Sir Alex Ferguson

FC which gave the champions the upper hand in the race for the Premier League title.

Profitable day
Wes Brown's opener - just his second goal in 192 league appearances - was closely followed by Javier Mascherano's dismissal, before United stamped their authority on proceedings with second-half strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. The victory meant the Red Devils ended the day five points clear of nearest challengers Chelsea FC at the top of the table, bur Sir Alex preferred to highlight the manner of his team's display. "It was a really good performance - a performance of maturity," said the 66-year-old. "We've seen a team mature over the last six months and today they hit their high peak."

European hopefuls
United's defeat of their fellow UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists was followed by the meeting of two more of England's last-eight representatives, Chelsea and Arsenal FC. Didier Drogba's second-half double enabled Avram Grant's side to overturn a one goal deficit and thrust themselves back into the title running, having been out of the top two since mid-December.

Title prospects
However, the Chelsea manager is refusing talk-up his side's chances of finishing the season as champions for the third time in four seasons, saying: "I don't know [whether the league can be won], but we will do our best. Since September, we have had 80 per cent good games and we have scored a lot of goals. It's important."

Defensive woe
Arsène Wenger, meanwhile, was left frustrated by Arsenal's defensive display as the Gunners extended their winless run in the league to five matches. "We have to become stronger again defensively," said Wenger, 58, whose side trail United by six points. "It's a game we should have won, but we have shown lapses in concentration that we paid for. At the moment we have some defensive problems that we have to sort out because we gave away an easy goal at Middlesbrough [FC] and an easy goal against Aston Villa [FC]."

Upcoming fixtures
Wenger will be hoping Arsenal can recoup some of their recent points losses when they travel to Old Trafford on 12 April, while the title situation is likely to be even clearer two weeks later when Chelsea host United.
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