While Manchester City can boast an embarrassment of riches, United and the rest of the pursuing pack are feeling the pinch a little with injuries and suspensions testing their squads.
Steven Gerrard will know by the middle of this week whether he faces another lengthy layoff or will be back in action for Liverpool soon after being diagnosed with an infected ankle.
A lethargic Manchester United lost 1-0 at lowly Wigan Athletic to open the door for Manchester City to cut their Premier League lead to five points with a thumping victory over West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.
Nemanja Vidic travelled with the Manchester United squad for their Champions League visit to Romania on Monday while fellow central defender Rio Ferdinand remained at home, the club confirmed on their website.
Images from the Premier League matches played across England over the weekend.
Villas-Boas was the sixth coach of the club since Abramovic took over the ownership of the club in 2003. Rediff.com brings you list of managers who tried to change fortunes at Stamford Bridge but failed to impress the Blues owner.
Managing Chelsea is one of the toughest tasks in soccer but the under-fire Andre Villas-Boas has no intention of quitting, he said ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at West Bromwich Albion.
West Bromwich Albion have named former Stoke City and Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis as their head coach, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
English champions Manchester United opened their title defence with a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday while Chelsea could manage a draw only in new coach Andre Villas-Boas' first Premier League match.
Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to score a last-minute penalty to earn 10-times winners Arsenal a 1-1 home draw with Championship (second division) side Leeds United in a pulsating FA Cup third-round match on Saturday.
Spaniard Pedro scored twice as Chelsea tightened their grip on top spot by sweeping past Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday, a club record 12th successive Premier League win taking them seven points clear.
Premier League leaders Manchester City put their recent run of poor form behind them to beat Liverpool 3-0 on Tuesday, while Tottenham Hotspur maintained their title push with a 1-0 win at home to West Bromwich Albion.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will not make his return from injury in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris St Germain, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Monday. Central defender Kompany, who took part in the open section of a training session, has endured an injury-disrupted campaign and a recurrence of a calf problem has kept the Belgium international on the sidelines for nearly a month. "He is not 100 percent. It is not possible," Pellegrini told reporters.
The Egyptian reached the 40-goal mark across all competitions this season in Liverpool's 3-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Saturday and is leading the race for the European Golden Shoe after an impressive campaign.
Brown Ideye scored twice as West Bromwich Albion progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Arsene Wenger has denied he has been offered a two-year deal to become coach at Paris Saint-Germain.
Striker Dimitar Berbatov scored a clinical first goal as Manchester United sauntered to a 3-0 victory against promoted Newcastle United in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Monday.
Champions Chelsea demolished West Bromwich Albion 6-0 on Saturday, shrugging off poor pre-season form to launch their Premier League campaign in style.
Midfielder Frank Lampard could miss champions Chelsea's Premier League opener at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson made a swifter than planned return to Premier League management on Friday when he was named West Bromwich Albion boss, one month after his departure from Liverpool.
Florent Malouda scored a late winner as Chelsea came from behind to beat visitors West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Saturday, while Arsenal's woes deepened with a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool in the Premier League.
The "noisy neighbours" have been generally a bit quieter in recent weeks and should Manchester United beat Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday their title claims will be just about silenced.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea's stuttering start to his career at his new club is just part of getting to grips with life in the Premier League, manager Alex Ferguson said on Sunday.
Swansea City and Hull City were fined 20,000 each following a mass confrontation between their players during a Premier League match this month, the Football Association said on Wednesday.
Manchester United will kick-off their title defence away to West Bromwich Albion on August 13, the Premier League said on Friday. Runners-up Chelsea are also away from home on the opening day of the 2011/12 season, when they head to FA Cup finalists Stoke City.
If Manchester City really are ready to challenge the Manchester United/Chelsea Premier League hegemony then Wednesday's derby at Eastlands is the time to prove it.
Didier Drogba was on target again as Chelsea, the only top-six team in Premier League action on Saturday, chalked up their 11th successive league win over West Bromwich Albion with a 3-1 triumph at the Hawthorns.
Two goals from Wayne Rooney put Manchester United back on top of the Premier League for the first time in five months when they beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday and Manchester City went down to a 1-0 defeat at Swansea City.
Romelu Lukaku extended his impressive FA Cup scoring record by netting twice in Manchester United's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town to earn Jose Mourinho's side a quarter-final tie at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench to give Manchester United a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday that put them five points clear in the Premier League while Arsenal rallied to draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Fernando Torres scored his first goal in 10 games as Liverpool kick-started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on Sunday.
Chelsea and Arsenal notched impressive 6-0 victories on Saturday as the champions destroyed Wigan Athletic and Arsene Wenger's team brought 10-man Blackpool crashing back to Premier League reality.
Carlos Vela scored an injury-time equalizer to give West Bromwich Albion a 1-1 draw with Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in a typically passionate Black Country derby on Sunday.
Blackburn Rovers leaped from 12th to seventh in the congested Premier League table following a comfortable 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Blackburn Rovers climbed from 12th to seventh in the Premier League on the back of a comfortable 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Champions Chelsea will kick off their title defence at home to promoted West Bromwich Albion on August 14, the English Premier League announced on Thursday. In another headline clash on the opening weekend, Newcastle United will mark their return to the top flight with a mouth-watering trip to Old Trafford against runners-up Manchester United.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
Premier League pacesetters Manchester United and Manchester City ground out wins to stay clear at the top while Arsenal remained in dogged pursuit with a 3-0 victory at Birmingham City on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney scored his first club goal in open play since March as Manchester United rode their luck to secure a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and move three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion stayed in touch with the Premier League leaders with solid home wins over West Ham United and Newcastle United on Sunday.
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