City won’t topple us now

Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2012 by The Sun

City won’t topple us now
ROO CAN'T CATCH US ... Utd aces Young and Rooney aim to dig in at the summit

MANCHESTER UNITED are intent on being table-toppers from now until the end of the season.

The Red Devils overhauled Manchester City to sit on the Premier League summit after a match weekend for the first time since October 15.

It might be just a slender one-point lead but, with just 10 games to go, the momentum is with the champions.

Winger Ashley Young said: "A lot of people might not have said that we'd be in front of City but we've got the belief that, as long as we're winning our games, the pressure's on them."

That pressure told on Sunday as City cracked at Swansea, going down 1-0 while United triumphed 2-0 at home to West Brom.

United were already 2-0 up when news came through of Luke Moore's winner at the Liberty Stadium and the crowd made the players fully aware that they were heading for the top.

Midfielder Michael Carrick said: "I did notice it, maybe because the game was quite comfortable for us and we had easy possession, you can take in the crowd.

"Obviously the place erupted when news came through so we were well aware of that."

United could be four points clear by the next time City play. Alex Ferguson's men travel to relegation-threatened Wolves next Sunday after returning from a Europa League trip to Bilbao.

City must wait until the following Wednesday to take on Chelsea at the Etihad, with the London club involved in the FA Cup this weekend.

But while United fans are already dreaming of title glory, with their run-in looking a lot easier than City's, Carrick and the rest of the players are staying calm.

The England star said: "There is no hiding the fact that it is nice to be top of the league. This is a big week for us but I think we'll be saying that for the rest of the season.

"Wolves has been a tough place to go over the last few years. It has been hard for us down there, so we are not taking anything for granted.

"We are top of the league at the moment but we still have to pick up enough points between now and the end."

Since losing back-to-back games at the turn of the year to Blackburn and then Newcastle, the Red Devils have taken 22 points from a possible 24.

While they have stuttered in Europe, confidence has been gradually growing in the league.

Striker Danny Welbeck said: "I think we'll get confidence from our recent results but we know there is no room for complacency at all.

"We're getting to the end of the season and winning is vital. We need to get as many points as possible.

"We are just focusing on ourselves and knowing the next match is always the most important.

"You can't afford to slip up at any point, so it's always the next game that's on my mind."

Wayne Rooney's double on Sunday means he has now hit nine goals in his last six games and has a total of 26 for the season.

Ferguson has set Rooney a target of 40, which would beat his personal best of 34.

The player himself just wants another title medal.

He said: "I just want to help us get those points we need to be successful. The most important thing is to win trophies."

Another star performer against the Baggies was Young, who is finding his best form after a two-month injury lay-off.

The former Aston Villa man said: "I really enjoyed myself.

"I'm pleased with my performance — and more importantly getting the three points against West Brom is what we set out to do."

Ferguson said at the start of February that the following six weeks were going to be crucial, with tough away fixtures at Chelsea, Norwich and Tottenham.

The fightback at Chelsea from three goals down to earn a point provided the springboard and they followed that up with wins at Carrow Road and White Hart Lane.

Ferguson said he wanted to "ignite the chemistry between the team and our supporters".

He added: "It's a potent formula and I want Old Trafford to be a launchpad to make sure the title stays with Manchester United."

It is fair to say that on Sunday, they had take-off.