In 1990, I was making the transition from day care to kindergarten. Everything was cheaper, and the technological age that defines the present day hadn’t yet begun in earnest.

In 1990, what’s now the Premier League was still the First Division, Alex Ferguson was just Alex Ferguson, and the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, and the Neville brothers were still very much boys, and Rafael and Fabio da Silva were just making their way into the world.

In 1990, Liverpool were the unquestioned kings of English football, and that year, they wrapped up their 18th First Division title, beating out Aston Villa by nine points.

18.

At the time, to even come near that record no doubt appeared to be a tall order, not least because of Liverpool’s run of success over that last decade and a half. Next closest were Arsenal and Everton with nine, with United and Villa both on seven titles.

But while Liverpool were busy further distancing themselves from the chasing pack, United were busy adding a much-needed piece of silverware to their trophy case as well.

At the time, United were still more than two decades removed from their last First Division title, and that season, they finished 13th, 31 points behind Liverpool and only five ahead of relegated Sheffield Wednesday.

But little did anyone know that magical FA Cup run would only be the tip of the iceberg for a dramatic shift, not only for United, but for the top tier of English football.

Now, it’s United who are the hunted, on the verge of breaking Liverpool’s hallowed record, and Liverpool are the club in the midst of an attempt to rise from mediocrity to the top once again, step by step.

The fact that it’s taken United less time to win titles 9-18 than it did for them to win the eighth shouldn’t be lost on anyone, and the fact that our rise has coincided with Liverpool’s drop from being in the thick of the title race every season – they were either first or second 18 times in 19 seasons from 1972-91 – to barely having a sniff of the title certainly isn’t lost on supporters of either side.

And so, not only does today represent an opportunity for United to take another step towards that record, it also represents an opportunity for Liverpool to build their confidence…and more importantly, play spoiler in our quest.

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A quick look at the top three of the Premier League table, and you will see much the same thing you’ve seen for the better part of the last few months, with Manchester United holding steady at the top and Arsenal and Manchester City battling for second and third.

Still, despite those two being in the nearest distance points-wise, for a while, it appeared that the only team truly capable of preventing United from capturing title #19 is the team that did so last season, a side that currently sits not second, not third, not fourth, but fifth in the table.

Chelsea have done an excellent job of denting their chances of a repeat on their own, but today, we have the opportunity to stick the fork into their flickering title hopes as we visit Stamford Bridge in a heavily anticipated – and for good reason – tie.

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The original title of this was ‘Oh My God, We Finally Won An Away Premier League Match By More Than One Goal’, but I thought it unnecessary to be (even more of) a smarty pants in this situation.

Regional proximity means that Manchester United-Wigan is technically considered a rivalry matchup, but when it comes to rivalries, you normally expect a little more parity in the results department.

However, for all of our veritable ownership of Wigan since they made the step up to the Premier League, we have had a number of testy trips to the DW Stadium, and given our track record away from home this season, nothing lsss should have been expected from Saturday’s visit.

And unsurprisingly, we found ourselves in a familiarly precarious position, trying to hang on to a lead in the second half away from home and dealing with a side which, while short on talent, was certainly not lacking in the confidence department.

But atypical of what we’ve seen on many an occasion this season, home or away, United shut the door and shut it emphatically, scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes to wrap up a fourth away win of the season.

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Those pesky takeover rumors just won’t go away, will they?

The latest round of speculation over Manchester United’s present and future has the Qataris coming back with an offer of 1.5 billion after having an offer of 1 billion rejected by the Glazers earlier this month.

The twist in these tidbits is that the prospective bidders are considering partnering with the Red Knights, a step that would do more to endear themselves to the supporters than anything the Glazers have done in their tenure as owners. Of course, any and all of this tabloid talk should be taken with many a grain of salt, as it’s very much smoke, smoke, and more smoke for the time being, but it makes for interesting reading and debate nonetheless.

Meanwhile, the team has a title race to tend to, and while every single one of United’s remaining dozen matches is of great significance, the three trips that lie ahead in the next eight days are the most important of the season, without a doubt.

By the time we leave Anfield next Sunday, we could have reaffirmed our position as the team to beat and put paid to Chelsea and City’s flickering title hopes, and the race could be down to United and Arsenal, just as it has been on multiple occasions in the Premier League era.

First up is today’s short trek to the DW Stadium, and with two massive matches ahead, is there a chance we could overlook a relegation-threatened opponent that we’ve beaten 11 straight times since they made the jump to the top flight?

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As much of an issue as we’ve had winning away from home in the Premier League in this very un-Manchester United-like season, by comparison, we would appear to be a veritable juggernaut continentally.

Okay, that would be a stretch of the truth if you’ve seen any of those matches, but the bare fact is that we had as many wins in three Champions League group stage away matches as we’ve had in four times as many away matches in the Premier League.

We may not have been able to win at Birmingham, Wolves, or Bolton, but in trips to Valencia, Bursaspor, and Rangers, we came away unbeaten, untied, and most of all, unscored upon.

We’ll have three chances on the trot to improve our away ledger in the league, but first things first, United visit Marseille looking to replicate the achievements of their three English counterparts in the Champions League and claim a first-leg win in their round of 16 tie.

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There is, dare I say it, a small part of me that feels a tinge of remorse that, if all goes as it should, Manchester United will be the team that puts an end to Crawley Town’s FA Cup run.

Everyone loves, as they say in American sports culture, the Cinderella story, the underdog, the team or player with destiny written on them. And part of the lure and the mystique that make the FA Cup a must-see event every season is seeing the little guy hit the big time for a day, a few weeks, orr in Crawley Town’s case, more than a month.

Alas, the sensible and less sensitive part of me is mindful of the fact that, with the run of matches that lies ahead for United (and that may or may not include the toughest one of ‘em all, depending on what happens at Stamford Bridge this afternoon), this is the very kind of matchup United needed to have this weekend.

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Seeing the above scoreline still makes for strange reading several days later, doesn’t it?

It was inevitable that, if Manchester United continued to put themselves in precarious positions on a regular basis, it would come back to bite them eventually.

Last Saturday marked the 10th time in 25 Premier League matches that United had taken a lead and then allowed the opposition to equalize, with six of those occurrences coming away from Old Trafford. Up until Saturday, the worst the opposition had done in one of those situations is equalize, but the game of percentages caught up with United at Molineux.

Along with having already taken the scalps of City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, Wolves didn’t fold at Old Trafford after falling behind in both the Premier League and the Carling Cup earlier this season, so it comes as no surprise that they didn’t after Nani’s early strike. On top of that, their need for points had reached the desperation stage, so fair play to them for doing what was required to get three valuable points and a win that reignites their hopes for survival.

It would seem that there are few, if any, positives to take from a defeat to the league’s bottom team, but if ever there was a time and a place for United to lose their first Premier League game of the season, this was it, for multiple reasons.

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After maintaining their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa, Manchester United will look to at least do the same and set a new club record in the process this afternoon as they visit struggling Wolves.

United produced one of their better performances of the season on Tuesday at Old Trafford, thanks in no small part to Wayne Rooney, who struck inside the first minute, added a second shortly before halftime, and assisted on Nemanja Vidic’s finely taken second-half strike that all but sealed the deal.

If Tuesday’s performance was the beginning of a long-awaited scoring run from Rooney, we could finally start to see the goals we’ve been craving this season. Of course, cautious optimism is a must with Rooney, but when the confidence is flowing, it’s far easier for the goals and assists to as well. And if Rooney starts hitting that highest gear at just the right time, it bodes well for United as a whole being able to find that consistency in being able to perform well both home and away.

With a win today, United would set a new club record for most consecutive league games unbeaten with 30, surpassing the mark that was initially set from December 1998-September 1999 and equaled on Tuesday.

It’s getting to be desperation time for Wolves, who enter today at the foot of the Premier League table with just 21 points, three points behind 17th-placed Birmingham City, who have a game in hand. Mick McCarthy’s side has lost three consecutive league matches and was dumped out of the FA Cup last weekend at home to Stoke City. On Wednesday at Bolton, Wolves let a point slip away in the late moments in rather disastrous fashion, with Daniel Sturridge pouncing on an ill-advised back pass by Ronald Zubar to score the match-winner on his Trotters debut.

Still, despite the home side’s struggles and lowly league position, the last thing United can afford to do is take them lightly. Wolves have home wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, and they also stunned Liverpool at Anfield in late December, a result that no doubt helped hasten Roy Hodgson’s ‘departure’ (all’s well that ends well there, it seems?).

On top of that, Wolves put a real scare into United at Old Trafford in November, with United needing some late Park Ji-Sung heroics to escape with a 2-1 win.

Park won’t be in the mix for United today, as he’s still resting up from his month-long excursion with South Korea. Park also scored in United’s 3-2 Carling Cup win over Wolves in October, so Wolves will likely be glad to be able to avoid him today. Rafael could be set to return to his starting slot at right back after sitting out the last two matches due to a concussion suffered at Blackpool. Outside of that, there aren’t any injury concerns other than those who’ve not featured for United in some time.

With their attack currently firing on no cylinders – Wolves have failed to score in their last three matches, the home side will amp up their defensive responsibilities to avoid finding themselves in a hole like Villa did. This certainly doesn’t project as an easy encounter, but it’s one from which United should be able to claim the three points without the same cardiac displays that have been a hallmark of this season’s ventures away from Old Trafford.

Prediction: 2-0 United

After Tuesday’s thrilling comeback victory at Blackpool, Manchester United return to FA Cup action and to the road as they face League One promotion hopefuls Southampton on Saturday evening.

On Tuesday night at Bloomfield Road, United were down 2-0 with under 20 minutes remaining. But three goals in the late stages, including a brace by Premier League scoring leader Dimitar Berbatov, handed the league leaders a 3-2 win and a five-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.

This weekend, United turn their focus to another trophy pursuit, as they look to secure a place in the last 16 of the FA Cup for the eighth time in nine seasons.

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Given the amount of late drama that has occurred for and against Manchester United away from home this season, should anyone have expected any less than what transpired last night at Bloomfield Road?

Over the first 45 minutes, not only did Blackpool stand tall to United’s advances, but thanks to two goals, one of which came from former United prospect Craig Cathcart, United found themselves down 2-0 at the break and in serious danger of losing a Premier League match for the first time this season.

The second half, as expected, brought a United onslaught, but Blackpool held fast through more than half of the second half, and as the minutes ticked away, so went Manchester United’s unbeaten season and, more importantly, a golden opportunity to open up some vital ground on Arsenal, City, and Chelsea.

But as we saw in November at Aston Villa and as we’ve seen so, so many times over the years, one goal can be all it takes to turn the tide into Manchester United’s favor. Continue reading