Tricky business the pursuit of glory, especially when glory beckons from more than one direction. Look the wrong way too often and every trail may go cold. So far Manchester United have managed to pick up the scent in the Champions League while maintaining a proper sense of priorities in the Premiership. In fact they are better placed than they were at this time last season, when an early defeat by Juventus had questioned the ability of Alex Ferguson's team to reach the knockout stage of one competition and successive defeats by Newcastle, Southampton and Chelsea were raising doubts about whether the title could be retained.
Now, having sidled to victory in Kosice before stirring Old Trafford's red corpuscles with that famous win over Juventus, United are preparing to face Feyenoord on Wednesday with their Premier League position looking healthier than it did a year ago. Last October they were five points off a lead held, then as now, by Arsenal. This time they are a point adrift and have only been pushed down to third place by Blackburn's superior goal difference.
The imminent suspension of Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp following a fifth yellow card, which means Manchester United will not encounter the Dutchman at Highbury in three weeks' time, makes the outlook for Ferguson and his players even rosier. But in case anyone should feel a little too sanguine about the situation there will always be in-form teams like Derby County around to remind United that nobody can afford to rest content.
The starting line-up at Derby showed 11 changes compared to the United side which had faced Ipswich in the League Cup four days earlier. But at sunny Pride Park, with United back to more-or-less full available strength, some players appeared to think that the imminence of the Feyenoord game warranted a relaxed approach, which could, and in fact should, have cost them the match.
United should not have been surprised by Derby's capabilities, having dropped four points to them last season including a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford in April. Perhaps Ferguson's defenders had refused to believe the evidence of their own eyes when Paulo Wanchope scored his remarkable solo goal on that occasion. Certainly Gary Neville, on renewing acquaintances with the tentacular Costa Rican, spent the first half on Saturday striking attitudes reminiscent of those confronted by papier-mache aliens in the Outer Limits.
In your normal footballer it is a forgivable reaction since Wanchope defies several of the game's conventions. With legs that length he should not have such an acute sense of balance. He does not always get his body over the ball and tends to bring it under control at full stretch, yet his first touch is often immaculate.
When running with the ball Wanchope takes huge, loping strides so that, in theory, a defender should easily be able to take it off him. But on Saturday, six minutes before half-time, Gary Neville's attempt to do just that was brushed aside and Henning Berg was nutmegged before Peter Schmeichel was beaten for the second time.
Derby looked likely winners at that point. Francesco Baiano had given them the lead midway through the half, scoring on the rebound after Schmeichel had parried Wanchope's header.
Then Mart Poom, Derby's Estonian goalkeeper, slipped as he went to gather an over-hit pass from Paul Scholes before bringing down Ryan Giggs when the Welshman gained possession. Poom then deflected Teddy Sheringham's penalty on to a post - it was Sheringham's second penalty miss for United - before Wanchope appeared to put the game beyond United's reach.
Had the Costa Rican's shot not hit the underside of the bar two minutes later that surely would have been that, but in the second half Ferguson replaced Nicky Butt with Ronny Johnsen, moved David Beckham inside, and saw his team's passing transformed.
Punishing Derby's uncertainty against accurate centres, United redeemed themselves with a header from Sheringham, following Gary Neville's cross, and a late low shot from Andy Cole, who had come on for Scholes and reacted quickly when, following a centre from Gary Pallister, Gary Rowett's clearance went straight to him.
The point was well earned and ultimately Manchester United had performed well to earn it. But they had also been reminded of the dangers of not concentrating on the job immediately in hand.
