News Updated

1. After their midweek caution, Manchester United returned to their usual swashbuckling selves with a raucous 4-1 win against West Ham. Two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, taking him to 30 in the Premier League and 40 in all competitions? A quite magnificent 30-yard screamer by West Ham old boy Carlos Tevez? An overhead kick of equal brilliance from reported Manchester United target Dean Ashton? Or Nani's red card for a stupid and feeble headbutt aimed at Lucas Neill? All this took place in a breathless first half that saw United romp to a three-goal lead before Ashton and Nani caused bums to squeak around Old Trafford. But a goal from another Upton Park old boy, Michael Carrick, helped United hold on for a win that takes them closer to their 10th Premier League title in 16 season.


2. Real Madrid can wrap up the league title if Villarreal fail to beat Getafe or if they win at Osasuna this weekend. Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro said his side have not had it easy this season. "Now everyone is saying that it is easy to win the league, but it hasn't been," the Italian told a news conference this week. "We were very strong in the first half of the season, getting a record number of points and winning at difficult grounds like the Nou Camp, Vicente Calderon and Mestalla. We were a little bit worried when Barcelona and Villarreal were close to us. So it hasn't been an easy league."


3. Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has revealed that Liverpool have made "an offer involving a mish-mash of nameless player exchanges" for Gareth Barry. Earlier reports had suggested Liverpool had made a £10million cash bid to try and lure Barry to Anfield from Villa Park. But O'Neill has revealed the offer is far from straight forward and has also criticised the Reds for leaking news of the approach. Barry, who has two years to run on his current contract, recently admitted he might have to consider his future at Villa as he wants to be challenging for honours at this stage of his career.


4. Niko Kranjcar's father has confirmed that Arsene Wenger is big fan of the Portsmouth star. The Croatian midfielder is believed to be high on Wenger's list of summer targets and with the futures of Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb far from certain, a move for Kranjcar could be in the offing. Zlatko Kranjcar is former national coach of Croatia and is a huge influence on his son's career and he has confirmed Arsenal's interest. "Wenger likes players with a sense of the game," Kranjcar senior told Croatian tv station Index.


5. McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen said he had no fears about returning to racing in next week's Turkish Grand Prix after his big crash in Spain last weekend. "I want to get back to racing as soon as possible," the Finn said. "Since the accident at Barcelona it has been my only focus. "Everyone involved in the sport, the FIA in particular, is always working on improving safety for the drivers but Formula One is a risky business. You know that as a driver, but you don't think about it.


All news n foto are from eurosport.com