PRESS BOX VIEW - PRESS ASSOCIATION

Last updated : 08 November 2004 By editor

'Alan Smith was sent off two minutes from time as Manchester United's Premiership title hopes suffered another shattering blow in a goalless draw against Manchester City at Old Trafford.

After Stephen Jordan had cleared Louis Saha's early effort off the line, Ryan Giggs wasted United's best hope of adding to the Red Devils' paltry 11-goal league tally when he blazed wide after being sent clean through midway through the second half.

But if the result, which leaves Sir Alex Ferguson's side 11 points adrift of leaders Chelsea, was not bad enough, the loss of Smith, for two bookable offences, late on, just heaped on the misery.

On balance of play, the hosts should have won at a canter. But all too often their approach work came to a grinding halt at the edge of the City box. In years gone by, if United had been suffering from any kind of goalscoring crisis, the arrival of a side masterminded by Kevin Keegan would have been ideal.

When Keegan eventually calls time on his managerial career, defensive solidity will not be one of phrases used to describe the teams he has built. Now though, with cash for reinforcements non-existent, the former England coach has decided to make City hard to beat and even taking into account the four goals they conceded at Newcastle recently, their goals against column stands comparison with any Premiership rival bar Chelsea.

United could easily have had a couple of early penalties when both Mikael Silvestre and Saha appeared to be tugged back but, mindful of the fall-out from Mike Riley's controversial spot-kick award in the stormy encounter with Arsenal a fortnight ago, referee Graham Poll erred on the side of caution.

Ferguson was fuming on the touchline but his reaction was one of pure astonishment when Saha, making only his third league start, brilliantly took down Scholes' long ball on his chest, beat the advancing James with a delicate lob and was just about to start celebrating his first goal of the campaign when Jordan got back to clear off the line.

Aside from a fierce, angled drive from Ronaldo that swerved viciously before James beat it away, it was about the best the hosts could muster for all their territorial dominance. The problem was not so much scoring goals as creating chances. Time after time United poured forward, down left and right flanks or straight through the middle. Yet, with unerring regularity a Blue leg, chest or head got in the way of the final ball.'