Boss banks on nothing

United may have a handsome lead at the top of the Premier League table, but Sir Alex Ferguson will not allow his side to become complacent with the finishing line in sight.

Chelsea unexpectedly dropped two points at home to Wigan on Monday evening, leaving them five points behind the Reds with only four games remaining, but the United manager is demanding total concentration until the season's end.

“We're in a good position, but with my experience in life you don't take things for granted,” said Sir Alex, after presenting United legend Denis Law with a Nationwide Lifetime Achievement Award.

“We've still got difficult games. We have to go to Blackburn, Chelsea and Wigan, which are three difficult away games. Because we have difficult games, there is still a lot to play for.

“Chelsea dropping points against Wigan was a bonus for us. We had a massive result against Arsenal on Sunday, so it could go to the wire. We can't take anything for granted. We could lose at Chelsea, we could lose all the games. It is a very difficult league.”

Although he is preaching caution, Sir Alex is certain his players have what it takes to retain the title, and is delighted with their enduring commitment to chasing results without sacrificing entertainment.

"Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez have 72 goals between them, which is a great return for three players and shows the emphasis we put on attacking play," he said.

"We now have to do our job and the squad is capable of that, they showed that last season when we had a lot of injuries and went 2-0 down at Everton but still came back to win 4-2. If that is not a test, nothing is.

“It's been a really competitive league this season. Arsenal have had their moments and all the time when we were competing with Arsenal, Chelsea were creeping up behind us. When they beat Arsenal, I knew that they were right back in it but we just have to do our job.”