'No grounds for concern'

The Premiership may have staged one of its games of the season at Old Trafford but league officials today had to counter fears fans are deserting the competition.

Manchester United's 2-0 win against Arsenal yesterday attracted 67,862 but average attendances across the country for the beginning of the campaign are down by nearly six per cent compared to a year ago.

There are suggestions ticket costs and kick-off times are driving fans away and many have become disillusioned because so few teams have a genuine chances of winning the title. But a Premier League spokesman said: "We are still getting occupancy rates of around 93 per cent and in any entertainment industry that can only be described as a great success.

"In recent seasons we have lost clubs with greater ground capacities than the ones who have come up and you can only sell the seats which are available."