FOOTBALL: ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE. MANCHESTER UNITED TAKE ADVANTAGE AS ARSENAL, LEEDS AND ASTON VILLA SLIP UP TO GO 5 POINTS CLEAR

Manchester United won their derby with arch-rivals Manchester City in a great game of football which had both managers praising their sides. The world’s press frequently refers to Manchester United as “Manchester” but indeed there is another team in the same city, one-time champion in 1960, Manchester City. City provided their 34,500 spectators at Maine Road Stadium with an exhilarating display of football but it was United ’s superior experience, and the foot of Beckham, who scored after 2 minutes, which marked the difference between the teams. Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, former West Ham player, proved why he is being considered as a member of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England management team. His side crushed Chelsea 2-0 with goals by the Swedish duo Johansson and Pringle, who was released by Benfica amid a wave of criticism in the Portuguese press as being “not good enough for first division football ”. Charlton Athletic, a tiny club from London’s suburbs, occupies seventh place in the Premier League. Pringle was fundamental in Charlton’s promotion from the first division last year.