28th November vs Portsmouth (a). 4-1

Rooney's first hat-trick of the season and 8th, 9th & 10th goals in the league...although his first in the game was only his first goal for club and country in 11 games.

Another win, another much needed +3 on our goal-difference...and another pathetic display by the officials. With the boss banished to the stands for the next three domestic games, he must have known that this would finally be the opportunity for the ref's - spearheaded by their poor, victimised ('unfit') casualty - to get their own back and make a stance in the face of adversity.




If you look at how it's gone for us in the few weeks since the Sunderland game, you'll highlight Carragher not getting sent off at Liverpool (last man back, and all), Chelsea's robbed winning goal and the incorrect penalty decisions in our last two European games. OK, we probably should have taken our chances and utilised possession at Stamford Bridge, and we were plain awful at Anfield, but for some reason we seem to all of a sudden be disallowed from ever being awarded a penalty. That was until the 25th minute today, when Rooney was tripped by Brown in the area and the decision was actually given!




Our new-found understanding with referees that United are in fact allowed to be given penalties was completely ruled out though a mere seven minutes later.




As Sir Alex sat amongst the Fratton Park faithful, he and everyone else in the ground (as well as everyone on the pitch) observed nothing other than a conventionally shit free-kick swing into the penalty area and straight into the hands of Kuszczack. Penalty given...for Vidic tugging Piquionne's shirt, apparently. This was only made remotely clear after not only a number of replays, however a post-incident and half-time explanation by people close to the action (conveniently not the referee, mind). Noone at the time saw a thing wrong with any of it, as everyone - including the bemused pundits and Sky Sports New's panellist's - scratched their heads and begged an explanation. 




For an incident so minor, so faint and so confusing to be the basis of such a crucial decision is laughable. Sir Alex has every right to say whatever the F**K he wants about this one.

There was of course no appeal by the Portsmouth players, who would probably have been embarrassed by the award had they not been coming into this game as the league's worst team and, even more significantly, on the back of a penalty miss last week at Stoke. Pompey must be thinking that Christmas - or, if we're being all PC, Hanukkah for their new manager - has come early.

Well, as it was, class and quality prevailed over bull-shit refereeing and injustice; in the form of our best attacking player and United's most experienced. Even though the FA are doing everything they can to stop us, we'll persevere; and although the clinical, impressive performances still appear to be a thing of last season (especially when you consider the 4-1 scoreline in no way reflects our poor first half display), we have still managed to score seven in the last two league games and only conceded this one.




With the six pointer tomorrow at the Emirates we could very well see ourselves go into 2010 only 2 points (or 3 if both teams draw) adrift...and I thought Chelsea were going to run away with it this year?