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Relentless Chelsea will provide Man Utd with the ultimate Premier League test on Super Sunday

Mourinho v Van Gaal will be a fascinating tactical battle...

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
Image: Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are in relentless form

It was a weekend that summed up our Premier League - brilliant madness with 40 goals - the most scored on a weekend so far this season, with Southampton getting eight of them.

There were six penalties, four own goals and three sendings off. The most thrilling madness came at Loftus Road: 1-0 after 87 minutes then four goals in seven minutes. You can imagine what the Super Sunday studio was like. I imagine there was carnage at Sky Bet HQ with no time to update the match odds between goals.

Hopefully this weekend will be more predictable with £500k up for grabs in the Super 6!

Monday Night Football produced another four goals - four brilliant finishes too - as Manchester United drew at West Brom.

Louis van Gaal versus Jose Mourinho. Box office. Two huge characters. Neither will take a backward step.
Ed Chamberlin

Next up Man United face a blockbuster on Super Sunday. Sky Bet have Chelsea as 11/8 favourites, Man Utd at 9/5 and the draw is a 5/2 chance.

So far United have 12 points, which Louis van Gaal described on Monday Night Football as well below what was expected. Seven of Manchester United's first eight League fixtures have been against teams that finished 12th or lower last season. Sunday is their first game against one of last season’s top four.

It's currently the ultimate Premier League test. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are in relentless form. They were ruthless in the 6-0 win in the Champions League on Tuesday. They have won their last three Premier League games and dropped only two points all season. Chelsea are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, the top scorers (23) and have the second best defence (eight conceded). They are the 1/2 favourites to win the title. This is a huge task for Manchester United and their manager.

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Jose Mourinho gives his reaction after Chelsea took command of Champions League Group G thanks to a thumping 6-0 victory against Maribor at Stamford Bridge

Louis van Gaal versus Jose Mourinho. Box office. Two huge characters. Neither will take a backward step. They know each other well. Mourinho spent three years as assistant coach under Louis Van Gaal at Barcelona, winning two La Liga titles, one Spanish Cup and the 1997-98 UEFA Super Cup in that time.

I was at the tribute dinner to Jose Mourinho at the Savoy last year when van Gaal was the guest speaker. He spoke in glowing terms about him. This is only the second competitive meeting between the two managers. Mourinho won the first with his Inter side beating Van Gaal’s Bayern Munich 2-0 in the 2010 Champions League final at the Bernabeu.

Round two will be a fascinating tactical battle. Last season Mourinho played no striker in the game at Old Trafford. There's surely no chance he'll do that this time. Mourinho is a master in these big games and this Chelsea team is equipped to find a way to win any match. They proved they can win without Diego Costa at Palace last weekend. They also proved they can adapt when Cesc Fabregas is marked out of the game. Nemanja Matic stepped up and bossed it for Chelsea. However, in Di Maria, Falcao and co. United have the talent to hurt them. It promises to be some game.

We will be at Old Trafford live from 12.30pm on Sky Sports 1 with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness.

Horse racing
 

Champions Day at Ascot was supposed to be a day without any champions, ruined by the weather. It was billed by one newspaper as "Chumpions Day".

What we got was a magical day and everything that racing in this country should be about. We saw champions alright. Forgotten Rules was a brilliant winner of the Long Distance Cup and looks special.

I wrote last week that Saturday was the time to catch him as this was a horse with huge potential. 'If' he can handle quicker ground the Gold Cup will be at his mercy and he could dominate the staying division for some time. I think he's that good.

Gordon Lord Byron is just champion. Full stop. The day also produced a great story, which is so important in getting racing to a different audience. Lady Cecil's triumph with Noble Mission in the Champions Stakes made it in to news bulletins on radio and television and on to back pages of newspapers. Perfect.

Equally important is the 'racing experience' people were able to enjoy on Champions Day. I took my five-year-old boy, who was blown away. Along with high quality racing, that to me is what Champions Day is all about. Racing aficionados may beg to differ. Sam got to meet Olympic champions, ride ponies, collect badges off friendly bookmakers and enjoy the noise and atmosphere created for the big races. The score updates from St Mary's helped make it a day he will never forget. 

Ascot is now producing what I have long loved about Longchamp on Arc Day. A wow factor when you walk through the entrance. Brilliant signage and decoration of the main stand. Clever use of flags and banners on the course. The glitz, glamour, music and parades all help build a buzz around the racecourse. It all adds to the occasion. What a contrast to the bleak, wide open spaces at Newmarket.

I never thought I'd see the day Ascot had people dancing to Radio One DJs after racing. It was a brave move but it worked. Jo Whiley, Sara Cox and Fearne Cotton had Ascot rocking.

If the powers that be can produce a day like that with heavy ground, awful weather and so many high profile equine absentees, then they really are on to something. All the racing fraternity I've had to read on Twitter over the last couple of weeks who seem so desperate to knock the day and their own sport would be better served getting behind it.

The sport of racing has come up with something special. A day to bring the flat season to a climax and one they can take to a new and bigger audience, which the sport so badly needs. A day all sports fans can enjoy.

More importantly, the proper racing is now getting in to full swing. The New One made a winning return on Sunday. Exeter had a terrific card on Tuesday. The jumps campaign will rapidly gather momentum from here.

The horse I'm most excited about making his return: Pont Alexandre. The horse you will hear a lot about in the next few weeks: Hargam. Two handicappers to follow: in England - Vukovar. In Ireland - Sraid Padraig. Champions Hurdler: Faugheen. Staying Hurdler. Saphir du Rheu. Gold Cup winner: Boston Bob. The Grand National winner: Shutthefrontdoor.

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