Cole in hole leaves United fuming

AFTER his recent flurry of four goals in four matches, Andy Cole was back to his previous persona this season - a missed chance about to happen - and Manchester United were left as championship contenders in pedigree only.

Cole headed and shot either side of the goal with two good chances. For the first, Butt's instant cross left Cole with a free header eight yards out, only for him to put the ball well wide. It was a glaring miss matched only by his error in the second half, when he drove wide left-footed after being supplied by Butt again.

"He should be hitting the target from that distance," the Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, said. "Andy's been told before 'at least hit the target' but I don't want to criticise individuals."

However, the body language of others spoke volumes. At one point Cantona shrugged and gestured at his striking partner - whose gaze was elsewhere. After the second miss, all looked towards the United bench.

So, in the end, United could only narrow the gap on Newcastle by one point to six. The leaders' away form may be concerning them but they will face their match at Coventry today in a less troubled state of mind with their challengers currently so inconsistent.

"It's a bad one for us today," admitted Ferguson, who saw some comfort nevertheless. "But it's funny. It's starting to look like the Grand National. People are falling at hurdles every week."

One of the challengers could yet be Aston Villa. Yesterday they defended stoutly, with Ugo Ehiogu letting Cole slip his leash only the twice, Gareth Southgate frequently frustrating Eric Cantona and Paul McGrath competently tidying up between them. It was Villa's fourth consecutive clean sheet this year but on a day when United looked ready for roasting, they could well have won had they turned up the heat.

"I am pleased to keep a clean sheet but I haven't enjoyed the match that much," admitted the Villa manager Brian Little. "We didn't plan to come here and defend, we have been pretty adventurous all season, but it was just that when we got the ball forward it kept coming back at us.

They missed the ability of Dwight Yorke, absent on Trinidad duty, to retain possession, he said. In addition, some players looked heavy-legged. Ferguson was less forgiving. "Aston Villa were really dour," he said. "Uncompromising. Not interested in entertaining."

In his programme notes, the United manager made clear the importance of yesterday's match: it was no exaggeration to say that the whole season could hinge on the outcome, he wrote. If he hoped that a resounding win would improve confidence for Tuesday's FA Cup replay at Sunderland, he was disappointed. That 2-0 win over Newcastle at Christmas is beginning to feel like a long time ago.

Mostly the Old Trafford crowd was quiet and flat, as if knowing the importance of the game and fearing the worst. Neither did United, again without Gary Pallister in the back four and David Beckham suspended, do much to lift them.

United were frequently thwarted in attempts to find a way through or around Villa's three-man central defence and only Ryan Giggs on the right offered any real inspiration. The playmaking potential of Eric Cantona, no doubt looking to impress the watching French team manager Aime Jacquet, was forced deeper and deeper.

From Giggs's corner, Cantona did get a header on target, but the Villa goal survived, Mark Bosnich saving comfortably. It was more surprising that the ball survived being punctured given the spikiness of Cantona's newly shaven head. Giggs himself also forced Bosnich into a smart low save after cutting inside.

Otherwise United troubled Bosnich scarcely at all, Roy Keane's long shot coming closest, and showed a reluctance to test the goalkeeper. Villa's lack of ambition at the other end hardly aided the spectacle.

In the first half, Gary Charles's cross had Peter Schmeichel back-pedalling to tip the ball over, a feat he repeated with Mark Draper's speculative shot. He was less sure under another cross by Charles and, having dropped it, was deservedly booked for manhandling his challenger Ian Taylor. In the second, only Alan Wright's volley forced Schmeichel into a save. Both sides need better finishing if they are to close that gap.