Sir Alex Ferguson has eyes only for his own side as the Premier League title race draws to a close.

After losing the leadership to Liverpool on Saturday night, Manchester United seem to have now made the decisive move thanks to their 2-0 derby win over local rivals City at Old Trafford.

With a three-point lead and a game in hand, it seems unlikely the Red Devils will not collect a win and draw to clinch a record-equalling 18th league championship, quite probably before the Merseysiders are next in action.

Ferguson has not given any indication of being a man under pressure. And he confirmed the last few weeks have only provided him with extra focus for what would personally be an 11th title.

“Liverpool played first this weekend, as they have done a lot of times. But what does it matter?” said Ferguson.

“All we need to worry about is doing our own job.

“It is not as if we are going into the unknown. We are in a situation we find ourselves in almost every season: challenging for the league.”

Given United have won all eight previous meetings with Wigan, to a combined scoring total of 23-3, it is hard to believe Steve Bruce’s men - beaten at West Brom on Saturday - will present much resistance at the JJB Stadium on Wednesday night.

Before that, Ferguson should have privately addressed the storm which erupted around both his latest goalscorers.

Carlos Tevez had already made his feelings known in the morning, claiming he has not received an offer to stay from United and was now virtually certain to leave when his loan spell expires.

And, after curling home United’s second, he ran straight to the dug-outs and cupped his hands to his ears in what seemed to be a final desperate attempt to persuade the Red Devils hierarchy to let him stay.

Before that, Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the home side’s account with a trademark free-kick, only to then react in a bad-tempered manner when he was replaced by Wayne Rooney on the hour, continuing to shake his head long after he had slunk into the dug-out.

“There is no problem,” said Ferguson of Ronaldo’s reaction.

“It is great that he wanted to play on. But I have to look at the big picture. I have Wednesday and Saturday - against a shellshocked Arsenal - to look after.

“And if Carlos keeps scoring there will be absolutely no problem with him either,” said Ferguson before declaring, “nothing has changed” when asked if there had been any developments on the South American’s contract situation.

Blackburn and Arsenal secured comfortable home victories against Wigan and Middlesborough respectively.

Ryan Nelsen scored his first Premier League goal as Blackburn took a huge stride towards safety with a 2-0 victory over Wigan at Ewood Park on Sunday.

After four years and 111 league games, Nelsen finally got on the scoresheet when he rose in the box on the hour to flick Benni McCarthy’s right-wing free-kick past Chris Kirkland in the Latics goal.

Nelsen’s strike put the seal on a magnificent afternoon for Sam Allardyce’s men who had grabbed the lead through McCarthy on the stroke of half-time and as a result of their win move above Hull and Sunderland into 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Hugo Rodallega had hit the woodwork for Wigan in the third minute and the home side also had Paul Robinson to thank for retaining their advantage in the second half.

In the day’s early game Cesc Fabregas scored in both halves as Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium to leave the Teessiders deep in the relegation mire.

The Gunners captain has had a turbulent season after missing large periods through injury and then being hit with a misconduct charge earlier this week for allegedly spitting following the FA Cup tie with Hull.

But he at least proved he is back to his best on Sunday when he scored after 26 and 67 minutes to strengthen Arsenal’s grip on fourth place in the Premier League.

The first came when Andrey Arshavin raced into the area from the left before laying the ball back across into the path of the on-rushing Fabregas, who drilled his shot past Brad Jones, low in the far corner.

And on 67 minutes the Spaniard doubled Arsenal’s lead when he latched onto Kolo Toure’s fine throughball and rounded Jones before slotting home from the edge of the area in one swift movement.

AC Milan ace Kaka has admitted that the bright lights of the Premier League may yet, one day, lure him to England.

Kaka, who came close to making a move to Manchester City during the winter transfer window, has consistently insisted that he is happy to ply his trade in Italy.

However, the Brazilian favourite has now revealed that the Premier League is on his list of possible destinations should he ever decide to leave the San Siro.

“I like the Premier League a lot, so maybe that would be my choice if I leave Milan,” the 26-year-old told the Daily Star newspaper.

“Whenever I can, I try to swap experiences with my friends playing in other countries and leagues.

“All the players that I’ve talked to that play in the Premier League, or used to play there, say it’s a tough league - tough, very fast and competitive.”

Kaka’s statement comes only hours after AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told reporters that the dynamic midfielder was not on his way to Real Madrid.

The Spanish media had reported Florentino Perez is close to signing Kaka on a pre-contract agreement as part of his bid to return as Real president.

Galliani said: “Perez has not been elected president of Real and cannot therefore make any moves.

“In any case I’m certain that if one day Florentino wanted to sign Kaka he would come directly to me. Hence, I am calm.

“Kaka is not for sale and Florentino will eventually realise this.”

Wayne Rooney wants to put an end to talk of Liverpool of winning their first ever Premier League title this season.

Manchester United will host the Merseyside outfit at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the Red Devils currently seven points clear of their arch-rivals.

Should United clinch all three points against Liverppol, they will extend their lead to 10 points, with a game in hand.

And Rooney believes it is important for his team-mates to gun down the Red’s title hopes.

“I think we’re in pole position anyway but we can certainly end Liverpool’s chances of winning the league if we win, so we’re looking forward to it,” Rooney told Sky Sports.

After defeating Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, United’s charge for the quintuple is still on. However, Rooney does not want to get ahead of himself as yet.

“We always try and win every tournament we go into at the start of the season,” he explained.”We’re in all the competitions but we know there is a long way to go in the season. We know that we just have to keep focussed and try and do the best we can.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he’ll never leave the club because the board has always given him full control.

It has been a tempestuous week in the Premier League with several managerial sackings.

Portsmouth axed former captain Tony Adams and it was followed with Luiz Felipe Scolari’s sacking at Chelsea last week. Wenger has been at Arsenal for nearly 13 years since his appointment in September 1996.

The Frenchman is under contract until 2011, and has rejected approaches from the biggest clubs in Europe - such as Real Madrid and Barcelona.

In an interview with the Daily Express, Wenger shed light on his special relationship with the Arsenal board, praising the club for having a “dependable structure” in place.

He said: “I don’t feel I have a special security. I believe that it is very difficult to compare someone who is there for six months to someone who has done 12 years at a club.

“There is reciprocity as well. I’ve shown a lot of faith in many special circumstances to the club. I enjoy it and I appreciate the confidence I have from this club. I believe it has to go both ways and you must give the club the feeling you won’t jump out at the first difficulty, and you will not change the club at the first opportunity.”

For now though, Wenger is focused on their FA Cup fourth round replay with Cardiff. Arsenal had to overcome a recent goal through, in which they scored just once in four matches, despite being undefeated in 11 games.

“It’s completely unlike Arsenal,” added Wenger. “I don’t think it is characteristic of our team and we are used to scoring goals and we will score goals again.

“It is difficult for everybody to score goals, but I am convinced if we keep working well as a team, playing well as a team, that will come back quickly.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Liverpool have suffered more than any other side from the rise of the Premier League.

It is now almost 20 years since the Gunners broke the Merseyside stranglehold on the English top flight with a stunning last-minute victory at Anfield to snatch the title with the final kick of the season.

Following that balmy May night, Arsenal have gone on to claim the championship four more times, three under Wenger after the re-organisation of the elite clubs in 1993.

It has, though, been a different story for the Reds, who for all their success in Europe have not lifted the English crown since 1990 and indeed have often had to battle for a place among the top four.

But following a fine start to the new domestic campaign, hopes have been raised 2009 could turn out to be a vintage year for Liverpool, who head into tomorrow’s showdown at Emirates Stadium some eight points clear of the Gunners and just ahead of Chelsea.

Wenger believes such statistics show just how far the game in England has come since the days when Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen made Liverpool the side to beat.

“A big club like Liverpool was the dominating force from the seventies basically until the nineties, but now they struggle to win the championship. That shows competitions are of a very high level now in England,” he said.

“The competitions are at a top, top level and it is maybe the most difficult championship to win in Europe.”

Wenger, though, believes such strength in depth through the current Premier League means this season no side has been able to dominate as in the past.

However, the Gunners boss accepts his men must now produce the goods once again if they are to add Liverpool to the scalps of Manchester United and Chelsea earlier in the campaign.

“There is no significant difference at the top at the moment,” he said.

“What is important for us is not to focus on their strengths or weaknesses - we know what is important is Arsenal’s performance, and that is what we want to focus on.”

Wenger added: “It is a massive game.

“We have dropped some points and are behind, which makes these games of crucial importance.

We have already shown we can do it and now we want to do it over Liverpool as well.

“We have been defensively frail as a unit, but we have worked on that and in recent games have come back much stronger, more solid with more organisation and I believe that will have a positive effect.

“We feel we are on the way up and that we can beat the top teams.”

Arsenal have dedicated tomorrow’s match to their charity of the season, Teenage Cancer Trust, with players and directors donating a day’s wages as part of the ‘Be a Gooner. Be a Giver,’ campaign.

The showdown with Liverpool, though, will come too soon for striker Eduardo, who continues his rehabilitation from a broken leg.

Although the Croatian - who had been out for 10 months before his return with the reserves in midweek - maintained he felt able to be in contention for a first-team return “in two weeks” provided his slight hamstring strain clears up, Wenger believes the FA Cup third-round tie with Plymouth on January 3 will come too soon.

“It is still a bit early because he will be out for two weeks and then he has to get his fitness back,” said the Arsenal boss.

“In two weeks we already have the Plymouth game and he will not be capable to play in that game.”

Wenger has, nevertheless, been impressed by the determination of the Brazilian-born striker in his battle to get back to action.

“He is fantastically keen and a dream to work with,” said the Gunners boss, “but when you have been out for 10 months, it takes some time to come back to your best form.”

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic wants to manage a Premier League club once his time in charge of the national team is over.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has revealed he would be “disappointed” not to take over the reins at a Premier League club once his time in charge of the national team is over.

Bilic has been linked with a number of English sides in the past, including former club West Ham United.

And the 40-year-old, who also lists Everton among his former club, admits he would love a return to the Premier League after the 2010 World Cup.

“I would feel disappointed if I didn’t become coach of an English club because I am a big fan of their football,” Bilic told Croatian newspaper Vjesnik.

“I still have several offers but I can’t say at the moment whether any of them will become reality.

“It’s certain that my aim is to coach a team which competes in any of the best European leagues and, among them, England is my preference.”

Bilic became Croatia coach in 2006, successfully steering them through a tough Euro 2008 qualifying group which included England.

He penned a new two-year contract in April to see him through to the World Cup in South Africa if Croatia, who have seven points from four games, qualify from Group Six where they have been pitted against England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.