Have City got the bottle to match United's battle against injuries?

By David McDonnell

Published 12:14 27/12/11

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It says everything about Manchester United's unique mental fortitude that they have hauled themselves level on points at the top of the Premier League, despite a crippling injury list that would have finished off lesser teams.

Sir Alex Ferguson has a full XI out through injury or illness but through sheer force of will, as much as anything else, his patched-up United side have drawn level on points with neighbours and title rivals Manchester City.

By the end of United's 5-0 mauling of Wigan, Sir Alex Ferguson had a winger at right-back in Antonio Valencia, a midfielder and a left-back in central defence in Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra, and a left-back, in Ezekiel Fryers, who has yet to start a Premier League game.

Victory over Blackburn at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve - Ferguson's 70th birthday - will see United go three points clear, with City not in action at Sunderland until the following day.

It has been a remarkable turnaround since United's 6-1 derby mauling by City at Old Trafford on October 23, when Roberto Mancini's side looked poised to march to a maiden Premier League triumph.

Yet it was Mancini himself, prior to Christmas, who pointed to adversity bringing out the best in United, acknowledging that Ferguson's side would simply not go away, despite their mounting injury list.

"When you are a strong team like United and you have difficult moments like injuries, you pull together and use it to stay where you are," said Mancini. "United are very strong like that."

Vanquished Wigan boss Roberto Martinez concurred with Mancini. "United have the mentality that every other team wants," said Martinez.

"They can adapt to adversity - that's their biggest strength. Any team who wants to win the league has to better United's mentality. That's the biggest challenge."

Like a golfer salvaging a potentially disastrous round by holing crucial putts to keep the scorecard going, United kept within touching distance of City with hard-fought 1-0 wins against Everton, Sunderland, Swansea and Aston Villa.

What their football lacked in fluency and goals, they made up for with a stubborness and resilence, eking out the wins that prevented City from disappearing out of sight over the title race horizon.

City may have broken records with their scintillating start to the season, reaching 50 goals in record time for a top-flight side, but now it is the turn of United to turn on the style.

With 16 goals in their last four Premier League games, conceding just one, they have obliterated the goal difference between themselves and City, which once stood at plus 17 in Mancini's side's favour, to just five.

Since their derby humiliation, United have picked up 25 points from a possible 27, their only blemish a 1-1 draw against Newcastle at Old Trafford, when they were denied a win by a penalty that should never have been given.

That injustice aside, United's response since their defeat by City has been that of champions, a refusal to accept their fate and relinquish their title, despite losing so many key players to injury.

While there can be no defence for United's Champions League exit, from the easiest group in the competition, their Premier League revival has gone some way to soothing the pain of that painful experience.

United still have to go to City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the second half of the campaign, while Roberto Mancini's side - who have not lost at home for a year - have beaten the Gunners and host Ferguson and Andre Villas-Boas's sides, as well as third-placed Tottenham.

So a 20th title remains some way off for United, despite their impressive run of results in recent weeks, but what Ferguson and his players have done is provide conclusive proof of why they should never be written off.

They may ultimately end up surrendering their title to City this season and they may pay for their failure to recruit a central midfielder with the guile and artistry to replace Paul Scholes.

But they have shown they will not give up their title without a fight and, if City are going to be crowned champions, they will have to match the collective spirit and winning mentality that has been the foundation of United's unprecedented success for two decades.

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Read David McDonnell's exclusive Manchester United column every Tuesday on MirrorFootball.co.uk and follow @discomirror on Twitter.

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