Talking's over, gloves off

SOCCER/FA Premiership: The contest at the top of the Premiership descends into a bare-knuckle fight at Highbury this evening and Alex Ferguson is insistent that an eighth title in 11 seasons would constitute his players' "greatest ever achievement".

Arsenal's eight-point lead, opened up while Manchester United were stumbling to defeat against Liverpool in the League Cup final on March 2nd, has been transformed into a three-point deficit in only six weeks. Though the title will not be decided tonight, the pendulum of probability could swing irrecoverably in a breathless pocket of north London.

That it has come to this has left even Ferguson pinching himself in disbelief. "To win the league having trailed as we did would be my players' greatest achievement," he said yesterday, the mind games abandoned with the advantage gleaned. "As far as I'm concerned the talking's over and we can concentrate on ourselves.

"All I wanted was to get within touching distance of Arsenal to give us a chance of going to Highbury and doing something there. Now we're in an even better position than I'd ever hoped for.

"It's all given me a new lease of life as well. Six points would be a big gap, so this is a significant opportunity for us. It won't decide the title but it'll go a long way towards it."

A sixth successive win for United would establish a six-point lead for Ferguson's side. Arsene Wenger's champions, with only four wins to show from their past eight Premiership games, can ill afford to slip that far behind with five to play. "It is not winner-takes-all and a draw would not be disastrous for us," said Wenger. "But the winner will certainly have a big advantage."

Yet, even as Arsenal galvanise themselves in pursuit of a unique double Double, it is hard to deny the impetus lies with the visitors. Dismissed to the point of humiliation by Real Madrid last week, United's masterclass at Newcastle's expense on Tyneside last Saturday has generated a momentum Arsenal will do well to check.

"I think that defeat in Madrid was a great thing for us, I really do," said Ferguson. "Everything I said that would happen in the Bernabeu happened and maybe the players said to themselves they should have listened to me more. There were too many people at the back doing nothing. That was a great lesson for them, but there's been a lot of self-analysis since then.

"They knew they should have done better in Spain, they were frustrated and they took it out on Newcastle. This team has not surpassed my expectations, but they're definitely enjoying the challenge. They're completely focused and they're learning from their mistakes. Last season our record at Old Trafford cost us the title - you can't lose six at home and expect to be successful - and they've corrected that.

"Now you see the momentum gathering. It's not easy to be eight points behind the leaders and come through. It needs a good team to do that, particularly as the standard in the Premier League this season is the highest it's ever been."

Yet Arsenal have their own motivation. After all their early season talk of a shift in power and an end to a decade of Mancunian dominance, Wenger's side must now deliver. "It's still all to do," said the Frenchman. "We want to be a team who makes history.

"That's what's really driving us on. We are not worrying about United too much. We are just concentrating on expressing our togetherness, our mental strength and our qualities. We have enough players who can win this game."

They retain a psychological edge as well. Last season's heady victory at Old Trafford to claim the title still sends anguished shivers through United's ranks, with clinical success over Ferguson's team in this season's FA Cup a timely riposte to the 2-0 Premiership defeat in Manchester on December 7th.

Ferguson has been quick to point to the customary momentum generated by his side at this time of year, but Arsenal have gleaned more points than United from the last 10 league games of every season bar one since Wenger took the reins at Highbury.

The exception was 1999-2000, when they won eight of their last 10 only for United to win all theirs and take the title.

The presence of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in the centre and David Beckham and Robert Pires on the flank - the United pair sufficiently recovered from dead leg and hamstring problems, the Arsenal duo from ankle strains - will add to the fire and brimstone.

Fabien Barthez, his toe not broken, will be given the chance to exorcise the excruciating memories of last season's 3-1 defeat in this arena. Only John O'Shea (knee) and Arsenal's Ray Parlour (hamstring) will leave the managers fretting.

"A lot of things can happen from now on in and mental toughness is important, but so are the breaks," added Ferguson. "If you get that bit of luck it helps. This is definitely the game of the season and my players are relishing the challenge.

"We'll be sure to get a challenge at Arsenal, too."

Guardian Service

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

ARSENAL: Seaman; Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole; Wiltord, Vieira, Ljungberg, Pires; Bergkamp, Henry.

MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez; G Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre; Beckham, Keane, Butt, l Scholes, Giggs; van Nistelrooy.