United back on top but Fergie has the hump

Sir Alex Ferguson launched a stinging attack on his Manchester United players for their casual approach against Portsmouth at Old Trafford last night.

Wayne Rooney scored early on but the second goal from Michael Carrick which secured the 2-0 win came with only eight minutes to play.

Stretching their advantage: Wayne Rooney thanks Ryan Giggs for setting up his early goal

The victory took United back to the top of the Barclays Premier League above Liverpool but the manager was furious that victory was not achieved more emphatically and led him to question his players' commitment.

He said: 'Having seen that second-half performance I am taking nothing for granted. We have to put our foot down.

'I don't think we have any leeway if we don't perform. We were far too casual. We should have been five or six up at half-time but in the second half I was thinking we were going to throw it away.'

Furious: Ferguson lets rip at his 'casual' players

United were not at their best but were in control once Rooney converted a Ryan Giggs cross in only the ninth minute.

Thick of the action: Crouch surrounded by Scholes, Evans and Evra

Portsmouth came into the game in the second half and briefly threatened before Paul Scholes marked his 600th appearance for United by playing in Carrick for the clincher.

Carrick added: 'I don't know what there is left to say about players like Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

'They are unbelievable professionals. They have talent and ability and everybody can learn from them.'

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink conceded that his side's title challenge was over after they dropped two points in a goalless draw at home to Everton.

Ten things you need to know about Anfield assassin: Andrey Arshavin

Andrey Arshavin put a huge dent in Liverpool's title charge by scoring four scores for the first time in his career in Arsenal's 4-4 draw at Anfield.

Here Sportsmail takes a look at Russia's star of Euro 2008, the man Arsene Wenger endured a torturous pursuit of in the winter and reveals 10 things you need to know about the man signed for £12million from Zenit St Petersburg.

From talented draughts player to one of the hottest properties in world football, here is all you need to know about the 27-year-old...

1) Andrey Sergeyevich Arshavin was born in St Petersburg - then called Leningrad - on May 29, 1981.

2) As a schoolboy, he showed great promise as a draughts player before turning his full attention to football.

3) While at university he wrote a thesis on sportswear production, but dismissed his decision to study for a diploma in fashion design as an opportunity to meet girls.

4) As a boy, he fell in love with the Barcelona team coached by Holland legend Johan Cruyff and had previously said moving to the Nou Camp would be his dream. Now he says he will probably be at the Emirates till the end of his career

5) Arshavin made his debut for Zenit St Petersburg when coming on as a substitute against Bradford at Valley Parade on August 2, 2000. The Russians won the InterToto Cup semi-final match 3-0.

6) He scored 71 goals in 310 games for Zenit, while for Russia he has scored 15 in 43 caps. With Zenit he won the Russian Premier League title in 2007, the League Cup in 2003, and the UEFA Cup, European Super Cup and Russian Super Cup in 2008.

Idols: Former Barcelona boss Johan Cruyff and a dream team of Nou Camp legends he put together for a friendly in 1999

7) Individually he has won a number of player of the year awards and was ranked the sixth best player in the world in 2008 for the Ballon d'Or - won by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

8) Arshavin once stood for local elections in St Petersburg for the United Russia party led by Vladimir Putin (right) but withdrew his candidacy before a vote was cast.

9) The Communists of Leningrad group accused Arshavin of being a 'traitor' for his desire to leave the country. Berating him for 'putting up his body for sale for greedy Western clubs', they warned: 'If you want to sign for any Western team you will lose your spiritual connection to Mother Russia and Russians will never forgive you.'

A star is born: Andrei Arshavin scores past Edwin van der Sar as Russia beat Holland 3-1 at Euro 2008

10) Arshavin has a son and daughter with his long-term partner Yulia. Although they are not actually married, he calls her his wife. She recently revealed that she and her three-year-old boy Artem were almost killed in a hot-air balloon flight that went wrong in January.

Where it all began: Arshavin made his professional debut at Bradford's Valley Parade

Arshavin targets scoring five at United

Andrey Arshavin believes his four goals at Anfield show he was right to join Arsenal.

And the Russia star has warned Manchester United that he can top it by scoring five at Old Trafford.

The Russia star hit headlines across the world after scoring all his side's goals in the 4-4 draw at Liverpool on Tuesday night - a feat called 'poker' in Russian football parlance.

And he insists he would not have got the same exposure for a similar feat with former club Zenit St Petersburg.

The 27-year-old, who signed for the Gunners for £12million in February, told a Russian newspaper: 'I know that my goals were watched all over the world.

'That's more than enough to prove that I was right when I insisted on my move to the English Premier League. In Russia, if I scored not four but 24 goals in one game it wouldn't excite anyone outside the country.'

Asked what achievement could give him a greater joy, Russia's star of Euro 2008 said: 'Winning the Premier League, naturally. Or scoring five at Old Trafford.

'After Liverpool game my team-mates congratulated me and made a lot of jokes: "We'll do everything for you tonight! Do you want anything? Just say and we'll bring it running. Can we clean your boots? Or carry your bag?"

'On the plane back to London they signed the ball from the game and presented it to me.'

Arsenal travel to United on May 16 and Arshavin would love to spoil what could be the day that the champions collect their Premier League trophy again.

On target: Arshavin hits one of his four against Liverpool and celebrates below

But even bettering his four-goal haul would probably not impress his wife Yulia too much. Asked how he would keep his feet on the ground after his Anfield heroics, Arshavin said with a smile: 'I have a wife who will quickly put me back in my box.'

Dream Team Week 33

Total: 129 Points

The team above represents the highest scoring players in a valid formation. In the event of equal scoring the cheapest player has been selected. It may not be possible to actually select this team due to budget and /or team constraints.

Gameweek 32-33 Result

GAMEWEEK 33 RESULTS


GAMEWEEK 32 RESULTS

One more day for Gerrard

Clash of the titans: Steven Gerrard (left) shields the ball from Michael Ballack during Chelsea's 3-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg victory at Anfield

Anfield boss Benitez gives Gerrard one more day to prove fitness before making biggest decision of his Liverpool career

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has given Steven Gerrard one more day to prove his fitness ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Chelsea.

The Anfield boss admitted Gerrard's availability could be the key to his side somehow turning around a 3-1 deficit from the first leg at Anfield and claiming the unlikeliest of semi-final places.

After leaving Gerrard on the bench for the duration of Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn, Benitez will asses his skipper's recovery from a groin strain before making one of the most critical decisions of his five-year Anfield reign.

'Stevie has been working with the physio, and he will train later today,' said Benitez. 'We will decide after that, but it is good that he is feeling better.

'Clearly, we need him, because he is a key player for us. Everything can change when he is out there and playing well.

'We will talk to the doctor and with Stevie, but I don't think it would be a massive risk. It would be if there was a danger of losing him for 10-15 days, but he has played with these problems before and been OK. I would call it more of a calculated risk.

'It would be good to show the same spirit as in Istanbul four years ago, when we came back from 3-0 down at half-time in the final against AC Milan to win on penalties. The fans will be behind us, as ever, and if we can give them something to cheer early on, it could make a difference.
Liverpool boss Benitez barks out instructions during Saturday's clash with Blackburn

'But it is going to be a very difficult task, but don't forget Bolton showed on Saturday what can be done by scoring three late goals at Chelsea.

'We will be aiming for an early one ideally, so we can put them under pressure.'

Benitez also defended his controversial zonal marking system, which some blamed for his side conceding two Branislav Ivanovic goals from set pieces in the first leg.

He added: ‘Chelsea have six or seven players that are really good in air, and that was clear the other day.

‘We talked about zonal marking but we scored against Blackburn who use man-to-man marking and yesterday you could see goals conceded between Aston Villa and Everton using man-to-man.

Sitting it out: Steven Gerrard (centre) warms the bench during Liverpool's rout of Blackburn

‘So in the end it depends on the quality of the players in the air. [Zonal marking] has been good for us in the past so hopefully it will be good in the future.’

Asked if the Reds could take heart from Bolton's late three-goal show against the Blues on Saturday, Benitez added: ‘Yes. If you play well and have a bit of luck, you can score a goal, so we will see. It will be good for the club if we can win, so we will try to win.’

Dream Team Week 31-32

Total Point: 123

Total Point: 137

Macheda Snr hails Manchester United super starlet Federico

Macheda is mobbed by his team-mates after his goal against Villa

The father of Manchester United's newest hero is still in dreamland after his son's magical moment at the weekend.

Pasquale Macheda realised in a few seconds that years of sacrifice and hard work had been worth it after watching Federico score a last-gasp winner against Aston Villa.

It is not too long agao that Macheda Snr worked nights in a supermarket so that he could drive his son to Lazio's training centre, a world away from their home in the rundown Ponte Dinona area of Rome.

And after the 17-year-old announced his arrival in the Premier League in front of his dad at Old Trafford on Sunday, proud Pasquale said: 'The one thing I keep seeing in my mind is my son's eyes after he scored. When he ran towards me with tiger eyes.

'He had this incredible fiery look. Above all the noise I could hear him shouting "come down, come down".

I raced down the steps and we hugged. His look was enough to say "see where we have got to, see where we have come, dad".

'I burst into tears. It was beyond belief, I could not believe I was going through such a moment. It left me numb. I have watched the goal again and again on DVD. It is unbelievable.'

He added in The Sun: 'In the past 18 months he's developed enormously, physically and technically at United. They have done a fantastic job.

'When United were 2-1 down to Villa I thought there would be no room for my son to come on. But then someone said "there he is!"

'I rubbed my eyes because he looked like he had been playing for years - even alongside Cristiano Ronaldo he did not look like a rookie.

'When he scored I blanked out, I didn't see what happened. All these years I asked him "when are you going to dedicate a goal to me?"

'He said nothing on Sunday, he didn't have to. His look said it all.'

Macheda's achievement was of little consolation to Lazio, who were left angry after United snatched away the star prospect from their youth academy in September 2007.

'It's thanks to Lazio that today Federico is doing well in his English experience,' said Pasquale.

'He was a part of Lazio's youth team and he was fortunate there to learn a lot and become a serious lad from a sporting point of view.

'Federico was born in Rome and grew up at Lazio. But it's not easy to resist an offer from a prestigious club like Manchester.

'Now we are enjoying the moment and we are proud of what Federico has done. He is a serious kid with his feet firmly on the ground.'

One person at Lazio who did celebrate the player's instant success was Federico's former coach with the club's youth team, Stefano Avincola.

'I am delighted for him,' he said. 'Of course there's some regret at the Lazio camp for seeing a quality player leave. But I want to reiterate that Lazio did everything they could to keep Federico at the club, seeing in him a player with potential and good prospects.

'Unfortunately, it was not possible and the lad and his family made an understandable choice of leaving Lazio and thanking the club for everything they did for the young Federico.'

Dream Team Week 29-30

Total point: 134