Rivals out to Sheikh up Blues

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour believes the Blues will face stiffer challenges than they might have expected this season because of the way they annihilated Manchester United.

All doubt over City's staying power was erased by that startling 6–1 derby triumph in October — part of a sequence of results which has given them a five–point lead at the Premier League summit.

And, in a rare public statement on the club he has bankrolled to the tune of over £1billion, the wealthy Abu Dhabi–based businessman feels every opponent will try that little bit harder now.

"We must be aware that these kinds of results can be a double–edged sword — it makes the others look at you differently and prepare themselves the best way they can," he said.

With United surprisingly knocked out of the Carling Cup last night by Crystal Palace, City have been installed as favourites to add more silverware to the FA Cup they won last year.

But Mansour has his eyes on a bigger prize. Not even the gloomy prospect of an exit from the Champions League can shake his gaze from the Premier League.