Nolan back on target to taunt Fergie again

The young Reebok ace's third goal in four seasons against the Reds was not quite enough to match the impact of his previous two, which came in famous derby triumphs at Old Trafford, but it helped Wanderers take a share of the spoils, and left Ferguson fearing that he is already out of the Premiership race after just five games.

Nolan cannot explain why he has the knack of scoring against United but, hailing from Liverpool, he takes special delight -- as do his army of fans and relations -- in putting one over on the arch-rivals.

"This is the first I've scored against them at the Reebok," he said, "and I enjoyed it.

"It was my first of the season and it's got me back on the goal trail again. Hopefully this will be a big season for me again

"I'm sure I'll have a few texts and a few pats on the back from my Liverpool mates ... I just wish this goal had given us the three points.

"We could have had a great result, but we felt we let ourselves down by conceding in the last minute."

Nolan, sporting seven-stitches in a gash over his left eye -- the legacy of a clash of heads with Julio Cesar in Friday's training session -- was quicker off the mark on the pitch than off it on Saturday, much to Wanderers' relief.

An hour and a half after the game he was still struggling to provide a sample for the independent inspector from the Anti-doping Directorate of UK Sport.

That gave him time to reflect on an impressive opening month that has put Wanderers among the pacesetters and justified pre-season expectations that they have the ability and the experience to match last season's eighth place finish.

Victory over Liverpool and a near-miss against United have already delivered four points from what appeared to be a daunting three-match run against the Premiership's formidable red tide but Nolan knows the biggest test of all will come at Highbury on Saturday when Wanderers face an Arsenal

side that has won five out of five this season to stretch its unbeaten league run to an all-time record of 45 games.

"Their run has to come to an end some time, and hopefully that will be this week," he said.

"They are a fantastic side but we'll prepare properly, like we always do, and hopefully we can go down there and get a good result and continue this fantastic form we've started with."

Nolan has warned, however, that Wanderers' growing reputation as a force in the Premiership will come under fire from rivals who will now see them as a major scalp.

"We've put ourselves on a pedestal and we're there to be shot down," he added. "There's expectation now. We can see that with the fans.

"We're obviously disappointed not to beat United, but we can take encouragement from getting a draw at the Reebok, knowing we've done really well against them. We played well and stayed with them for the 90 minutes, but you always know Man U are going to go to the end and, unfortunately for

us, they did it again.

"There were a lot of of disappointed lads in the dressing room at the end because we only got a point, and that just shows how far this club has come."

KEVIN Nolan put a massive dent in Manchester United's fast-fading title ambitions and admitted: "I think Sir Alex is going to end up killing me soon!"

The young Reebok ace's third goal in four seasons against the Reds was not quite enough to match the impact of his previous two, which came in famous derby triumphs at Old Trafford, but it helped Wanderers take a share of the spoils, and left Ferguson fearing that he is already out of the Premiership race after just five games.

Nolan cannot explain why he has the knack of scoring against United but, hailing from Liverpool, he takes special delight -- as do his army of fans and relations -- in putting one over on the arch-rivals.

"This is the first I've scored against them at the Reebok," he said, "and I enjoyed it.

"It was my first of the season and it's got me back on the goal trail again. Hopefully this will be a big season for me again

"I'm sure I'll have a few texts and a few pats on the back from my Liverpool mates ... I just wish this goal had given us the three points.

"We could have had a great result, but we felt we let ourselves down by conceding in the last minute."

Nolan, sporting seven-stitches in a gash over his left eye -- the legacy of a clash of heads with Julio Cesar in Friday's training session -- was quicker off the mark on the pitch than off it on Saturday, much to Wanderers' relief.

An hour and a half after the game he was still struggling to provide a sample for the independent inspector from the Anti-doping Directorate of UK Sport.

That gave him time to reflect on an impressive opening month that has put Wanderers among the pacesetters and justified pre-season expectations that they have the ability and the experience to match last season's eighth place finish.

Victory over Liverpool and a near-miss against United have already delivered four points from what appeared to be a daunting three-match run against the Premiership's formidable red tide but Nolan knows the biggest test of all will come at Highbury on Saturday when Wanderers face an Arsenal side that has won five out of five this season to stretch its unbeaten league run to an all-time record of 45 games.

"Their run has to come to an end some time, and hopefully that will be this week," he said.

"They are a fantastic side but we'll prepare properly, like we always do, and hopefully we can go down there and get a good result and continue this fantastic form we've started with."

Nolan has warned, however, that Wanderers' growing reputation as a force in the Premiership will come under fire from rivals who will now see them as a major scalp.

"We've put ourselves on a pedestal and we're there to be shot down," he added. "There's expectation now. We can see that with the fans.

"We're obviously disappointed not to beat United, but we can take encouragement from getting a draw at the Reebok, knowing we've done really well against them. We played well and stayed with them for the 90 minutes, but you always know Man U are going to go to the end and, unfortunately for

us, they did it again.

"There were a lot of of disappointed lads in the dressing room at the end because we only got a point, and that just shows how far this club has come."