United suffer derby disappointment

Manchester United FC dropped English Premiership points for the first time this season as neighbours Manchester City FC claimed a 75h-minute equaliser to keep up their own unbeaten record in 2005/06 with a 1-1 draw.

Barton denies United
United have a tough UEFA Champions League trip on Wednesday to group stage debutants Villarreal CF, who did for another English side, Everton FC, in the third qualifying round. And it seemed that Ruud van Nistelrooij's goal on the stroke of half-time would send the largely dominant Reds to Spain in good heart, but City's Joey Barton had other ideas.

Ferguson frustration
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It was very frustrating. They parked themselves at the edge of the box and just hoped for scraps, it was up to us to do something about it. I thought getting the goal on half-time would open up the game for us, but they just sat and defended in the second half. They scored with their first shot."

Stalwarts left out
Sir Alex chose to start with United stalwarts Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs on the bench, with an eye on midweek, while Cristiano Ronaldo was attending his father's funeral in Portugal. Facing United was one of their all-time leading European scorers, Andy Cole.

Pearce warning
Much of the pre-match focus was on the man who has made such a fine start as City manager, former England left-back Stuart Pearce, a player Sir Alex attempted to sign during the 1990s. Having collected his manager of the month reward before the game, Pearce declared at full-time; "The players must know exactly what they are doing from the first minute to the last. We are the poor relations in this city in terms of finance, but we are not poor relations in terms of team spirit."

Fears realised
Pearce himself had identified Van Nistelrooij as the main danger before the game, saying: "He can score and turn a game in an instant," and just before the break his fears were realised. Making his 100th Premiership appearance, Wayne Rooney had previously been the primary attacking threat for United when David James saved a clever flick from Van Nistelrooij after a Paul Scholes free-kick, only for the rebound to fall to the Dutchman, who promptly buried the effort, meaning he has now scored in his last six league matches.

City rearguard
It was a fitting reward for United's first-half dominance, and they did not let up after the break. However, under Pearce, City have become a formidable defensive force - in stark contrast to the more cavalier reputation of predecessor Kevin Keegan - and as the second period wore on visiting centre-backs Sylvain Distin and Richard Dunne continually frustrated the United forwards.

Barton scores
Their heroics were rewarded when Cole's shot was only parried by Edwin van der Sar and Barton, just as Van Nistelrooij had in the same goalmouth, made the most of the loose ball. Giggs and Keane were now sent on, but the last chance fell to Cole, who forced Van der Sar into a great save. Sir Alex added: "If he'd scored it would have been ridiculous, but that's football."

Chelsea ahead
United remain a point behind City, though with a game in hand, and five adrift of leaders Chelsea FC, who maintained their own perfect record with victory against Sunderland AFC.