(Photoby Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

As Usain Bolt bolted his way into the 200 metres finals (which he has now won in record time), I was fighting what appeared to be a losing battle against the cross-trainer.

However as Eric Lidle says in Chariots of Fire, “the strength comes from within”. Just as I was thinking about it I felt he surge of adrenaline as if someone had connected me to Manchester’s main power supply system.

Then it dawned on me. The feeling of an impending obliteration that had been flying high was the reason. The Champions were in unfamiliar territory, Turf Moor at Burnley, around thirty-five miles north. Now that would explain why they got lost.

Time for a little history. The last time Burnley were in top flight was way back in 1976, when I was not even conceived. They lost at home by a goal to nil to Manchester United and eventually got relegated, never to see the light of day again.

Then a new day dawned on them at Wembley, when they beat Sheffield United in the playoffs to come back to top flight. Tonight was their biggest night by far in a long time.

Last season, Arsenal and Liverpool lost to Burnley at Turf Moor. So does it have something to do with the place, the atmosphere and the local crowd support? Maybe, maybe not, but we shall see.

Now coming back to the night, it was only 1-0 to Burnley, but come to think of it, last season ten out of 28 wins were 1-0 for United, which adds up to around 35 percent. They also have started this season on the same score line at home against Birmingham City.

The way I saw it, Giggs was the star for United. On the other end it was Jensen. A flurry of missed opportunities summed United’s night up. They now sit in 10^th spot behind Birmingham City. The only reassurance, if any is that they’ve been in a similar situation before.

Last season they did not move up to the top of the table till January.  It is still early days and there is a lot more to come. However the form of close competition is a definite worry.

This brings me to Liverpool and Ra-fail.

Rafa Silenced His Critics

His entry into England could not have been scripted better. Comes in, sells Owen and wins Champions’ League ten months down the line. A dream start and maybe the resurgence of the old war horse. I was so overcome by joy that despite being a United fan, I committed sacrilege by buying a Liverpool jersey when I was visiting family back in New Delhi, India.

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