follow Jose Mourinho out of Chelsea. Friends say the Ivory Coast striker, 29, is “furious and upset” after Mourinho’s sacking.

Ahead of Sunday's big match at Old Trafford, it's reported that new Chelsea boss Avram Grant will miss his team's last day of training because of his religious beliefs. Grant will observe the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur from Friday night until Saturday and will then fly in Roman Abramovich's private jet to Manchester where the squad are staying overnight.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

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21/09/2007 08:48, Report by Gemma Thompson

Blog: Give Chelsea the Blues

Reds' winger Chris Eagles looks ahead to Sunday's huge clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford and says it's never too early to steal a march on your title rivals...

I’d love to be involved against Chelsea on Sunday. I was lucky enough to be in the team that was given a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge last season after we clinched the title. It was fantastic to walk out like that - I couldn't stop smiling!

That guard of honour will have hurt Chelsea, like it hurt us when we had to do it for them. They will definitely be out for revenge this season.

Sunday's game is obviously a big one because it's been them and us fighting it out for the title over the last three seasons. But then every game we play this season will be huge simply because everyone wants to beat the champions.

Hopefully we can get the victory we want - it’s never too early to get a good result against one of the top sides. The further we can get in front of our rivals, the better.

If I don't play against Chelsea, I'll hopefully get a game in next week's Carling Cup tie with Coventry. It will be a good chance for the young players to show the manager what we can do... if Sir Alex decides to play us of course!

People ask me what it’s like to run out at Old Trafford and hear the crowd roar. It’s difficult to describe how you feel, there is a real sense of excitement and nerves all in one go. I just hope I’m able to enjoy the experience for many years to come.

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22/09/2007 21:10, Report by Nick Coppack

Sir Alex: I saw it coming

Sir Alex Ferguson says Jose Mourinho's departure is not such a shock.

Football fans woke on Thursday to news that the Chelsea boss had left Stamford Bridge, despite leading the club to five trophies (including two league titles) during his three-year stint and never losing at home. But while most have expressed amazement at the 44-year-old's exit, United manager Ferguson insists it's long been on the cards.

"I don't think it was as big a shock as some people, particularly Chelsea fans, are making it out to be," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio. "There were definitely signs that things weren't right there. I've obviously spoken to Jose a few times over the years and I'm not surprised by what's happened. I've sent him a message and told him I'll miss my glass of wine with him on Sunday.

"It's a loss to the English game because he's such an amazing and controversial character. I think the game really needed that at the time he arrived in England."

Sir Alex is determined not to let events at Stamford Bridge hinder United's preparations going into Sunday's crucial Barclays Premier League match, although he admits the Reds' Carrington training centre was unusually lively on Thursday.

"There was a lot of discussion on the training ground and in the dressing room about what's going on at Chelsea. Some of the lads know the Chelsea players and they've been getting little bits of information here and there. There was definitely a buzz about the place."

Chelsea will now travel to Old Trafford with former Director of Football Avram Grant in the hot seat. Grant won't have had much time to inject his own ideas into the mix and Sir Alex believes the Blues will still resemble a typical Mourinho outfit.

"They're chained to 4-4-2 and I think that's how they'll play on Sunday," the Reds' boss said. "They still have the same players and we still have to just concentrate on performing well and getting the result we're after."

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21/09/2007 15:22, Report by Nick Coppack

Giggs eyes winning streak

The Reds have beaten Chelsea just once in the last five Old Trafford meetings, but stand-in skipper Ryan Giggs believes United are good enough to take all three points from Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture.

After a shaky start to the season that saw the Reds head into last month's home game against Tottenham second from bottom, United have dug in and ground out results. The football hasn't always been breathtaking (and the goals have hardly been flying in) but four 1-0 wins on the bounce have steadied the ship and eased fans' fears.

"We're quite capable of going on a good run," Giggs said. "Hopefully we can keep winning and extend that to 10 or 11 games. Each win and each performance breeds confidence throughout the team."

It's a confidence that begins with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and the back four, particularly the central pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

"We're looking very good at the back," Giggs confirmed. "We're not letting in many goals and that's what we were all about last season. Defensively, if we keep it tight we know we'll get chances at the other end.

"Right now we're keeping clean sheets and still nicking the wins, but I think the goals will come soon."

Chelsea go into Sunday's encounter still reeling from Jose Mourinho's shock departure and with injury clouds looming over Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Claudio Pizzaro and Ricardo Carvalho. They've also failed to win in their last three outings.

Even so, Giggs says the Blues can still pose problems.

"I don't think Chelsea's injuries come into consideration. Whenever the big teams play each other form goes out the window because they have special players who can make things happen. It's always going to be close and the last few years have shown that."