MANCHESTER, England -- The reality of life after Alex Ferguson is really kicking in at Manchester United, which is languishing in mid-table after a painful 4-1 loss to its local rival. To chants of "Easy! Easy!" Manchester City ripped United apart at Etihad Stadium to leave the champions staring at a five-point gap to early pacesetters Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. "Its horrible to lose the derby -- its always horrible. Its worse when you lose in this way," said United captain Nemanja Vidic, whose team was four goals down after 50 minutes. Arsenal leads on goal difference from Spurs after Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil, making his home debut, set up all his teams goals in a 3-1 win over Stoke, while Tottenham needed a strike in the third minute of stoppage time by Brazil midfielder Paulinho to snatch a 1-0 win at Cardiff. Both north London clubs have won four of their opening five matches and have overhauled Liverpool, which lost 1-0 to Southampton on Saturday. "The only thing of our position at the moment is that we are in a position where we can focus on improvement in a stable environment, so thats a good basis," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Swansea beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the other match, with Spanish forward Michu scoring for the third straight match this week. It is Uniteds worst start to a Premier League campaign since the 2004-05 season. And after a testing first five league matches where the team has picked up just one point from matches against Liverpool, Chelsea and City, it doesnt get any easier for Moyes. On Wednesday, Liverpool will visit Old Trafford for a League Cup third-round match with Luis Suarez back from a 10-match ban and likely to play a full-strength team with no European football to worry about this season. "Ive made them aware of what I think," Moyes said, when asked if he had given the team the "hairdryer treatment" Ferguson was famous for at halftime intervals. United was all over the place against City, its defence overpowered by the strength of Alvaro Negredo and the darting runs of Sergio Aguero, who opened the scoring in the 16th minute with an acrobatic volley and scored two minutes after the break to make it 3-0. Yaya Toure had doubled Citys lead in first-half injury time and Samir Nasri lifted an already-euphoric atmosphere inside the Etihad up a notch by volleying home in the 50th minute. Wayne Rooneys superb, curling free kick in the 87th minute was a consolation for United, which hasnt scored in open play in the league since the opening-day 4-1 victory at Swansea. Robin van Persie was missing for United because of a groin injury, a telling blow with the Dutchman having linked up so well with Rooney in recent matches. "The start to the season could be a lot better," Moyes said. "We did say it could be difficult start." Citys off-season spending of around 90 million pounds (now $144 million) is starting to reap its rewards, with the team now two points behind Arsenal and Spurs after its best performance of the season. "Its an important game for the team," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. "And for the fans they will be happy for the month now." At Arsenal, the in-form Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring in the fifth minute after Ozils free kick was parried by goalkeeper Asmir Begovic before Geoff Cameron equalized for Stoke. Per Mertesacker restored Arsenals lead in the 36th minute by darting in to meet Ozils corner with a header and Bacary Sagna was on the end of another Ozil set piece in the 72nd, heading in from a free kick. Spurs left it late in south Wales, gaining the win they deserved when Paulinho tapped in Erik Lamelas pass from close range for his first Premier League goal. "We played so much football it would have been unfair to leave here with only one point," Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said. Nathan Dyer added to Michus early strike for Swansea, completing a satisfying week for the Welsh club after beating Valencia 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday. Ron Hextall Jersey . -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Philadelphia Flyers Gear .500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix. http://www.officialflyersfanstore.com/au...-flyers-jersey/. Or, for that matter, the aged. Michael Raffl Jersey . Marie rink got back in the win column at the Olympic mens curling tournament with a 7-4 win over the host Russian squad on Wednesday. Claude Giroux Jersey .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- One swish after another, Damian Lillard pulled Portland closer. One or two more, and he mightve pulled off one of the NBAs most improbable comebacks this season. DeMarcus Cousins tied a season-high with 35 points to go with 13 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 32 points and the Sacramento Kings held off a furious rally by Lillard to beat the Trail Blazers 123-119 on Tuesday night. "Thats the craziest game Ive ever been a part of," Cousins said. "I could not wait until the end. I dont ever want to be in a situation with the ball in Damian Lillards hands. Im glad we got the win, but that was a scary thing." Cousins and Gay provided the spark for a 32-12 run at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters that put Sacramento ahead by 19 points. Gay fouled out with 4:12 remaining, and the Blazers nearly rallied back. After scoring just 13 points in the third quarter, Portland had 46 points in the final period. Lillard alone scored 26 of his 41 points in the fourth to power Portland within two in the final minute. But the Kings made just enough free throws to hold off the Blazers, who have lost four of their last six games. "That clock was moving very, very slow," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Damian just kept on coming." LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 points and eight rebounds, and Nicolas Batum finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while playing with a fractured left middle finger in Portlands latest loss. The Kings had dropped two straight after beating top contenders Miami and Houston. Sacramento held a players-only meeting on Sunday, and the Kings emerged to knock off another one of the NBAs best. Gay made consecutive 3-pointers, a three-point play and a layup during Sacramentos surge in the fourth. Cousins also put back a rebound and hit a jumper to help the Kings go ahead 102-83 with 7:54 remaining. Sacramento led 117-105 with 1:12 to play when Lillard turned into a one-man wrecking crew. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year made three 3-pointers, a fast-break layup and was fouled shooting another from beyond the arc -- which just rimmed out. He made all three free throws to slice Sacramentos lead to 121-119 with 16.5 seconds left. "Once I make a few, I can get going," Lillard said. Isaiah Thomas hit two free throws before Lilllard missed from long range to all but end the comeback.dddddddddddd Lillard shot 13 of 24 from the floor and added seven rebounds and four assists. "Hes a competitor and at no time does he ever think hes out of a game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "Hes done that a lot in the two years hes been here. Hes a special player." In a matchup between one of the best and one of the worst teams in the West, Sacramento flipped the script on a Blazers team that had cruised through most of its schedule. The Blazers also had beaten the Kings on consecutive nights in November, winning 104-91 in Portland and 96-85 in Sacramento. The Kings started three players who did not start in the two previous games against Portland -- most notably Gay, who was acquired from Toronto in a seven-player trade in early December. That included Marcus Thornton moving back in the starting lineup for Sacramento, replacing seventh overall pick Ben McLemore. Thornton finished with three points and eight rebounds, and McLemore had two points and two assists. The Blazers still outscored Sacramento 35-24 in the first quarter and seemed ready to go 3-0 against the Kings this season. Portland shot 63.2 per cent from the floor and made 10 of 11 free throws in the period. Instead, the Kings opened the second quarter on a 14-5 run led by mostly reserves. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, and the Blazers held a 60-55 lead at the break. Thomas, who had 22 points and eight assists, hit a pair of 3s to highlight a 13-2 spurt for Sacramento to start the third quarter. Portlands topsy-turvy second half just wasnt enough to rally behind Lillard. "I just didnt want to lose the game," Lillard said. "We had some good spurts on offence, then some bad spurts on defence, then bad spurts on offence, and then good defence. We just need to be more consistent. But when it came down to it we still had a chance to win the game. Thats all I was thinking about." NOTES: C.J. McCollum, the 10th overall pick in the NBA draft out of Lehigh, was in Portlands active lineup for the first time this season after fracturing his left foot in training camp. He did not play. "I just didnt think tonight was the night," Stotts said ... The Blazers and Kings meet for the final time this season April 9 in Portland. 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