Ed Chamberlin blogs on his chats with David Moyes and AP McCoy and Man United's eventful week
"United had their title heads on".
That was how Gary Neville summed up Manchester United's performance against Everton on Super Sunday.
From the moment we got Sir Alex Ferguson's team-sheet it was obvious he meant business and wasn't going to let David Moyes de-rail their title charge again; this is a Man United team still hurting from what happened last season and determined not to let it happen again.
You also sense the manager is keen to put the title to bed as soon as possible. Sky Bet certainly think it's all over as after the game they went 1/33 Man Utd (14/1 City) but remember that is the same price United were with eight games to go last season.
Ray Wilkins said in the studio after the match that the Premier League crown is the one Ferguson wants most this season but the Champions League must be a very close second, and Wednesday night's game in Madrid was as intense a game of football as you will see.
Compelling from start to finish, it was a tie with two great managers, two high-quality sides and is now a clash right in the balance after the 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu. Sky Bet are struggling to split the sides as they have Manchester United at 6/4 to win the second leg at Old Trafford with Real Madrid at 11/8 and the draw a 13/5 chance. United are 10/11 to qualify with Real Madrid at 4/5.
A really tough one to call. Roll on Tuesday March 5.
I was at St Mary's on Saturday to see Southampton put a large and possibly final nail in Manchester City's championship coffin. Saints played with the energy and pressing game that I talked about last week and yet again Morgan Schneiderlin and Jack Cork were the orchestrators in central midfield. They are a combination that's getting better and better.
City were never at the races. Individual errors cost them but there were plenty of other issues at play. Most telling was that during the interval Southampton fans were predicting and expecting an onslaught from the champions in the second half. It never came.
Guests
It was very enjoyable to have Everton manager David Moyes as our guest on the Monday Night Football and pick his brains about Premier League football.
I was particularly interested in his views on Gareth Bale and what he looks for in a player when entering the transfer market, with personality and character such a major consideration along with ability.
We had another special visitor, too, as after the race meeting at Plumpton was abandoned AP McCoy came to see us in the MNF studio. We chatted about football and Arsenal for a while, rather than his traumatic few days on the racecourse.
He'd had a roller coaster of a week beginning with the shocking low of losing Darlan but finishing with the high of My Tent Or Yours stunning win at Newbury.
Some people say that McCoy has mellowed these days. He might have done so away from racing but on the racecourse - not a bit of it. The fire and passion inside the 17-time champion jockey still burns as ferociously as ever.
