MIDDLESBROUGH // Down by the Riverside... and destined for yet another Premier League title. Manchester United, who famously celebrated their 1996 championship triumph here, are edging ever closer to an 11th Premier crown. The FA Cup may have slipped off the radar, but Sir Alex Ferguson's quadruple-seeking side still have their sights locked on the defence of their domestic and Champions League titles to go with the Club World Cup and Carling Cup already proudly on display at Old Trafford.
Liverpool have a six-point gap to make up as they prepare to entertain relegation-threatened Newcastle today. After that, the leaders will once more have a game in hand. Regardless of the Anfield outcome, the Sunday roast dinner will go down well in the Ferguson household. The indefatigable Ryan Giggs, performing central midfield duties alongside Paul Scholes, gave United a 24th-minute lead that Ji-Sung Park increased five minutes into the second half.
Of Giggs' vintage display, the United manager Ferguson said: "What more can I say? He's fantastic and I think he sealed the victory. Once we got in front, I thought that was the key. Middlesbrough are a young side and they're near the bottom, and nerves come into play when you're playing Manchester United and having to chase the game." Giggs, the PFA Player of the Year, said: "It's been a great week. It couldn't have gone any better with winning the award, my 800th game [a substitute appearance against Arsenal in the Champions League], then scoring here. The goal was similar to the one I scored 13 years ago here when we won the title.''
United now need a further seven points from their four remaining matches to retain the title, but Boro are marooned and seemingly doomed and Gareth Southgate, the manager, said: "We were beaten by the better team. "I can't see anyone stopping United. The reality is we have to go to Newcastle on Monday week and win. It's a last throw of the dice." With an eye on Tuesday's Champions League semi-final, second leg at Arsenal, Ferguson made seven changes to the side that started this week's first encounter. Cristiano Ronaldo was on the bench, but teenage goal prodigy Federico Macheda made the starting line-up for the first time in the league.
Boro started brightly enough, but Giggs soon put United in control. Wayne Rooney combined with Nemanja Vidic and Macheda was challenged by Matthew Bates before the ball broke to the captain, who drilled a low, left-footed drive through David Wheater's legs into corner of the net from 20 yards. It prompted chants from the travelling hordes of "you're going down with Shearer" - a reference to the beleaguered Newcastle manager who, in his playing days, twice rejected the chance to join United - and the old favourite "down by the Riverside'', which carries echoes of '96.
Macheda might have made more of an opening three minutes into the second half after being set up by Rooney, but United did not have long to wait for another goal. Rooney split the defence with a supreme reverse ball and Park buried his shot into the far corner. @Email:sports@thenational.ae