City have no case for their defence

Manchester Utd - 3 Manchester City - 1: A shiver of suspense passed through Old Trafford when news came through that Marcello Lippi was to hold a news conference after the game, flanked by Alex Ferguson and Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill. Theories abounded, not least as there was talk last summer that Italy's World Cup-winning coach could join Ferguson in the dugout before replacing him as manager.

It turned out to be far more mundane: the announcement of a match, on March 13th, against a European Select XI (managed by Lippi) partly to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. It was all a bit bizarre, particularly when a Uefa spokesman tried to generate interest by revealing that David Beckham would be invited. The organisers will have to try harder than that if they are to capture the imagination of the average Old Trafford match-goer. Beckham's status in these parts is such that supporters now sing a rather malicious song comparing him unfavourably with Cristiano Ronaldo.

An exhibition match will always attract spectators but United's followers should have more pressing issues on their minds, come March, than a game that risks injuries and could have been held out of season.

Ironically Ferguson chose this weekend to renew his complaints about fixture congestion and he has awarded his leg-weary players three days off to recharge batteries before Sunday's trip to West Ham. The break is fully deserved, as are the superlatives that surround his team at present.

United have restored genuine intrigue to the title race and in this form they ought to have more to commemorate in 2007 than the establishment of the European Economic Community.

If visiting teams are to stand any chance at Old Trafford, the secret is to quieten the crowd, nullify United's early threat and build from those foundations.

Here City's defending encouraged their hosts from the moment, six minutes in, when Sylvain Distin failed wretchedly to intercept Ronaldo's low cross and Wayne Rooney fired home.

It was a soft goal as were United's other two, with three different players making apologetic gestures after Louis Saha turned in Gabriel Heinze's cross on half-time and Richard Dunne badly at fault when Rooney crossed for Ronaldo to score the third. City really were their own worst enemies.

If their defenders had a harrowing time, when it came to breaking down the walls of the Premiership's meanest defence the forwards were undermined by the presence of such immobile strikers as Bernardo Corradi and Georgios Samaras.

The team in blue did not lack endeavour but there was a conspicuous deficiency in guile and they did not flourish until the introduction of Stephen Ireland at half-time. Ireland is the club's best passer and it is a mystery why Stuart Pearce so often overlooks him. Few players leave Nemanja Vidic on his backside as Ireland did in setting up Hatem Trabelsi to make it 2-1.

Pearce detected a gathering foreboding among the home support then but an onslaught of the United goal never materialised. Ronaldo put the matter beyond doubt and Corradi brought ignominy on himself with a penalty-seeking dive that earned him a second yellow card instead.

All of which brought us to the finest moment yet in the never-ending diving debate. "There's no point buttering it up," said the brilliantly forthright Pearce. "If I'm asked a question I will give an honest answer. Did he go down cheaply? Yes, he did. The referee got it right. Nineteen other managers in this league might give you some bullshit but I'm not one of them. If I say he was scythed down, you're only going to think I'm an idiot when you see it on television. So I'll speak the truth.

"Any chance some of the other managers coming out and doing the same?"

Even with Lippi and Ferguson in the vicinity, Pearce's words were the most impressive of anyone inside Old Trafford.

Guardian Service