Ferguson ready for United, Manchester City title slog

MANCHESTER - Alex Ferguson predicts a long, hard Premier League title race with champions Manchester City after his Manchester United team opened up a seven-point gap over rivals Chelsea.

Table-toppers United ground out a 1-0 victory over West Ham at Old Trafford thanks to Robin van Persie scoring the fastest goal of the Premier League season to date, after only 33 seconds. It was only the third clean sheet United have kept in domestic football this season and ended a worrying trend of the team having conceded first in nine of their opening 13 league games.

And while it was a far from vintage performance, it was a vital one given that City's victory at Wigan kept the defending champions just one point behind.

"The three points means we're still ahead in the league and, with Chelsea drawing, it draws us away from them a little bit further," said veteran United manager Ferguson. "But City are on our tails. It's going to be a long season. "The importance of winning 1-0 in certain games is your opponents know the resilience is there.

"If you look at some of the really important one-nil we've had, go back to beating Newcastle when they were nine points clear of us (in 1996).  "Our 1-0 that night won us the league. There are important 1-0 victories. We've had many of them."

Given the scarcity of clean sheets for United this term, the fact his side were able to keep West Ham at bay for such a long period gave Ferguson as much pleasure as the large points cushion he enjoys over European champions Chelsea and their new manager Rafael Benitez. "It is particularly hard, when you take the lead after one minute, to keep a clean sheet over the remaining 90-plus minutes, with time added on," said Ferguson. "But in the main I thought we defended very well."

Ferguson paid particular tribute to young Brazilian full-back Rafael and fit-again central defender Chris Smalling, who was starting a game for just the third time this season.

"Chris came into the team and did very well after a few weeks out and Jonny Evans was magnificent," he said. "There were a lot of plus points tonight, particularly with the defending because you have to against West Ham because they are such a handful. We had to be at our best for the whole 90 minutes. "Rafael is maturing; he's 22 years of age now. He came here as a young boy, he was in the first team at 17-18, and made a lot of rash mistakes because he was such an enthusiastic boy. He is maturing and learning now."

Van Persie now has nine goals in just 12 league starts this term and Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo's joint record for a 38-match Premier League season -- 31 goals -- will be under threat if he maintains this form.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce certainly believes that, whether van Persie sets records or not, his goals could see United to the title.

"He's going to score 20-odd, maybe 30 goals," he said. "In the end, that's normally the difference, if you sort your defensive side out.

"It's not so long ago, a couple of seasons that Man United went 14 games without conceding a goal and that won them the league.

"Van Persie is a quality player, no doubt about that, though we kept him quiet tonight.

"United have got lots of players who will have good spells, lot of players who will come up trumps, and that's what makes them so good."

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Manchester United the early-season pacesetters in the Champions League

The expected start from the English teams in the Champions League last night, but Manchester United looked far more like potential winners than Chelsea.

Carlo Ancelotti's side may have won all six competitive games under the Italian yet they stuttered and fluffed their lines at Stamford Bridge and were decidedly fortunate to keep up that record against a Porto side who were surprisingly impressive.

Chelsea were missing Didier Drogba but their passing was poor and their customary defensive tightness noticeable only by its absence, while if they continue to squander as many chances as they have done so far this season, it will eventually come back to bite them on the backside.

United, by contrast, were always in control in Istanbul, even if Wayne Rooney wasn't. Rooney's boot-throwing was more impatience and frustration than anything else and Fergie will not be concerned in the slightest.

One man who still bears a grudge - and carried more than a few worries with him to Belgium - is Arsene Wenger, whose verbal attack on Mark Hughes and Emmanuel Adabayor was pre-prepared and considered.

There is no doubt that Wenger was voicing the feelings of his dressing room, let alone the Arsenal fans, although what happens next has already been pre-determined by the FA, with an immediate three-match ban for the stamp on Robin Van Persie and the possibility of an extra game for the 100 yard dash to celebrate in front of the travelling supporters.

But Wenger has more pressing concerns at Stanard Liege tonight. Italian youngster Vito Mannone will fill in for the ill Manuel Almunia in goal, while Van Persie, Andriy Arshavin, Theo Walcott, Denilson, Samir Nasri and Johan Djourou are also all missing.

Arsenal should have enough in any event - how grateful Wenger must be that UEFA's U-turn cleared Eduardo to play - but after those back to back defeats in the Premier League the Gunners chief cannot afford to see his side having to play catch-up in Europe as well.

Winning start for Real, Chelsea, United in Europe

Real Madrid's stars lived up to expectation with a 5-2 demolition of FC Zurich while the trio of Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan also recorded victories as the UEFA Champions League kicked off on a lively note across Europe.

World Player of the Year,Cristiano Ronaldo started where he left off last season, grabbing a brace to lead the Los Galaticos to a comprehensive triumph in Zurich.

The trio of Raul, Gonzalo Higuain and Guti were also on target for the Spanish giants who also had the duo of Kaka and Xabi Alonso on parade.

At Stamford Bridge, Nicolas Anelka delivered in the absence of top striker, Didier Drogba to lead Chelsea to a lone goal victory over Porto as the English side extended their unbeaten run at home in Europe to 19 games.

Anelka fired in at second attempt in the second half to ensure a victorious start in the competition for new manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

Porto's Fernando was sent off on the dot of 90 minutes after he lunged into Ashley Cole for a second bookable offence.

Manchester United defeated Besiktas to earn their own three points, thanks to a 77th minute strike from Paul Scholes who was sent off in his team's last Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspurs last weekend at White Hart Lane.

Brazilian striker Grafite netted a hat-trick to lead Wolfsburg to a 3-1 victory at the Volkswagen Arena on their debut in the UEFA Champions League.

Nigeria's Obafemi Martins was handed a start by the German Bundesliga side, marking his return to the European competition with a lively performance before he was replaced by Karim Ziani on 65 minutes.

In France, AC Milan defeated Olympique Marseille 2-1 with ever-reliable striker, Filipo Inzaghi grabbing their two goals.

Gabriel Henze netted for the Ligue 1 who also had Nigeria's Taye Taiwo in 90 minutes action.

The other results saw Juventus endure a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux in Turin while Atletico Madrid were also held to a goalless draw by Cypriot side, APOEL Nicosia in Spain.

Bayern Munich also defeated Maccabi Haifa 3-0 away in Israel with Thomas Muller netting a brace.

Besiktas 0-1 Manchester United: Paul Scholes Goal Enough For Three Points

A late header from Paul Scholes handed Manchester United a 1-0 win over Besiktas in Istanbul to give them a winning start in the Champions League.

The first hour of the match was an evenly matched affair as the well organised hosts stifled United with the full backing of their vociferous home support.

But the Red Devils made substitutions and a tactical change as the game began to open up in the closing stages and Scholes pounced with a header on 77 minutes after Hakan Arikan had parried Nani’s shot – a perfect response after his sending off against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

As a result Wolfsburg and United lead the way in Group B after the first match-day, with CSKA Moscow and the Turkish champions getting off to losing starts.

Besiktas' key men, striker Nihat Kahveci and experienced goalkeeper Rustu Recber were only fit enough for the substitutes' bench.

As expected, Manchester United made some changes; five in total. Gary Neville, Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia, Nani and Michael Carrick were the players to come in as Wayne Rooney started as a lone striker.

The first half got off to a slow start as the visitors had more of the possession but struggled to break Besiktas down.

Carrick came close with a long-range effort in 12th minute, but his shot was well held by stand-in stopper Arikan, who also had to be alert to tip away a wayward header from one of his own defenders after Nani’s near post corner two minutes later.

Despite having less of the ball than their more illustrious opponents, it was the home side who came closest to scoring in the first half. On 26 minutes, Serdar Ozkan turned well on the edge of United’s area and unleashed a powerful shot that deflected up off Evans and was inches away from looping over Ben Foster and into the United net, falling just over crossbar.

Ozkan had another effort shortly before the break, but was more wayward than in his first attempt and failed to work Foster.

Immediately after the break United caused panic in the Besiktas box for the first time with an excellent cross from Nani that prompted a goalmouth scramble. Eventually Matteo Ferrari and Arikan were able to end the danger after Carrick had been unable to get a clean shot away.

Ten minutes later, Rodrigo Tabata shot straight at Foster after Nemanja Vidic made a poor clearance as the first hour of proceedings failed to produce a clear-cut opportunity for either side.

It was a frustrating night for Wayne Rooney in Istanbul.

As a result, Sir Alex Ferguson changed things up for United, bringing on Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen for Carrick and Rooney, switching United to a more familiar 4-4-2 for the last 25 minutes. Rooney did not look impressed when is number came up on the touchline.

After 70 minutes the lively Valencia flashed a shot across the face of goal and Owen was harshly adjudged offside before Mert Nobre headed wide at the other end.

A breakthrough finally came inside the last 15 minutes and it arrived for the visitors. United worked the play out to the left, finding Nani, who shifted onto his left foot and forced Arikan to parry his shot into the air. Unfortunately for the keeper the ball fell straight into the path of the onrushing Scholes and the Englishman composed himself to guide a header into the far corner.

Evra blocked Filip Holosko’s shot, while Nobre almost got on end of substitute Nihat’s threatening cross as the hosts looked for a late equaliser, but it was United who came closest to scoring the game’s second goal when Owen shot narrowly wide after being slipped through by Berbatov.

Madrid, Manchester United win in Champions League on Tuesday

LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his Champions League debut for Real Madrid to lead his new team to a 5-2 win at FC Zurich, while the Manchester United side he left after last season's final won its opening match 1-0 at Besiktas.

World player of the year Ronaldo scored a pair of free kicks for the record nine-time European champion, although the second was punched into the net by Johnny Leoni as the goalkeeper tried to clear it.

Former European champions AC Milan and Bayern Munich also won their first group matches, while Chelsea beat visiting FC Porto 1-0 and Juventus stuttered to a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux.

Milan won 2-1 at Marseille, Bayern Munich won 3-0 at Maccabi Haifa and Atletico Madrid was held to a 0-0 draw by debut-making Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia.

Without a European title since 2003, Madrid was 3-0 ahead at halftime in Switzerland and sealed its win with another two goals in the closing moments.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a trademark free kick past Leoni, and Raul Gonzalez made it 2-0 seven minutes later with a close-range tap in.

Gonzalo Higuain scored from a pass by Raul in first-half injury time to seemingly put the match beyond Zurich, but the debut-making side scored twice in a minute.

Xavier Margairaz hit a 64th-minute penalty following a foul on Alexandre Alphonse by goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Silvan Aegerter headed in to make it 3-2, but Ronaldo's second kick and a goal by Jose Maria (Guti) Gutierrez made the game safe.

Filipo Inzaghi, who is vying with Raul for the title of the Champions League all-time leading scorer, hit another two goals to give Milan victory at Marseille.

Inzaghi opened the scoring in the 28th minute when he beat Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from close range and, although Marseille equalized just after the interval through a header from Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze, Inzaghi scored again from a cross by Clarence Seedorf.

The win put seven-time winner Milan level with Madrid on three points in Group C.

Manchester United could have used some of Ronaldo's scoring prowess in Istanbul as it created few openings in its first tournament match since losing 2-0 to Barcelona in Rome in May.

Midfielder Paul Scholes, who was sent off in the Premier League on Saturday, headed the ball into the net from about 12 yards with 13 minutes remaining after goalkeeper Hakan Arikan pushed out a shot from Nani.

It was a slow start to the European season for United, which lost last season's final 2-0 to Barcelona.

"Being the first game, you always want to win that, but I was quite comfortable with the performance," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insisted. "I thought they did quite well most of the time, kept good possession."

Still, United shares the Group B lead with its next opponent after Wolfsburg beat CSKA Moscow 3-1 with a hat trick by Brazilian striker Grafite.

"It was a perfect evening - first Champions League game and first victory," Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko said.

Wolfsburg plays at Manchester United on Sept. 30 in the next round of group matches.

Bayern took the early lead in Group A after two goals by Thomas Muller helped it to victory in Israel, with Bordeaux and Juventus next after their 1-1 draw in Turin.

Neither side was able to impose itself in rainy conditions but Vincenzo Iaquinta gave Juventus the lead in the 63rd when he linked up with captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Jaroslav Plasil equalized for Bordeaux in the 75th, scoring at the far post after Fernando had flicked on Yoann Gourcuff's free kick.

Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal in Group D when he gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Porto.

The remaining opening eight matches are played Wednesday, with Inter Milan against Barcelona, Liverpool hosting Debrecen and Arsenal playing Standard Liege.

Player Ratings: Besiktas 0-1 Manchester United

BESIKTAS

Arikan - 6 - Shaky with the ball at his feet but dealt with everything in the air. Not to blame for the goal.

Kas - 6 - Handled Nani well, kept his eye on the ball and the Portuguese in front of him.

Sivok - 6 - Clattered Rooney at the start for a booking. Little to do at the back, but provided a physical presence when he came up for corners.

Ferrari - 6 - Quieter evening than he would have expected. Wasn't pushed during the game and kept Rooney quiet.

Uzulmez - 5 - Failed to clamp down on Valencia and let the Ecuadorian through too many times for comfort. Failed to deal with his pace and on another day he would have paid a dearer price.

Dag - 6 - Sat in front of the defence and rarely moved from that position. Alongside Ernst, was solid but not spectacular.

Ernst - 6 - Much more defending than attacking for the German dynamo. Did nothing wrong, but should have asserted himself on proceedings to a greater degree.

Rodrigo Tabata - 6 - The highlight of an average home debut was when he didn't take advantage of Vidic's poor clearance which resulted in a chance.

Ozkan - 6 - Tried, but lacked the ability to dent the United rearguard. Was slightly unlucky to be hooked for Yusuf.

Holosko - 7 - Floated between midfield and attack, and caused a few problems for the United defence. Looked comfortable amongst this company.

Nobre - 6 - Forced to feed off scraps and took his frustration out on Evans for a booking.

Substitutes

Nihat - n/a

Tello - n/a

Yusuf Simsek - 6 - Decent introduction, but failed to offer a different threat to what had been on before.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Foster - 6 - Well shielded by his defence, had one nervy moment when Ozkan's shot looped off Evans.

Neville - 6 - One of the easiest games of a long career, the slower pace of European football suits the old warhorse.

J. Evans - 6 - Good experience for the young defender, playing in such a electrifying cauldron. Handled the hostile environment well and is a solid replacement for Rio Ferdinand.

Vidic - 5 - Shaky at times, the Serb didn't seem at the races and wasn't his useful bombastic self.

Evra - 6 - Bombed up and down his flank in trademark fashion to little effect.

Carrick - 6 - Visibly lacking confidence, he did himself few favours for the future with a quiet performance which ended just past the hour mark.

Scholes - 7 - Still oozes class from deep. He wound back the years with a well timed run into the box for the goal.

Anderson - 7 - Dominated central midfield and sprayed several long distance passes around the pitch. He's regaining his spot at the front of the queue when Sir Alex Ferguson picks his starting side.

Valencia - 7 - Is growing into the United shirt. Ran his opposing full-back ragged, constantly charging past him. Only down side was the lack of a regular final ball.

Nani - 7 - Bag of tricks as per usual. Constantly pecked away at his opposite number and his shot set up Scholes for the goal.

Rooney - 6 - Toiled and tussled up top, but lacked the support and service to steal the headlines once again.

Substitutes

Owen - 6 - A willing runner but four and a half years out of the Champions League picture told as he wasn't sharp enough. Unlucky to be flagged for offside.

Berbatov - 6 - A welcome introduction to the fray. The extra body was evident as more numbers in the box equalled a goal.

Park - n/a