They were almost caught napping early on when Barry Bannan slid a ball inside right-back Wes Brown to find Stewart Downing and it needed centre-back Rio Ferdinand to come across and clear out the danger.

BBC: Aston Villa 2-2 Man Utd

Whatever Mr Blair's Napoleonic style, a much smaller percentage of Britain's bureaucrats are based at the very centre (that is, in and around Downing Street) than is the case in Canada, France or the Netherlands, according to the Institute for Government.

ECONOMIST: Reform of the civil service

Downing Street has quickly responded to yesterday's crushing election victory by Jacques Chirac's centre-right coalition, by announcing that Tony Blair will visit the re-elected president for a private dinner on Wednesday.

BBC: Chirac coalition sweeps French elections