The only disappointment was the after match interview with alleged Tourette’s sufferer Tim Howard which was sadly free of any Father Jack-esque swearing and madness.

What is the point of allegedly having a disability like that if it can’t make entertaining television?

On a more serious note, even at this early stage I couldn’t help but think that Manchester Utd. won the psychological battle with Arsenal players losing the plot all over the shop. On another day they well could have been down to eight men on the park at the end.

Before going on with this next paragraph I would like to make it clear to the more violent members of the BookieBusters team that this "inside" information is both legitimate and nothing you can bet on. 

So if you would like to place all baseball bats, sharp implements and other instruments of torture away I will continue.

I was sharing a well-earned gin and tonic with a media hoor chum of mine at weekend. He had been for lunch the previous day with a well known and respected (if that is possible) football agent. 

He advised my man that he had just returned from an errand to Italy on behalf of Chelski owner Abramovitch. The errand was to deposit a sum of money in an Italian bank to finance his Italian transfers.

The sum involved? Oh just the £140 million…

I’ve said before that this season, whilst the team beds in, there could be a number of coupon bursting results from Chelski. But with spending power of that magnitude you have to think their day will come.

With the focus this week being on the Champions League qualifiers you have to imagine that Roman was the only chairman of the clubs involved who wasn’t looking out his lucky white heather, dusting off his rabbit’s foot and praying like a heathen at Sunday services.