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Manchester United and Chelsea have three games left in their season, and each one is like a cup final: must-win, no room for error, winner takes all.

United are 1.75 favourites with the HKJC to win their Champions League final showdown against Chelsea on May 21, and they are even hotter favourites to go to Moscow with the Premier League title under their belt. Despite last week's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, which put the two clubs level on points with two games to play, it is still advantage United in the title race due to their far superior goal difference.

The goal difference is effectively worth an extra point to United, who went to Stamford Bridge knowing that they could afford to lose and still have their fate in their own hands. There must be no more slip-ups now, however, if they are to hold off Chelsea's determined challenge.

It would be a surprise if United faltered when it really counts. Some people, including Chelsea manager Avram Grant, have claimed that United are feeling the pressure, citing as evidence the recent draws at Middlesbrough and Blackburn as well as the defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Yet none of those results was out of the ordinary, as United rarely win at Blackburn, Boro have compiled a solid home record against the Big Four teams in the past three seasons, and Chelsea have that long unbeaten home record. It was United's bad luck that three such tough fixtures should come close together on the run-in, yet they remain on target for the 87 points predicted as the finish line in this column.

United now have two very winnable fixtures at home to West Ham and away to Wigan, with six points sure to give them the title. Chelsea arguably have a more difficult fixture at Newcastle on Monday, followed by a home game against Bolton.

Pressure will be a factor, of course, and United's home match against West Ham tonight will revive memories of their last-day failure to beat the same opponents in the 1994-95 season, which allowed Blackburn to win the title.