Fiery Cole steals march on Newcastle

Manchester United 2

Cole 44, Giggs 52

Queen's Park Rangers 1

Dichio 68

Attendance: 41,890

THE late Harold Wilson once said that a week was a long time in politics, to which Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson might add that six days is an even longer time in football.

Last Sunday his team lost to Leeds United, completing a sequence of three points in five Premiership games which left them 10 points adrift of Newcastle. But after Wednesday's overpowering victory against the Geordies and this anxiously achieved win, United end the year just four points behind the Premiership leaders.

United's eagerness to maintain the momentum of Wednesday night and to take maximum advantage of Newcastle's inactivity nearly rebounded on them as QPR, without four established first-teamers, offered persistent irritation and could easily have led by the interval.

As it turned out, United were indebted once again to Andy Cole, whose third goal of the week settled United's nerves just before half-time. Ryan Giggs added a second six minutes into the second period and United looked to have the game won. Cue Daniele Dichio, a substitute for Bradley Allen, Rangers' main threat in the early stages, who took full advantage of a disastrous error from Peter Schmei-chel to score and keep United on edge to the very last moment.

The undersoil heating had allowed the Old Trafford pitch to be in near- perfect condition despite the sub-zero temperatures around the stadium. But after 20 minutes Ferguson must have wished that the game had been postponed. For in that opening period Rangers so alarmed a complacent United that the home crowd was reduced to silence - and this from a Rangers team without Mark Hateley, Alan McDonald, Kevin Gallen and Ray Wilkins. Early on Allen's 20-yard drive hit the angle of Schmeichel's goal and then he almost scored with a low drive that whistled past the post. Add a glaring miss by Trevor Sinclair, blasting over on the run, and it gives some measure of United's early discomfort. Indeed, an abiding cameo of the half was the sight of the 17-year-old debutant, Nigel Quashie, shoulder- charging Eric Cantona and dispossessing the French idol with aplomb.

United had been obliged by the injuries to their centre-backs to hurry through the debut of Cantona's compatriot William Prunier, on trial from Bordeaux, and although the French international showed the expected sang- froid, there was no disguising the uneasiness in United's makeshift defence.

But just before half-time United got the break they needed. Giggs's swerving corner was missed at the near post, but Roy Keane dived in for a header that was blocked on the line and the predatory Cole did the rest, nodding home from two yards.

QPR's disappointment at getting no reward for their first-half efforts was compounded at the interval when Allen had to stay in the dressing room with a leg injury, although the lanky Dichio proved to be no mean substitute.

But within six minutes of the restart, United were two up and seemingly home and dry. Cantona and Keane combined on the right to send Denis Irwin clear, and his cross to the far post found Giggs who had time to drive the ball past Jurgen Sommer.

The second goal looked to have settled United and they sat back to play out the game, but when Schmeichel caught the over-confident mood disaster was at hand - his delayed clearance was charged down by Dichio, who then chipped into the empty net to leave United facing an anxious last 20 minutes. But fortunately QPR's enterprise had finally exhausted itself.

So an invaluable win was secured, allowing United to track Newcastle more closely before they meet at St James's Park in the first weekend in March. "It's been a good day for us," Alex Ferguson concluded after the game. But he will know, after several near misses over the past year, that every week counts, not just one.