Proletarian Derby dispossessed again

As Pride Park emptied on Saturday, with Manchester United still top of the Premiership and Derby County still stuck in the bottom three, the refrain from that old lament of the havenots came to mind. It's the rich wot gets the pleasure, it's the poor wot gets the blame.

United had won as a matter of routine (though this was their first victory at Derby since 1988) with goals in the second half from Nicky Butt and Andy Cole, Rory Delap pulling one back in stoppage time. Yet Alex Ferguson's side would surely have had to work harder for success had Derby not been forced to play with 10 men for nearly an hour.

This was the way of it. For half an hour County had pressed, United had passed and an initially desultory match was starting to show signs of life. Then Stefan Schnoor, Derby's German defender, lost his rag with a linesman and was cautioned by the referee, Mike Reed.

A minute later Schnoor piled into the back of Dwight Yorke with all the subtlety of a Tiger tank and received a second yellow card followed by a red.

Before Reed reached for his cards he was reminded of his duties by Gary Neville and David Beckham, whose protests smacked of second-formers telling Sir that Jones minor was smoking behind the bike sheds.

This ensured that Neville was booed by the home supporters for the rest of the game, along with Beckham, who was being booed anyway. It was only a side issue. Schnoor could have no argument about being sent off, although one could not help remembering Ferguson's condemnation of another German player, Tottenham's Steffen Freund, for diving when United lost 3-1 at White Hart Lane four weeks earlier.

"His behaviour was terrible," the United manager had said then. "He tried to get players booked." All right, maybe Saturday's circumstances were different but the sight of footballers apparently asking a referee to dismiss an opponent is equally unedifying.

It was not as if the Birmingham man needed any persuasion to flourish his cards. During the match Reed comfortably passed 50 bookings for the season. Wisely he forbore to raise his pencil in acknowledgment.

While Ferguson had little sympathy for Schnoor - "It was his own fault, sometimes the referee has no choice," - he fully understood Derby's aggressive approach. "They had to show their supporters and their manager how much they want to stay in this league," he said.

"We have to expect that away from home when we keep possession and the opposition make tackles. If my team were in Derby's position, I would expect them to play that way."

This is where, under the present, strict interpretation of the law covering fouls and misconduct, struggling sides would appear to be at a disadvantage. Against superior opposition their only hope is to hustle them out of their stride.

Derby, suffering from suspensions, injuries and the passport irregularity which had seen Esteban Fuertes, their Argentine striker, sent home, matched Manchester United physically. But these days, with no allowance made for mistimed tackles, that is courting trouble.

United, still in Champions League mode, continue to perform in the Premiership like an orchestra tuning up. Their football carries snatches of familiar themes without ever playing the entire symphony.

There were glimpses of Ryan Giggs, Beckham, Yorke and Cole and that was enough to take three points.

United's goals were smartly taken, a 20-yard drive from Butt after Beckham's cross had been half-cleared and a firm header by Cole after Giggs's centre. Delap's late header followed Raimond van der Gouw's vain dash off his line to meet a centre from Johnson. Mark Bosnich, if fit, could return in goal against Fiorentina tomorrow night.

DERBY: Poom, Laursen, Schnoor, Carbonari, Borbokis (Christie 74), Delap, Powell, Johnson, Dorigo, Sturridge (Murray 74), Robinson. Subs Not Used: Prior, Boertien, Oakes. Sent Off: Schnoor (39). Booked: Borbokis, Carbonari, Schnoor, Johnson, Robinson. Goals: Delap 90.

MAN UTD: Van Der Gouw, G Neville, Stam, Silvestre (Berg 78), P Neville, Beckham (Solskjaer 86), Butt, Keane, Giggs, Cole, Yorke. Subs Not Used: Taibi, Sheringham, Scholes. Booked: Butt. Goals: Butt 53, Cole 83.

Referee: M Reed (Birmingham).