Alex purrs as United rediscovers killer edge
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AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 29, 2009 00:00
BIRMINGHAM - Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his Premier League rivals that Manchester United has rediscovered its ruthless streak after Tuesday night's 5-0 hammering of West Brom took the champion three points clear of closest rival Liverpool.
Goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Nemanja Vidic and two from Cristiano Ronaldo completed an emphatic rout of bottom club West Brom, whose flickering hopes were snuffed out with the 40th minute dismissal of captain Paul Robinson for a late challenge on South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung.
But with United now clear of the pack and with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar breaking his Chelsea counterpart Petr Cech's shut-out record by taking his run without conceding a goal to 1,032 minutes, Ferguson insisted that his team are now back to their destructive best.
He said: "We have shown a real ruthless streak tonight which has maybe not been there this season."
United's recent surge up the table, on the back of 11 successive clean sheets and seven league wins on the bounce, has been largely down to its imperious defensive record.
And Ferguson paid tribute to Dutch keeper Van der Sar, who can break the all-time Football League record, currently held by former Reading goalkeeper Steve De'Ath, if he surpasses the 1,103 minute record set by De'Ath in 1978-79, when United face Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday.
But with United now clear of the pack and with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar breaking his Chelsea counterpart Petr Cech's shut-out record by taking his run without conceding a goal to 1,032 minutes, Ferguson insisted that his team are now back to their destructive best.
He said: "We have shown a real ruthless streak tonight which has maybe not been there this season."
United's recent surge up the table, on the back of 11 successive clean sheets and seven league wins on the bounce, has been largely down to its imperious defensive record.
And Ferguson paid tribute to Dutch keeper Van der Sar, who can break the all-time Football League record, currently held by former Reading goalkeeper Steve De'Ath, if he surpasses the 1,103 minute record set by De'Ath in 1978-79, when United face Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday.