Manchester United continued their good start to the Champions League this year with a 2-1 victory over VFL Wolfsburg at Old Trafford. The win puts United in control of the group and will most likely help along the way to securing their progression into the knock out rounds.

United struggled early on in the match, as the German champions had obviously travelled to England with very attacking intentions. Michael Owen was forced off early on with a groin strain and was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov who signalled a revitalisation of the United team.

It was a bitter blow as Owen had been hoping to play well in front of the England manager, Fabio Capello, who was sat in the stands. However, the Bulgarian’s introduction was not enough to prevent Wolfsburg from taking the lead when Edin Dzeko rose at the far post and buried his header into the near corner.

It seemed to be the awakening that United needed as they stormed down the other end and scored their two goals in quick succession. The first came from Ryan Giggs, who hit a free kick, which was deflected and then went on.

The second was a piece of United class that saw the ball eventually laid off To Michael Carrick who slammed it in with such authority that you virtually knew that the game was over and done with at that point.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “He felt his groin in training on Sunday and he trained a little bit on Monday, had a rest on Tuesday and thought he was fine. Groins are groins, though, and on a wet surface like that, he has turned quickly, it has gone again and we have had to take him off.”

“It’s not serious, but groin injuries can be troublesome and it could be two to three weeks. The only good part is that his fitness levels are very good, so there shouldn’t be too much of a worry with that.”

United’s next match in the Champions League will be away to CSKA Moscow on a bitterly cold evenings game during the Russian winter. CSKA themselves, revitalised their qualification hopes with a victory over a poor Besiktas side that do not look as though they will go very far this year.

United are well placed and it would take a very brave betting man to lay his money down on another team to win the European Cup this year.

Manchester United can stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table tonight with a victory over Wigan Atheltic. United are gunning for an umpteenth league crown and will want to secure it quicker rather than sooner as they prepare for the Champions League final at the end of the month.

Wigan on the other hand will want to throw a spanner in the works and give a shed of hope to every Liverpool fan in the country. This is a very uphill task but one they are capable of as they go for one of their best Premier League finishes in recent times.

The fitness of United defenders, Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans, is in doubt as both picked up knocks in the Manchester derby. John O’Shea could step in and Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney could all start. Wigan’s Amr Zaki will not play due to a knee injury and keeper, Chris Kirkland, also looks likely to miss out.

Sir Alex Ferguson must also decide whether to start star winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the game after his tantrum at being substituted against Manchester City. Considering just how influential a player Ronaldo is his starting place is likely but you just never know as Ferguson has left out bigger names from key games before.

This promises to be a game that delivers for the fans and could well be one of Carlos Tevez’s last performances in a United shirt. Tevez has made no secret of his desire to stay at United and will no doubt be playing his socks off as he continues his search for the elusive contract that is yet to be offered to him.

Wigan’s aim for the match is quite simple. Steve Bruce said on Monday that his side’s intentions were to get stuck in and make it as difficult for United as they could. Although they may not have much to play for themselves, they will want to prove that they are better than they were at this point last season.

A point or better would also satisfy their fans as no doubt some will still be bitter about the 2-0 loss last season that led to United lifting the title on the last day of the campaign. They will want to spoil the party and although a United title is virtually guaranteed they will obviously be annoyed by any further delays in securing it.

It is also a very good chance for both managers to get one or two of the youth and fringe players in their squads involved. Although the magnitude of the match is not as great as it may be, there will be valuable experience available for some of the up and coming stars at both clubs.

The favourites are United for another away win but few may have a punt on Wigan who are consistently over looked. Their desire to peg back United could well result in a good outcome for Bruce’s men. This is likely to be one of the better mid-week Premier League matches we have seen in a long time.

Howard Webb’s decision to award Manchester United a penalty in Saturday’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur has led to calls for the introduction of technology in the game to be rapidly stepped up.

The decision was made based on an apparent foul by Spurs goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, on Michael Carrick when TV replays after the incident showed that Gomes had clearly touched the ball.

Subsequently the penalty was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and from 2-0 down United went on to win the game at a canter. Since the event Webb has come out publicly in the media and admitted he got the decision wrong.

He said: “I have looked at it again and I think it was a mistake but we make these decisions honestly. It’s not always easy to see the way the play pans out from pitch level.”

Webb’s mistake prompted fury on the Spurs match as manager, Harry Redknapp, said the incident changed the entire face of the game. He later called for the 4th official on the sidelines to be paying particular attention to TV monitors around him and being in constant touch with the referee on field.

Redknapp said after the game: “The referee made a terrible mistake. You should have technology. The fourth official should be watching the TV monitor and talking to the referee.”

Redknapp’s cries of outrage have once again opened up the debate on the use of technology in the modern game. For the last few years the demand for goal line technology to decipher whether or not a ball has crossed the line has been high.

Especially after ‘Reading’s Phantom Goal’ when referee, Stuart Atwell, awarded the Royals a goal in their Premier League fixture against Watford, despite the ball having flown yards wide.

Technology in football will happen at some point. The problem is it is a painfully slow process for all involved. It took years for referees and linesman just to be allowed microphone technology to be able to talk to each other without having to run from one end of the pitch to the other.

It is baffling why football seems so reluctant to let the help of technology seep into the modern game. Everyone wants to see fairer and more accurate games. None of the entertainment or excitement value will be lost by allowing its introduction to the sport.

Only when it is introduced, and mirrors the examples of other sports such as cricket, tennis and rugby, will we see fairer and more correct decision being made. The decision on Sunday could have been remedied in a matter of seconds and everyone would have been satisfied that the right out come had been made.

High profile managers sitting in the stands are allowed small monitors in front of them at most games so why not the 4th official?

This is clearly something the FA have to investigate. If they do not then sooner or later it could be the fine dividing line between a club going up to the Premier League or being relegated from League football entirely.

Manchester United predictably pulled three points ahead of Liverpool yesterday (April 22nd) after beating an uninspired Portsmouth side 2-0 at old Trafford. United should have buried them in the first half, but only came out of it with a 1-0 lead thanks to Wayne Rooney’s goal in the ninth minute. United struggled for most of the second half, but came to life after Michael Carrick made it 2-0 in the 82nd .

Meanwhile, over at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea basically dropped out of the English Premier League race after being held to a 0-0 draw by Everton. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink more or less conceded the title to United after dropping the two points to the Merseysiders. Chelsea is still in the running for the FA Cup and Champions League though. In fact the match yesterday against Everton was a preview of the FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 30. Let’s hope that game is better than yesterday’s affair.

In other news, former Sunderland boss and Man United icon Roy Keane was hired as the new boss of Championship side Ipswich Town. Keane takes over from Jim Magilton. Like Kevin Keegan though, many fans feel Keane will pack it in when the going gets rough, as Keegan has done in the past with England and Newcastle and as Keane did with Sunderland.

Carlos Tevez is getting more annoyed with Alex Ferguson as the season goes on and has said he’s likely to take off after his loan spell runs out at the end of the season. Tevez said he needs to play regular first team football, but Ferguson has a habit of leaving him on the bench. This doesn’t sit too well with the little Argentinean international, especially in big matches against the likes of Chelsea. But with a price tag of 30 million English pounds, it’s doubtful United will re sign him.

In the Championship, Southampton has been deducted 10 points and is certain to end up in Division One next season. If they end up in the relegation zone this year, they will go down and have the points deducted at the start of next season. If they manage to stay above the relegation zone this season, they will be deducted the points immediately. So, either way, they are going down for sure.

Over in Spain, Barcelona kept their six point lead over Real Madrid with a 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla yesterday. In Germany, Bayern Munich has a chance to go on top of the Bundesliga for the first time all season when they take on Schalke at home on Saturday. Of course Wolfsburg could take first back on Sunday against Enegie Cottbus.

In Italy, it seems that Palermo defender Moris Carrozzierihas been a bad boy for testing positive for cocaine, according to the Italian Olympic Committee. Tests after Palermo’s 1-0 home win over Torino back on April 5th   revealed that the player had Benzoylecgonine in his system, which is the primary metabolite of cocaine.
The 28-year-old should face a ban from football if it is proved, as cocaine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned stimulants.