LONDON: With a 20th league title virtually in the bag and no more European distractions, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is challenging his side to push for a Premier League points record.
United visit Sunderland tomorrow (1245) when victory would open up an 18-point lead, at least until second-placed Manchester City host Newcastle United later (1500).
With nine games remaining, United have 74 points and need 22 more to break the record of 95 set by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side in 2004-05. Their own record is 92.
“If we get to 96 points I’d be absolutely delighted,” Ferguson, whose side face Chelsea in an FA Cup quarter-final replay on Monday said this week while waiting for his players to return from international duty.
“That would be a fantastic season. If we get to that position, we have probably won the league.”
Opponents Sunderland will be without top scorer Steven Fletcher after he suffered ankle ligament damage playing for Scotland, and captain Lee Cattermole, who has had knee surgery, for the rest of the season.
The ease at which United are moving towards the title has surprised many, not least Ferguson who expected a much tougher fight from champions City, Chelsea and Arsenal this season.
“I never thought we would be 15 points clear,” he said.
“I expected it to be a really tough fight.”
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini threw in the towel for his club’s Premier League title challenge yesterday, saying the motivation for the rest of the season was to keep the teams below them at a safe distance.
Defeat to Everton in their last Premier League outing left City trailing leaders Manchester United by 15 points with nine games remaining.
United have shown no signs of wilting under the pressure of wresting the English title back from their near neighbours and have won their last six league matches.
“It’s over but this doesn’t change anything because we should do our best from now to the end,” Mancini told reporters.
“Every top team, when they can’t win a title, should still try to play well and win all their games.”
They face a Newcastle side who, like Sunderland are still looking anxiously over their shoulder at the relegation zone.
A week after that they travel to Old Trafford for what most would have assumed would be a huge fixture in the title race but which now looks like being an anti-climax.
At least the battle for Champions League qualification appears to be going the distance.
After beating Arsenal a few weeks ago, Tottenham Hotspur looked hot favourites to finish third and leave Chelsea and Arsenal scrapping for fourth but consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Fulham have stopped them in their tracks.
Chelsea are now a point ahead of Spurs with a game in hand while Arsenal are breathing down the necks of their north London rivals who are still haunted by last season’s poor finish which cost them a place in the Champions League.
Tottenham visit mid-table Swansea City tomorrow, hoping that Welshman Gareth Bale, who scored at the Liberty Stadium for his country in midweek, can re-ignite their challenge.
Arsenal, who are four points behind with a game in hand, host joint-bottom Reading. Agencies
