English football reacted with surprise and dismay yesterday when Mario Balotelli was given a reprieve for his stamp on Alex Song, meaning he will face no retrospective action for the foul, but Shaun Derry's soft red card against Manchester United was allowed to stand.

Referee saw striker's tackle so FA powerless while panel finds no error in QPR red card

Shaun Derry yesterday lost his appeal against his controversial sending-off in QPR's Premier League defeat at Manchester United and will miss tonight's game with Swansea.

Manchester United 2 Queen's Park Rangers 0: Young's somersault fools the officials but veteran's enduring quality shines through

Manchester United are talking with Luis Nani's representatives about a new deal for the Portuguese midfielder, which is likely to be agreed before the end of the season – and which could make him one of their highest earners.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker has been voted the England supporters' player of the year, just 12 months after he returned from an exile from the England team of more than four years.

Manchester United's cash reserves fell by £100m in six months, in part to finance an investment in the squad attempting to win the fight for domestic supremacy with Manchester City.

How the players fared in the topsy-turvey game at Stamford Bridge.

Wayne Rooney is expected to be back in the Manchester United team for Sunday's match at Stamford Bridge which could extinguish Chelsea's frail title aspirations.

Languishing in mid-table and looking over the shoulders at the relegation zone, it's clear that Alex McLeish's side could do with some investment over the next month.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he "feared the worst" when Phil Jones had to be replaced at Fulham on Wednesday.

Fulham 0 Manchester United 5

Manchester United 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1: Wolves powerless to prevent Ferguson's men looking like their old selves as Red Devils suffer no Swiss hangover after crashing out of the Champions' League

For the first time in six years, Manchester United face the prospect of not winning their Champions League group but Darren Fletcher has warned that they cannot afford to be complacent about second place with a difficult final game against Basle in Switzerland next month.