Although United had a 15 point lead over Chelsea at one point, the gap has been whittled down to just three. It will disappear completely tomorrow should Carlo Ancelotti's men complete their second successive Premier League double over United and pitch the title race into a two-game goal difference shoot-out. Little wonder a degree of nervousness has settled over the Old Trafford faithful. According to Smalling, it has not filtered through to the home dressing room though. And the young Londoner is not alone in adopting a bullish stance. "Fair play to Chelsea," said the 21-year-old. "They were a long way behind not that long ago and have caught up. "But we have been top for so long, I can't see us letting it slip away now. "The title is still in our hands and the fact we can put it to bed by beating Chelsea at Old Trafford sets up what is going to be massive occasion." There is certainly good reason for United to be confident about their chances of making home advantage count. After all, they have dropped just two points - to West Brom in October - on home soil all season. Chelsea were also defeated in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final last month, with Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-sung bagging the goals in the decisive second leg. "Our confidence at home goes up another level," confirmed Smalling. "We have made Old Trafford a real fortress so, hopefully, we can put the whole thing to bed." It promises to be another of those occasions when Smalling is struggling to comprehend what staggering improvement he has made this season. Four years ago, he was starting to make an impression at Maidstone. Twelve months ago, he was making sporadic appearances at Fulham, having already confirmed he would be leaving for United at the season's end. There are plenty of experienced football observers within the United Kingdom who felt Sir Alex Ferguson had taken a very big gamble on the Greenwich-born defender, and not all of them felt Smalling had the attributes to succeed at the highest level. Few have any doubts now. There were errors in Smalling's contribution to Wednesday's Champions League semi-final triumph over Schalke, his 31st appearance of the season, but not many. "It's never ending," he said as he laughed. "To get this experience so early in my career is immense. "Hopefully, I will be able to sit down in about three weeks time, having won two massive trophies and look back on it all, knowing I still have a major tournament with the England Under-21s to come. "It has been a season to savour without a doubt and I am enjoying every minute." The trust Ferguson has placed in Smalling has been impressive, although it is not likely to extend to tomorrow's game, when Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic will be united in central defence. For Ferdinand in particular, it is a major relief given he spent two months on the sidelines with a calf injury sustained in the build-up to that surprise defeat at Wolves in February. At one stage, Ferguson even suggested the £29.1million man's season might be over. Ferdinand was never worried about that. And now the season has reached a stage where the medals are starting to be handed out, the 32-year-old is anxious to play his part. "This is the point where you want to be there, right in the thick of it," he said. "Everyone is hoping to do their bit and, fingers crossed, no matter which team the manager picks it will be good enough to do the job required against Chelsea that will enable us to lift the trophy."
