Gary Neville has admitted Manchester United are paying the price for their poor domestic form on the back of European excursions.
The Red Devils have endured a miserable time in their last four games, being dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage and handing the title initiative to Chelsea.
Carlo Ancelotti's Blues triumphed 2-1 at Old Trafford before watching their fierce rivals drop two more points with a 0-0 draw at Blackburn to secure a one-point advantage at the summit with a game in hand.
In total, Sir Alex Ferguson's men have allowed a worrying 17 points to slip through their grasp in fixtures which follow Champions League action, a statistic not lost on experienced defender Neville.
He told reporters: "Losing 2-1 at home to Chelsea in the league was a big disappointment for us.
"We had lost in Munich earlier in the week and playing after European games has been a problem.
"To lose to Chelsea and lose our position at the top of the league, and then be knocked out of the Champions League, is the worst thing that could have happened.
"At a club like Manchester United we do have great highs but we suffer sometimes as well."
