Man Utd looks to widen gap on top spot

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

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After securing a slot in the Champions League last 16 in mid-week, Manchester United will look to drive home its advantage in the Premier League when it visits Aston Villa on Nov. 10.

United moved to the top of the pile by beating Arsenal 2-1 last weekend and with nearest rivals Chelsea and Manchester City both in action on Nov. 11, victory at Villa Park would put Alex Ferguson’s men four points clear.

Having beaten Chelsea and Arsenal in its last two league outings, United now embarks upon a kinder run of fixtures that includes a trip to Norwich City before home games against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United.

Top priority

A 3-1 midweek win over Braga means Ferguson can afford to rest players in United’s two remaining Champions League games, so the domestic title race will now be the number one priority until the end of the year.

Villa is just one place above the relegation zone, and United striker Wayne Rooney says his side should show no mercy.

“There have been games this season where we’ve been fantastic, and games where we’ve had to grind out results,” he told Sky Sports. “Now we have a run of games where we feel we can get maximum points, so hopefully we can do that.”