Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was left seething at his side’s inability to cash in on the draw between English Premiership favourites Arsenal and Chelsea.
Ferguson had demanded United take the opportunity to cut the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points and move within two of the third-placed Gunners after Sunday’s 2-2 stalemate between the two sides.
But the Red Devils boss was lacking in Christmas cheer after watching his side blow their chance of consolidating their grip on fourth place with just minutes to go in a 1-1 draw at lowly Fulham.
”That’s what makes it so bad, the fact that both our main rivals dropped points and it gave us a great opportunity to get them. But I made the point that the most important result was our own and we haven’t delivered,” Ferguson said of wasting the chance to narrow the gap.
The United chief had insisted his side needed to win all their games until the New Year, when he reckons one can judge who will be in the shake-up for the Championship.
United had won their previous four Premiership matches before Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop cancelled out England striker Alan Smith’s opener for United at Craven Cottage.
”The one good thing is that the form is good, the confidence of the team is very good,” Ferguson said.
”We played some great football. But at the end of the day we’ve dropped two points which we shouldn’t have dropped so we keep climbing that hill.
”The result has destroyed a really good performance by us,” he added.
United have five Premiership matches in 18 days over the festive period to get themselves back on the title trail, starting with Saurday’s visit of relegation-threatened Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.
But having lost to Chelsea twice in the last month at home, Fulham boss Chris Coleman still reckons the title is heading not to Manchester, but just a few miles up the River Thames to their West London neighbours.
”United were written off at the start of the season which was incredible,” Coleman said.
”Sir Alex is building another team there. He’s got some fantastic players and in possession sometimes they play scintillating football, you can’t get anywhere near them.
”I still believe Chelsea will win it but United and Arsenal will push them all the way. United being written off, it’s incredible.
They are still a top quality team.
”The formation that they play with one up and two boys wide, it works really well for them with Paul Scholes pushing on.
”I think with Chelsea, from what I saw, they play the same system as Manchester United. I’ve just got that feeling for them. They believe in it as well that it can be theirs.
”I just think with the football that they play, they’ve got a big, big squad to choose from and they’re playing very well under [manager] Jose Mourinho. I just think it’s going to be their year this year,” added the Welshman.
This term, United have introduced a string of new faces into their regular line-up. England strikers Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith and Argentina left-back Gabriel Heinze are in their first seasons at Old Trafford, while Roy Carroll has edged out Tim Howard in goal.
Youngsters Darren Fletcher, David Bellion, Liam Miller and Kieran Richardson have also skirted on the fringes of first-team action, Ferguson no doubt hoping his latest crop of youthful talent can emulate the golden generation that produced David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
But the new faces are yet to realise their full potential and perhaps Fulham’s latest defeat to Chelsea tells the difference between their title challenge and Manchester United’s.
When the Blues beat Fulham 2-1 in the League Cup quarterfinal two games previously, Mourinho used a few of his own fringe players, but still deployed a team of full internationals bar goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
United’s back-up players, who lost 3-0 to Fenerbahce in the Red Devils’ final Champions League group stage match, do not look quite so imperious.
But Ferguson is not daunted by the knock-out stages of Europe’s premier competition, where his side will face one of either Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Monaco or Werder Bremen.
”Everyone says we don’t want this team, we don’t want that team but you are going to get one team,” Ferguson said.
If you get one, it means another four or five are out of the road. So you only concentrate on one team. At the moment we are playing everybody, if you know what I mean.” – Sapa-AFP