Big bench press as United flex muscles

Fulham 0 Manchester Utd 3MANCHESTER UNITED flexed their muscles after the points were safe. A flash of red interrupted the black tracksuits and coats of their substitutes' bench and it was not only Fulham hearts that sank.

Stripped and ready for action, with their team two goals to the good, were Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. An intimidating message was dispatched to other parts of London on Saturday, not least north London, where the Premier League leaders Arsenal were struggling against Aston Villa.

"It's quite remarkable in a way," said Owen Hargreaves, the United midfielder, who scored his first goal for the club after his close-season arrival from Bayern Munich. "Rooney and Ronaldo, and Anderson (six minutes later) coming on, with the score as it was. The balance of our squad could probably make the difference in the end. Sometimes it's easy to get to the top but to stay there is difficult and when (Arsenal) look back, you've got teams like Chelsea and Manchester United and the squads that we have, probably two of the best squads in the Premier League.

"Everyone who played (at Craven Cottage) did a good job and last week against Newcastle I thought we were fabulous as well, so however we want to play I think we could beat anyone at any game."

Confidence courses through United's rich resources and nowhere was it clearer than in the performance of Nani, whose skills drew gasps. Ronaldo itched to join in the fun and his first touches upon his introduction were to step over and cross impudently with his wrong foot, almost ushering in Rooney. Nani is learning from the master.

United's central-midfield steel is equally impressive. Hargreaves's balance and tenacity served to stifle Fulham in creative areas and, together with Paul Scholes, they called the tune.

"Scholesy is brilliant," said Hargreaves. "His range of passing was like always and, defensively, he was really good in the first half as well. But it's not just Scholesy. Anderson, Carras (Michael Carrick). And Fletch (Darren Fletcher) has been really good of late. All of our players are very different from each other, they all bring something different to the table and so, depending on how we want to play, we can play in different formations and with different players."

Alex Ferguson would have listened to Arsene Wenger's comments on Friday, when he railed against refereeing injustice and over-physical tactics, with a mixture of incredulity and relish.

The United manager senses that cracks are beginning to appear at Arsenal, where Wenger is not blessed with as deep a squad, yet he chose to leave the psychological barbs for another day, restricting himself to a wry observation about Nicklas Bendtner's late equaliser against Villa.

"Yes, well, 95th minute - normal seven minutes of injury time at Arsenal," he said. Ferguson's restraint reflected his calm.

The Scot continues to be wary of Chelsea, as do his players.

"Chelsea are a dark horse," said Hargreaves. "I think it will go down to the final day."

But thoughts at the club have turned to the Champions League and the second leg of the last-16 tie against Lyon at Old Trafford tomorrow night. The first leg finished 1-1.

"It's a massive game and resting Rooney and Ronaldo (against Fulham) was vital," said Ferguson.

Patrice Evra, the left back, said a Champions League exit would represent a "catastrophe" but the word was closer to Fulham lips on Saturday evening.

They were cut further adrift at the weekend by Reading and Birmingham's wins, and the last rites on their Premier League status will be administered unless they can win five, "maybe even more than that", of their remaining 10 fixtures, according to their manager, Roy Hodgson.

Six of those are away from home and Fulham have only registered two wins on their Premier League travels since the beginning of the 2005-'06 season. The frustration was encapsulated by Simon Davies's freakish own-goal and reflected on the stony features of Mohamed Al Fayed, the chairman.

United's travelling support indulged themselves in the second half with a few songs for old favourites. Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jaap Stam were saluted but the ditties for Rooney and Ronaldo carried the greater relevance.