Sir Alex Ferguson claimed he was not bothered about following
Liverpool yet again in the title race – now he might revise his
opinion.
Liverpool’s amazing 4-4 draw with Arsenal at Anfield might have
taken them back above Manchester United in the Premier League
table.
But Ferguson knows the advantage is very much with the Red
Devils, who entertain Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Wednesday
night.
“It doesn’t matter when Liverpool play,” said Ferguson.
“We are focused enough on what we have got to do.”
What United need to do is bounce back from Sunday’s FA Cup
semi-final defeat to Everton and get the victory that will take
them three points clear, with a game in hand and only six remaining
to play.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Edwin van der Sar are all
set to return, along with Ryan Giggs, who went to Wembley at the
weekend but did not even merit a place on the substitutes’
bench.
And certainly the incentive is now there for United to shrug off
the disappointment of exiting the FA Cup.
“You have to overcome defeats at some points in a season,”
reflected Ferguson.
“In most cases we do all right. We lost two in a row against
Liverpool and Fulham but since then we have beaten Aston Villa,
Porto and Sunderland.
“We only lost the semi-final on penalties and that can happen to
anyone. There is enough motivation to ensure we will be OK against
Portsmouth.”
Quite apart from the three points, it promises to be a memorable
night for Paul Scholes, who is set to become only the fourth United
player to make 600 appearances for the club.
“At United, you can go back to the Best, Law and Charlton era,”
said Ferguson. “Before that you have Duncan Edwards.
“You are talking a wide panorama of players. But in my time he
would be in the top six or seven without a doubt.
“His contribution and quality have been great, even without the
fantastic goals he has scored.
“When he came on against Everton on Sunday, his first touch was
better than anyone else’s had been in the whole previous hour.
“He has that wonderful velvet touch on the ball. When he gets
it, it goes stone dead. It is wonderful to see that amidst all the
mayhem that can happen in a football match.”