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LONDON (AFP) – Liverpool breathed new life into the Premier League title race with a stunning 4-1 win against 10-man Manchester United on Saturday as the champions suffered their biggest home defeat in 17 years.
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard (L) scores a penalty against Manchester United during their Premier …

PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 14 March Kick-off: 1245 GMT

Ferguson said the remarks were "nothing out of the ordinary"

Sir Alex Ferguson has defended Wayne Rooney over the Manchester United striker's comments that he "hates" Saturday's opponents Liverpool.

The club website published quotes from the former Everton player before withdrawing them, claiming they "were open to wilful mis-reporting."

"Hate's an easy word to say, easier than dislike. Maybe it is not the right word," said Ferguson.

"He's had lots of stick from their fans over the years so it's understandable."

Rooney, who is a boyhood Everton fan, gave the interview to MUTV - the club's own broadcaster, after United's victory over Inter Milan on Wednesday.

He said: "I'm very excited about the game because I grew up as an Everton fan hating Liverpool, that hasn't changed."

Soon after the interview was picked up by media outlets across the globe, United took the decision to remove it with the club concerned some might "make a big deal of it" ahead of a game that generates intense rivalry between the two sets of fans.

"He supported Everton as a kid and the rivalry between them and Liverpool is pretty ferocious now," said Ferguson.

"Since then he has come to Manchester United and he wants to win. It's nothing out of the ordinary really."

He added: "Liverpool have always been our main rival. We are the two most successful football clubs in England. When they get together you expect sparks to fly."

Rooney also said victory for United at Old Trafford on Saturday will end Liverpool's hopes of claiming the Premier League title this season.

United are currently seven points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand.

"We're in pole position and know if we can beat Liverpool then that'll more or less end their chances of winning the league," the striker told MUTV.

United know that victory on Saturday would move them closer to their third successive Premier League title.

It would leave Liverpool 10 points adrift, with only 27 points to play for.

"They know, in coming to Old Trafford, it's going to be a difficult game for them," said Rooney.

"They also know they need the three points and I'm sure they'll be up for it - we certainly will be."

Both sides experienced European success in midweek with Liverpool thumping Real Madrid 4-0 and United edging past Inter Milan 2-0.

United, by their own admission, were out of sorts on Wednesday but centre-half Rio Ferdinand has warned Liverpool that they will be back to their best on Saturday.

The England defender also sounded a word of caution, claiming United will not celebrate winning the title until it is mathematically secured.

"They've had a good week, getting a great result against Real Madrid," he said.

"We're in for a tough game with a great atmosphere, a different entity altogether (compared to Inter), and one we can't wait for.

I couldn't care what happens to Liverpool as long as we beat them Rio Ferdinand

"People say, 'If you win this game, you win the league', but it just continues until it's mathematically over and one team wins it, and hopefully that will be us.

He added: "If we win, it will obviously make it hard for them but I couldn't care what happens to Liverpool as long as we beat them.

"If we do that and that leads to people thinking they're out of it, then so be it.

"We're there to win games, we're at home and people will be expecting us to get the three points.

Vidic heads in the opener for Man Utd against Inter Milan

Sir Alex Ferguson emerged victorious in the showdown with his old rival Jose Mourinho as Manchester United survived a nervous night against Inter Milan to reach the last eight of the Champions League.

Nemanja Vidic powered in Ryan Giggs' corner to give United the lead in the tie after only four minutes, and Cristiano Ronaldo rose to head home Wayne Rooney's cross three minutes after the interval.

But in between those two strikes, Mourinho's Inter were left to regret a succession of missed opportunities to grab a crucial away goal and put the skids under United's bid for an historic haul of five trophies.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic hit the bar with a first-half header and Dejan Stankovic missed a glorious opportunity as Inter failed to take advantage of uncharacteristic slackness in possession and defence from United.

There was still time for substitute Adriano to strike the woodwork again after Ronaldo's goal, but this was United's night and their bid to rewrite the record books is still on course.

Mourinho prowled the Old Trafford technical area for virtually the entire 90 minutes as he held out hopes of a repeat of his famous 2004 victory with Porto that sent United out of the Champions League - but it was all in vain as Inter fell victim to their own generosity in front of goal and the more clinical finishing of their opponents.

Inter dominated for spells, but there was an inevitability that they would be punished for their failure to score - and so it proved as United delivered the telling blows in an engrossing battle.

United never touched the heights, but once again they proved that they have perfected the habit of winning even when their best form eludes them.

Indeed, the result extended their unbeaten record in major European competitions to 21 - breaking the 37-year-old mark of Juventus.

Ferguson will be elated with the victory against a dangerous adversary in Mourinho, who was made to suffer the taunts of an Old Trafford gallery that has suffered at his hands before.

But the former Chelsea boss remained defiant to the end, standing alone on the touchline, but turning to congratulate the United backroom staff at the final whistle.

United will need to produce better as the champions of Europe continue on what they hope will be the road to Rome and another final, but they deserve the utmost admiration for the resilience they displayed in grinding out a priceless win.

Mourinho could not repeat the success he has had at Old Trafford in the past

The tie was played out against the backdrop of the Mourinho factor, and his mere presence guaranteed an atmosphere of pure theatre around a packed Old Trafford.

Vidic was recalled after his first leg suspension to bolster United's defensive resources, but it was his threat at set pieces that reaped dividends.

Mourinho, the great defensive organiser, will have been mortified to see the Serbian, hardly a secret weapon on these occasions, rise almost unchallenged to head Michael Carrick's corner past Julio Cesar.

And yet, instead of settling the early nerves United may have been experiencing, the holders failed to build on Vidic's goal and barely survived a harrowing spell of pressure from Inter.

Ibrahimovic is one of the great enigmas of European football, often failing to justify his glowing reputation when the stakes are at their highest.

And he should have drawn Inter level after 28 minutes when he stole in unmarked on to the end of Maicon's free-kick, only to send a downward header against the bar with Edwin van der Sar beaten.

United were careless in possession, which did not help their cause with Inter growing in confidence as the half progressed.

Stankovic's long-range shot was turned to safety by Van der Sar before United relieved the pressure to almost grab that crucial second goal eight minutes before the interval.

Ronaldo nods in Man Utd's second to wrap up the win

Rooney's instant pass sent John O'Shea clear in the area, but Julio Cesar raced off his line to make the block.

Inter ended an absorbing opening half in the ascendancy, with Stankovic adding to the catalogue of missed opportunities when he somehow steered Ibrahimovic's pass over the top from point-blank range.

Mario Balotelli's clever pass then released Ibrahimovic for a volley that beat Van der Sar but flew inches wide.

Mourinho must have felt a real surge of optimism at the start of the second half, and attempted to inject fresh impetus into his side replacing the sadly pedestrian Patrick Vieira with Sulley Muntari.

If he was upbeat about over-turning United again, it was a feeling that did not last for long as Ronaldo headed the second goal United craved after 48 minutes.

Rooney's cross was an open invitation for Ronaldo and he rose to flick an emphatic finish past the helpless Cesar.

The scoreline was a harsh reflection on the contribution Inter had made to the game, but they paid the ultimate price for their failure to make a lengthy period of supremacy count.

The burly Adriano replaced Stankovic in what amounted to a final throw of the dice from Mourinho, and he almost handed the Italian champions a lifeline when he stretched to turn Esteban Cambiasso's cross against the post.

United were being offered more space as Inter went for broke, and Cesar needed to be at his best again to deny Rooney, recovering well to block Dimitar Berbatov's shot after he was set up by Giggs.

Ronaldo tested Inter's defiant keeper one final time with a long-range effort, but by then the fight had drained out of Inter and United were on cruise control to the quarter-finals.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes (Anderson 70), Giggs, Rooney (Park 84), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Evans, Fletcher, Gibson, Tevez.

Booked: Rooney.

Goals: Vidic 4, Ronaldo 49.

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Cordoba, Samuel, Santon, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Vieira (Muntari 46), Stankovic (Adriano 58), Ibrahimovic, Balotelli (Figo 70).
Subs Not Used: Toldo, Maxwell, Cruz, Rivas.

Booked: Samuel, Muntari.

Att: 74,769

Ref: Wolfgang Stark (Germany).

Arsenal win 7-6 on penalties

Arsenal players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out

Arsenal suffered defeat on the night but beat Roma 7-6 on penalties to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Roma struck on 10 minutes to level the aggregate score when Juan slotted in after shambolic Arsenal defending.

Manuel Almunia saved well from Rodrigo Taddei before Julio Baptista missed from eight yards, while Kolo Toure headed over at the end of normal time.

But Arsenal sealed their progress when Max Tonetto blazed his spot-kick over the bar in sudden death.

Gunners substitute Eduardo had missed the first penalty to hand Roma the advantage but Mirko Vucinic struck an awful effort to put the teams neck and neck once more.

Six faultless penalties later and it was sudden death.

Tonetto stepped up to take the 16th penalty and smashed the ball over to send Arsenal into the last eight of the competition.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had insisted before the match that his side would not sit back and defend their 1-0 lead from the first leg.

And with the same line-up that secured that advantage at the Emirates a fortnight ago, the visitors started confidently.

Nicklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie set about attacking down the flanks but neither could find a team-mate in the box.

And on 10 minutes the balance of the match swung dramatically as Arsenal paid the price for abysmal defending.

Francesco Totti's cross ran between William Gallas and Toure, who left the ball to each other.

And after the ball went through the legs of Taddei, an unmarked Juan tucked the ball in at the far post.

It served to completely knock the composure from Arsenal's stride, while Roma grew in confidence.

Suddenly the intense whistling from the home fans that accompanied Arsenal's possession seemed to affect them as time and again passes went astray.

Instead, Roma's Brazilian playmaker Taddei started to dictate the rhythm of the match, with able support from Totti and Vucinic

Two saves from Almunia in the space of a few seconds kept Arsenal in the game, as he beat away Marco Motta's drive and then tipped Taddei's low shot around the post.

Arsenal, at times defending like a team of strangers, looked vulnerable every time Roma came forward.

In contrast, the Italians were rarely threatened and headers from Van Persie and Abou Diaby failed to trouble keeper Doni.

Roma were also in control in midfield, despite missing the suspended Daniele De Rossi.

But the hosts were almost caught out when Emmanuel Eboue broke down the right, only to cross inches too far in front of Bendtner.

With the tie in the balance, both sides seemed reluctant to force the pace.

Arsenal had a glimpse of goal as Diaby sent a low drive fizzing past the right post, but chances were at a premium.

Then when a gilt-edged opportunity fell to Roma substitute Baptista, the former Arsenal man embarrassingly fluffed his shot.

The introduction of Theo Walcott and, later, Eduardo freshened up Arsenal, and they came forward with a little more purpose.

And in injury time, Toure had a chance to send them into the quarter-finals but he headed over the bar.

The first half of extra-time was scrappy and largely uneventful.

Van Persie volleyed over the bar in just about the only effort on goal and already there was the impression that a penalty shoot-out was looming.

That feeling remained in the second period of extra-time, with Roma tiring and Arsenal still out of sorts.

Walcott shot straight at Doni, Totti fired an effort high and wide and Baptista optimistically appealed for a penalty.

Spot-kicks, though, were not far away - and it was Arsenal who were to end jubilant, and perhaps a little fortunate after a lacklustre display over 120 minutes.

Roma: Doni, Motta, Diamoutene, Juan (Julio Baptista 28), Riise, Brighi (Montella 120), Pizarro, Tonetto, Taddei (Aquilani 90), Vucinic, Totti.
Subs Not Used: Artur, Loria, Ribeiro, Menez.

Booked: Pizarro, Motta.

Goals: Juan 10.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Diaby, Denilson, Eboue (Walcott 74), Nasri, Bendtner (Eduardo 85), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Djourou, Gibbs, Vela, Song Billong.

Booked: Diaby.

Att: 81,000

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