Fergie: Chelsea are the main threat to our title hopes now

And it says everything for the dramatic events of the intervening five weeks that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson looked at the remaining seven games of the League season last night and virtually wrote off Arsenal's hopes.

United's stroll against Liverpool last weekend and Chelsea's dramatic defeat of Arsenal did much to crystallise things at the top of the Premier League and it is clear now that Ferguson sees the major threat coming from Stamford Bridge.

'I've said time and again not to dismiss Chelsea,' said Ferguson last night. 'I remember watching TV a few weeks ago and heard one commentator say that a certain game or goal had "ended Chelsea's hopes" but look at them now.

'They're right there in it with us and that shows what can happen. Having said that, I do think that the three games that Arsenal have coming with Liverpool in the League and Champions League are going to be very demanding and difficult, physically and mentally.

'Arsenal have had some bad injuries and have lost players like Diaby, Denilson and Rosicky at various stages. That can affect you too, especially when it is in the midfield area.

'Last week's game between Chelsea and Arsenal was fascinating and Arsenal suffered by having players off the pitch injured when they were trying to defend their lead. They were in disarray from that point of view.

'Then Chelsea equalised and the way they went after their winning goal was very impressive. They were very powerful and it has to be said that Chelsea are bang on song now.'

It was put to Ferguson yesterday that the title is now United's to lose.

His reply was rather churlish as he said: 'I will leave you to write that it if you want, but we know what we're doing.'

The fact is that the suggestion was pertinent. United can actually afford to lose when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on April 26 and still retain their title. So the League is indeed theirs to lose.

Ferguson added: 'There are some very interesting games ahead now, of course. Consistency will be the key. But I have confidence in these players.

'They have proved in the past that they are right for the big stage and I thought our display last week against Liverpool was excellent.'

Ferguson admitted last night that he was surprised at the way Arsenal have stumbled.

Arsene Wenger's team do indeed seem to have gone from leaders and favourites to apparent also-rans in the blink of an eye.

United, however, will continue to focus inwards and Ferguson was upset to reveal yesterday that he has lost midfielder Darren Fletcher for six weeks — virtually the rest of the season — to a knee injury picked up in the last minute of Scotland's midweek draw with Croatia.

Fletcher's absence is a blow but should not be a telling one, even if it did give his manager the excuse to roll out a familiar line about international friendlies.

'I just think they are a waste of time,' he said. 'Eventually supporters will stop going to them. We have the whole end of season period in which to play these games.

'They can play them in May. Every manager knows deep down that at this time of year they are a waste of time.

'Darren went to Scotland with a bad chest cold and should only have played 50 or 60 minutes at most. But then he gets injured in the last minute.

'It seems to be our players who always play the full 90 minutes. Look at the last internationals. We had nine who played 90 minutes.

'There were no other teams in the English game who had anything like that. So that's a big worry for us.

'I made a point after the last one with Cristiano Ronaldo. We were promised he'd play 45 minutes and he played 90 and came back with an injury.

'You hope that's weighing on the mind of every international manager, but I don't think it is. I think they look at their own jobs . . . and I can understand that.'