intheredcorner said:Chasing united isn't easy (or even being chased by them). Wenger used to try it years ago when it was a two horse race between us and them and I can tell you everything seems to go their way in the critical games. I don't want to call it a conspiracy by the FA because that would be hard to justify, but utd will always get away with results which will make you wonder whether they have received a bit of help. They stumbled against Wigan but utd had already got a bit of help when Wigan first scored and the goal wrongly ruled out. It's good that Wigan did not drop their heads and eventualy won. I just don't see utd slipping up twice in a row. It's as if they always have some official to lean on even when they are not at their best. So for villa to beat them, they have to play well, and they have to keep their heads up when the inevitable dubious decision comes...all that plus hope that united are poor or at least unlucky on the day. Anyway, anything can happen in football.
I think you can probably throw conspiracies/poor refereeing out the window with their last 3 non-City matches. Villa are dreadful and McLeish is a loser, Moyes never beats them (though maybe Rooney will have a bad game against them like he usually does), and Sunderland are basically a Man United Supporters Trust.
Though stranger things and all that, even though Wigan played them off the pitch and were hungry, I think this was the first time they ever beat United. But I'm not holding my breath for getting any help.