Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea - English Premier League - 11 January 2009 - Live Blog
"I won't punch you, but I'll knee you in the head!"
Manchester United (Vidic 45′ + 2, Rooney 63′, Berbatov 87′) 3-0 Chelsea
Stadium: Old Trafford, England.
Competition: English Premier League
Date: 11 January 2009
Kickoff: 16:00 GMT, 11:00 ET
Manchester United defeated Chelsea, 3-0, to close to within five points behind Liverpool with 2 matches in hand! Soccerlens brought you the action live! Click below for the live-blog and feel free to leave comments below!
Match Preview:
By any measure, these two squads have been the two best clubs in English football over the last several years. Now, both teams face a must-win situation early in the second-half of the season as Chelsea will pay a visit to Manchester United.
When they met in September, Chelsea rallied back from a 1-0 deficit to escape with a point to keep their home unbeaten streak intact. Since that time, Chelsea have undergone a considerable amount of unrest and turmoil despite standing a mere 3 points behind Liverpool for the league lead. They’ll come into this fixture having dropped points against West Ham, Everton, and Fulham, as well as being held to a tie against lowly Southend United in the F.A. Cup last weekend. Things got so bad that Chelsea even held the dreaded “Players Only” meeting and seem to be on the verge of coming apart at the seams. A loss to United won’t kill them, but it would certainly damage the players’ already fragile psyche.
If Chelsea have been struggling to match their early-season form, then Manchester United have yet to show what they’re capable of. United got an early Christmas gift as neither Liverpool nor Chelsea were able to open up much of a lead while the defending champions were in Japan for the World Club Cup. United always seem to play better after Boxing Day, however, their recent form raises more questions than answers. A tired and jet-lagged team were able to scrape out a tough win at Stoke on Boxing Day, however they needed a late Berbatov goal to get past Middlesbrough. Worse, they lost to Derby County in midweek in the first leg of their Carling Cup semifinals, and continue to have problems on offense. They’ll need a win in order to jumpstart their 2009, otherwise things might be over for them sooner rather than later.
Who will win in this highly-anticipated clash between the two teams that have won the last 4 league titles and played for the Champions League title last spring? Tune in and find out!
Lineup:
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Neville (c), Evans, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Kuszczak, Anderson, Carrick, Scholes, Welbeck, O’Shea, Tevez.
Ferdinand’s injury must be worse than originally thought, as he will miss out completely. Giggs will come in for Carrick, which is a little surprising. Another eyebrow-raiser as Neville will also get the start, and it will be interesting to see if Chelsea attacks him early on. Finally, Evra will return to the lineup after serving his suspension, ironically, as a result of what happened at Stamford Bridge last season.
Chelsea Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c), A. Cole, Mikel, J. Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Deco, Drogba.
Subs: Cudicini, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Ferreria, Kalou, Belletti, Anelka.
Several changes from the side that drew, 2-2, against Fulham. John Terry will return to the lineup after serving his three-match ban after getting sent off against Everton. Carvalho will come in for Alex while Ballack (who came up huge against United during their end-of-the-season clash last season) will start in place of Malouda. No pairing of Anelka and Drogba just yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it at some point in this match.
Minute-by-Minute:
90′ + 3 Great cross from the right flank by Belletti to Drogba. He shoves Evans out of the way and heads it towards goal, but it’s off target. Didn’t matter anyway, as Drogba gets called for the foul. There’s the whistle and we’re done! Thanks to everyone who followed along! I’ll see you next time!
90′ + 1 Three minutes will be added on. Corner to Chelsea, but Ballack’s header is over the crossbar.
90′ Another chance for United as Berbatov and Rooney are up against Carvalho. Berbatov’s return pass to Rooney is poor, though, and Chelsea avert disaster.
89′ Tevez is sitting down and he won’t be getting in this game. Not to fan the flames or anything, but he doesn’t look happy.
88′ Drogba shows some frustration as he shoves Evans near the end-line. The ball goes off Evans, but the ref calls Drogba for the foul.
87′ GOAL! Ronaldo will take the free kick from deep down the left wing. He sends it in and Berbatov waltzes into the box and easily puts it past Cech. Great finish from Berbatov as it looked like Di Santo just let him go and Berbatov got behind Ballack for the easy goal.
86′ Ronaldo makes the move down the left on Belletti, and he easily beats him off the dribble. Belletti tackles him from behind and he gets rightly booked for that challenge.
85′ J. Cole will come off for Di Santo.
84′ Giveaway from Carvalho and Ronaldo gets a chance from long range. It’s got some nasty curve on it, but it’s just wide of the post. Wow. That thing was bending.
83′ Terrible call as Berbatov springs Ronaldo with a brilliant through-ball. He easily puts it past Cech, but he’s called off-side. Replay shows he was clearly on-side. Oh well.
82′ Ronaldo’s free kick goes off the wall and nearly gives Cech some problems before it goes out for a corner. On the replay, it looks like it may have hit one of the Chelsea defenders’ hand. United got a penalty for the same play in their F.A. Cup match last week.
81′ Terry with a cynical foul on Berbatov and it’s clear that the skipper’s frustration is showing.
80′ Terry gets booked for a foul on Park. Berbatov with a great diving pass to hit Rooney in stride. Webb blows it dead, though, and gives United the free kick. United would have preferred the advantage, though. What a nice pass from Berbatov, though. I want to see that again.
79′ Belletti has it inside the box and he looks set to shoot. O’Shea makes a good tackle on him, though, and takes it away. Meanwhile, Carrick will come on for Giggs, who played a heck of a game, and gets a rousing ovation from the Old Trafford faithful.
78′ Rooney nearly gets behind the defense. I say nearly because he was called off-side. So he really did get behind the defense. Just not legally.
77′ Drogba loses it to Park and he keys the counterattack. Rooney gets it in the box, but A. Cole does a good job closing him down and taking it away. That’s right! I praised Ashley Cole!
76′ Rooney leads the charge and he has Ronaldo to his left. Poor pass from Rooney, though, Chelsea knock it away.
74′ J. Cole with a shot that hits Drogba in the back. Chelsea can’t seem to get anything going.
73′ Ronaldo catches Lampard’s foot, and the two play nice afterwards. Lampard sends in a free kick from about 35 yards away. It’s flicked to a wide-open Drogba, who is all alone on the right edge of the box. He whiffs on the half-volley, otherwise, he might have had a goal there.
72′ Drogba gets in the box, but Evans has him well-marked. He sends in a dangerous cross to the far post, but Neville heads it away.
71′ Long free kick from Lampard that Van der Sar confidently claims. Drogba and Anelka try the one-two, but Vidic intercepts it. Anelka trips Vidic, but Webb plays the advantage. Ronaldo then sends a long cross from the left to the far post, but it eludes Rooney and Cech takes it.
70′ Neville with another good defensive play, as he steps in front of the cross intended for A. Cole and heads it away. If he and Rafael keep playing well, then I think Wes Brown will have a real tough time getting into the lineup once he gets healthy.
68′ Van der Sar has had nothing to do so far. Really poor effort from Chelsea on offense thus far. Park gets booked for a dive on Terry.
66′ Good work from Fletcher to take it away in midfield. He sends it to Berbatov, who holds it until he can get reinforcements. Rooney then gets booked for a foul on Carvalho. Well, we knew it was coming. Meanwhile, Evra is out and O’Shea is on.
65′ Park with some good defense to cut out J. Cole’s pass into the box. Chelsea have to press here, since Evra is still out.
64′ Evra is limping slightly, which is bad news for United. Meanwhile, Chelsea bring in Belletti for Bosingwa. Can they come from 2-down? We’ll see.
63′ GOAL! Great cross from Evra down the left flank after he makes an overlapping run with Ronaldo. His cross just eludes Berbatov’s head, but Rooney is there to tap it in. His shot goes between A. Cole’s legs and easily beats Cech. Wow!
62′ Ronaldo tries to play it through to Berbatov on the break, but the Bulgarian gets closed down by two defenders. Plus, he wasn’t running very hard, either, but I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that.
61′ Giggs and Ronaldo are over it. Let’s see who takes it. Ronaldo takes it and he must think he’s driving his Ferrari as he hits the wall.
60′ Tevez is up and he gets a warm hand from the crowd, despite his comments earlier in the week about his contract situation. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is fouled by Mikel from about 35 yards away.
58′ Ballack wins a corner for his club. Lampard’s corner comes in and Fletcher heads it away. Mikel gets it, but his service into the box is poor and is out for a goal kick. Mikel is having a nightmarish game so far.
57′ Rooney lays it off to Berbatov, who finds Ronaldo down the left. He gets closed down by Bosingwa, though, and Chelsea clear it away. Superb defending from Bosingwa.
56′ Lampard gets it in the box, but Evans has him well marked. He sends it back out to Drogba, but his shot is well over the crossbar. Chelsea get it back and Anelka tries his luck from long-range, but it just goes wide of the far post.
55′ Joe Cole sends a deep cross from the edge of the box. It’s cleared away by Neville.
54′ Ronaldo wins a corner and they play it short. Ronaldo whips a dangerous cross that goes across goal. It just eludes Berbatov at the far post, otherwise he would have easily tapped it in.
53′ Giggs with a nice ball through to Park. He can’t control it, though, and United have to reset. That would have been a goal if Park had been able to control it.
51′ Berbatov with a nice bit of skill to control Evans’ clearance. He dances along the sideline and is fouled by Mikel. He makes it look so easy out there that you wonder why he can be so inconsistent.
50′ A. Cole tries his luck from long range, but it’s easily handled by Van der Sar.
49′ Ronaldo dances on the right wing and sends a cross into the box that’s too deep and easily taken by Cech. Long pass down the left flank towards J. Cole, but Van der Sar is out to knock it away.
47′ Evans with some good defense on Drogba, who gets behind everyone and seems to have a good shot opportunity. It’s out for a Chelsea throw.
46′ Ask and ye shall receive. Anelka will be coming into the match for Deco. United kick off and we’re underway! Deco has a calf problem, apparently. Park tries to thread it through to Rooney, but he gives it away.
The match was pretty even up until the injury time, when United really put the foot to the pedal. They probably deserve the lead, but it’s hardly a convincing one. Let’s see what the managers do at half time. For Chelsea, I’d expect to see Anelka, especially with Evans looking shaky in the back. See you in the second half!
45′ + 2 GOAL! Take two on the corner. Giggs’ corner is flicked to the far post by Berbatov. Vidic then heads it past Cech for the score!
45′ + 1 Some controversy on the corner as Giggs takes it quickly. They seem to catch Chelsea off guard and Ronaldo puts it past Cech, but Webb blows it dead. The flag hadn’t gone up yet, so the corner has to be taken again. Rooney is really getting in the linesman’s face, and he needs to cool it. He’s lucky that he hasn’t been booked yet.
45′ Two good chances for United as Evra’s cross is deflected by J. Cole. Mikel muffs his clearance and Park gets it in the box. He lays it off to Ronaldo, whose shot hits Rooney in the back. Fletcher then has a chance, but his shot is deflected out for a corner.
44′ Good buildup by United that leads to a shot from Park. He fires on target and has Cech beaten, but Terry deflects it out before it can go it. Corner to United. Nothing doing on the corner
42′ Evans makes a mistake and nearly gives it away, but Giggs is there to cover for him.
40′ Ballack is by himself on the left edge of the box. He tries to cross it to the right, but Evra is there and knocks it away from danger. I’m surprised he didn’t shoot that one. Very even first half with neither team really asserting itself.
39′ Long cross into the box for Ballack. He goes up for the header, but Neville heads it away before Ballack can get his dangerous head on it. Neville has been playing well lately. I guess rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
38′ Drogba gets it on the right edge of the box and works on Evans. He tries to center it, but Evans knocks it away for the corner. Lampard sends in the corner, but Carvalho can’t get to the ball. Rooney gives it away in his own half, but Neville covers for him and clears it away.
36′ Drogba gives it away to Park and United will reset their offense. Ronaldo tries to whip in a low cross from the left, but Cech takes it.
34′ Free kick for United from about 35 yards away as Evra gets fouled by Mikel. Giggs sends it in, but Terry clears it away.
33′ Long pass to Park down the left. He eases up as it comes off Bosingwa, but the refs award a goal kick instead.
32′ Lampard springs A. Cole down the left. He centers it and Drogba gets his head on it, but he lacks power and it’s easily saved by Van der Sar. Meanwhile, Ballack dives in the box, trying to win the penalty, but Webb isn’t fooled. He should have been booked for that.
31′ Neville slips up when trying to pass it back to Van der Sar, and the ball is loose. Vidic gets to it before Drogba can pounce on it, and he sends it long to Evra. He gives it to Rooney on the edge of the box, who releases Berbatov. He has a great chance to score, but he can’t get his body square and the ball is easily saved by Cech.
30′ Apparently, someone pulled the fire-alarm at Chelsea’s hotel this morning. I’m betting it was Carlos Queiroz.
28′ Giggs sends it into the box and Ronaldo falls down before he can get his head on it. He and Carvalho are jawing at each other and it’s Portuguese on Portuguese violence! Ronaldo gets called for the foul, but both men go into the book for their extracurricular activities.
27′ Ballack backheels it to Lampard, who fires a hard shot that Evans defends well. Down the other way as Rooney attacks Bosingwa down the left flank. Bosingwa hits Rooney with a dangerous tackle and he’ll go into the book.
26′ Lampard sends in the kick from the left wing and it’s headed out for a throw by Rooney.
25′ Giggs sends it in, and it bounces around in the box a little until Chelsea clear it away. Chelsea go on the attack and Bosingwa attacks down the left. Rooney tracks back and takes it away, but is called for a foul. Rooney is incensed and he shows some dissent. No card, though, but Webb gives him a talking to. Wow, I was convinced he was getting booked there. Maybe Webb’s New Year’s Resolution was to give out fewer cards.
24′ Ronaldo’s kick takes a deflection and United will have a corner.
23′ Giggs sends it in and it’s right at Cech, who punches it away. Rooney then gets fouled by J. Cole from about 30 yards out. Ronaldo will get a chance here.
22′ Park gets it and gives it to Rooney. He lays it off to Ronaldo deep down the right flank, and he crosses into the box. It clearly strikes A. Cole’s arm, but it’s outside the box. United will have a free kick from the right edge of the box as a result of the handball.
17′ Evans is called for the foul on J. Cole and Lampard will take the free kick from near the center line. He sends it in and it looks like it may have hit Evra’s arm, but no call from the refs. On the replay, it looks like it hit his head.
16′ Ballack sends in a hard cross into the box that gets cut out by Vidic. Ashley Cole goes through and nearly gets a chance on goal, but Van der Sar is out to take it.
14′ Lampard and Ballack are standing over it. Ballack takes it and he seems to mishit it. It goes under the wall, but lacks power and is easily cleared away. Wasted chance for Chelsea. They come back and Lampard nearly springs Drogba in the box with a through-ball, but Drogba slips on the pitch and can’t get the return pass.
13′ Deco is fouled by Fletcher on the edge of the box, and this will be a great chance for Chelsea. Let’s see what they can do here.
12′ Pass to J. Cole on the edge of the box, but Evra sneaks up behind him and takes it. Evans tries to send a long pass to the right wing for Ronaldo, but it’s cut out by A. Cole.
11′ Giggs makes a strong run towards the box, but he gives it away.
10′ Ballack gets his pocket picked by Park and Berbatov gets it. He tries a long pass into the box for Rooney, but Cech takes it.
8′ Rooney makes a good move into the box, but Carvalho is there to knock it away.
7′ Ronaldo sends in a cross from deep down the right. Cech is out to intercept it, but he drops it! Luckily for him, no red shirts are around him, otherwise that would have been an embarrassing gaffe. Cech’s psyche bears watching. Scolari absolutely threw him under the bus after the Fulham match. Let’s see if that affects him today.
6′ Giggs sends it into the box, and Evans gets his head on it, but his shot has no power at all and it’s easily dealt with by the Chelsea defense.
5′ Park makes a nice move to get around Bosingwa and tries to send in a cross. Bosingwa recovers and deflects it out for a corner.
4′ Lampard hits Ronaldo on the shin and completely misses the ball. Webb gives Lampard a yellow. Wow, that was fast. Who had 4 minutes in the pool?
3′ Park and Mikel collide at the center line and Park gets called for the foul.
2′ Long pass from Giggs to Park down the left, but it’s long and not even Park can catch up to it.
1′ Chelsea kick off and here we go! Howard Webb is our ref. Mishit from Cech and United will have a throw deep in Chelsea territory. No matter as United give it away and Chelsea go on the counterattack. Lampard takes a quick shot from outside the box, and it’s well off the mark.
0′ Capello is also in attendance, sitting in the same box as The Special One. We’ll see who gets more camera time. I’m not betting on Capello.
0′ Apparently, The Special One is in attendance, presumably to scout United in advance of Inter’s clash with them in the Champions League. He’s absolutely not in attendance to talk turkey with United’s corporate board about being Sir Alex’s successor. Nor is he here to talk turkey with Chelsea officials to come back to Stamford Bridge.
0′ Big spot for Evans here. He did not play well against Derby (although that could be said for most of the team), and this will be a big test for him. A strong showing could do wonders for his confidence, especially since they’ll be relying on him in the Champions League due to Vidic’s suspension.
0′ Howard Webb has already issued a booking. Against me for violating the Respect Campaign. I guess I haven’t earned the right to criticize the refs with impunity like Sir Alex Ferguson.
0′ I’m very surprised to see Carrick on the bench. I’m not saying that Fletcher doesn’t deserve to start, since he’s been one of their most consistent players all year. However, you have to think that Carrick and Scholes would be a better pairing in midfield than Fletcher and Giggs. Carrick’s long-passing adds a dimension that Giggs lacks.
0′ Howard Webb is our ref today. I’ve done several matches this season where Webb was the ref, including Arsenal/Liverpool and the Manchester Derby. Let’s just say that he was little whistle happy in both of those matches. I hope that isn’t the case today. Let’s hope Howard Webb realizes that all those ticket holders and the millions watching at home aren’t watching because of him.
0′ I’ve always been partial to scheduling big matches between championship contenders later in the year. Nevertheless, I’m pretty excited to see a titanic clash like this in January. Should be a great match! As long as they don’t call it off because of cold weather like they did with a couple of matches yesterday.
0′ Not much needs to be said about this matchup. With Liverpool dropping points yesterday at Stoke, this match takes on added importance. Neither of these teams have done well in matches against their fellow Big Four powers (taking one point each - against each other). Today would be a great time to reverse that trend.
0′ Hello everyone and welcome to Soccerlens’ live coverage of Manchester United v. Chelsea! I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger.
Match Review:
After a close first half, United really came out firing on all cylinders during the second half. They dominated play and deservedly took the three points. Despite missing Ferdinand, the defense completely shut down Chelsea’s offense, as Van der Sar pretty much had the afternoon off. United generated numerous scoring chances, and their midfield dominated their much higher-profile counterparts in blue. United fans have been waiting for a championship caliber performance, and they got one today. Obviously, Ferdinand’s injury is a concern, as is Evra’s, but Evans and Neville really stepped up.
As for Chelsea, there wasn’t much to be proud of. Their marking was so bad and so uncharacteristic for them that you have to think that they must have quit playing, especially on the third goal. The situation with Anelka and Drogba continues to be a distraction, and Scolari seems stuck between playing his preferred formation and going with two up front. Deco continues to start, for some reason, even though he hasn’t played well in months. Mikel is much improved this year, but he’s made some big-time gaffes, and that was on display as his mistake led to United’s first goal. Drogba was largely invisible, as were Ballack, Lampard and J. Cole. Scolari will get a lot of criticism, and deservedly so, but this was a team effort. Chelsea didn’t look like they were even going to score, let alone win, and they’ll have a lot of questions to answer.
Man of the Match:
There were no shortage of candidates for United. Giggs played very well in the center of midfield. Park and Fletcher justified their selection by turning in solid performances in midfield. Vidic was great in the center of defense, as always, but Evans played well (despite some hiccups). Neville was a revelation at right and Evra showed why he’s so valuable on the left. Ronaldo and Rooney were their usual selves, but Berbatov really stood out. He was responsible for two goals and played a role in the other one. He did a good job holding the ball when necessary and controlling the action in midfield. United fans have waited a long time for the so-called “Next Cantona” to come up big in an important fixture. Wait no more…
“A tired and jet-lagged team were able to scrape out a tough win at Stoke on Boxing Day, however they needed a late Berbatov goal to get past Middlesbrough.”
The stats show they dominated both games, showed patience and deservedly won both, coming, as you say, off the back of the Japan trip. Aren’t these the sort of ‘park the bus’ games that Chelsea and Liverpool have been dropping points in?
As for the Derby game. With a full-team and the ‘real’ business back on the agenda you’ll see a very differnt Utd on Sunday.
Agreed. The point was that we have yet to see their best, and they’ll need to show it on Sunday.
agree with condell
park himself could have had a hat trick against boro
and you cant read too much into the derby game…would it not be reasonable to say fergie told his players to conserve their energy for chelsea at the weekend?
True, but the bottom line is that they were trying to win that game. They brought in Rooney, Ronaldo and Carrick. Maybe they would have been due for a run-out anyway, but I doubt that would have happened if it had been 0-0 or even 1-0 in favor of United. Will that affect them against Chelsea? We’ll see.
I’ve seen Park miss more shots this year than anyone else on that team. Then again, he did score against Chelsea back in September, so I guess that evens out.
for me 3-2 Man U win I think!!!
Hope its a draw but taking a guess at it i will say 2-0 to Man U, hope im wrong though
i believe that chelsea can beat man utd nevertheless of their current situation.we all know that chlsea is doing bad but if we are to talk in reality even now chelsea is the best team in europe,its only default is that it couldnt get one best striker till now.but if we are to talk in the other positions chelsea had the greatest availability of players.if we look at any game chelsea played they are always dominant but very idiots in scoring goals,its too hard to choose between anelka and the ivorian drogba sth anelka becomes fantastic and sth he becomes as lazy as someone who is beaten by a snake.if we take man utd of course its a strong team but now its not better than chelsea the only position they are superior to chelsea is in the attacking area( berbatov,rooney and others )but starting from the keeper chelsea is stronger.so at last i would like to say that may god help chelsea to beat man utd.
@Filmon: “but if we are to talk in reality even now chelsea is the best team in europe”.
Fair enough. But what interests me is what alternative universe do you live in????
Chelsea best team in Europe????? oh come on! What do Barca have to do? Honestly, they are without doubt the best team in Europe and could probably beat any team in the world even Internationals (providing their players are cloned when they have to play for both teams)
I think the match will end 1-1.
Both teams have very potent attacks, but also strong defences. In terms of quality they are well matched. Manchester United have had the better form over the last few weeks, and Chelsea have been stumbling, but when it comes to big games form goes out of the window. Both teams have had about a week to prepare, with Man Utd only playing their 2nd string on Wednesday against Derby.
I haven’t done my full analysis yet, but it will be ready on my blog (click my name for link) by Saturday.
Man utd have had the better form recently although I think chelsea are a better side especially under pressure
OOOPS I AM VERY SURE THAT CHELSEA ,ABRAHAMOVIC,SCOLARI AND THE CHELSEA FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL BE VERY DISAPPIONTED TOMMOROW.BECAUSE WHEN THE FORMATION IS REVEILED THE CHELSEA PLAYERS THEY WILL BE AFRAID OF MAN UTD.LONG LIVE MANCHESTER,LONG LIVE OLD TRAFORD.GOD BLESS MANCHESTER UNITED
CHELSEA WILL BEAT MAN U 2-0.
here in portugal people are saying that scolari will be sacked if chelsea loose. what do you guys think of that?
dang, been a while folks
waiting n waiting n waiting n waiting
The winner will be … Football.
agree with mike :
::”" CHELSEA WILL BEAT MAN U 2-0. “”::
ehem…Chelsea last season LOST to MU at OT…so tonite,no more than a win for MU
okay folks, Nev is at RB, Giggs is partnering Fletcher.
Ferdy didnt make it to the starting XI.
Thnx for the update!
Go Chelsea Go! Lampard always has a chance, and he will do
it for us!
Man U 2 -Chelsea 1…………..Man U For lyf
does any one know where i can watch this match
I picked Man Utd to wi 2-0…looks like it’s going to be that score at the blow of the final whistle.
Glory, Glory Man United!!
….oops….spoke to soon. Now 3-0. Berbatov and Ronaldo come together to add more fantasy points to my squad!
Very bad day for Rafa Benitez…
I wonder what Rafa has to say? United won because “Ferr-ha-sun” told “Missa Webba” to let them.
3-0! Wow that was unexpected, but what a great performance. Nice to see Berbs finally grab one in a big game now.
yea…that goal will take a little pressure off of Berba for a little while.
Berbatov had a hand in all 3 goals, I’d say he definitely deserves the man of the match award.
Drogba was awful. Last season at Stamford Bridge?
5 points, 2 games, equal on goal difference, right, a much smarter United on display, good start to the year…
I gotta admit, when I saw Fletch walking out of the tunnel without a recognizable partnering midfielder I was a little shocked. Then when I realised Giggsy was partnering him in midfield I was shaking in my boots. I was confused at why Ferguson would play a center midfield consisting a midfielder and a winger espescially when he had 3 recognizable midfielders on the bench. But this tactical change just proved how much of a master Ferguson is because Giggs was fantastic in the center of the park. Speaking of which, Park also performed well, though I think my man of the match would have to be Vidic. He was just amazing in that back 4. He single handedly did a job that 4 Chelsea defenders struggled to do but in saying that, Evans and Neville were also fantastic and as usual Evra was outstanding and so was Rooney. I thought berba was a little quiet but he made a real difference especially with that 3rd goal. Ronaldo seems to be performing better against big teams and he made life difficult for Cole and Bosingwa. All in all, a good performance. I’m chuffed!
This is a massive win for Manchester United. With 2 games on their and just 5 points behind the leader, Liverpool. United must win the match against Wigan in weekday and reduce the gap to two points. Wow.. The party is just started!!!!
Ah, sweeet sweeeeet football!
3 best players were Giggs, Vidic and Evans. Berba was anonymous in the 1st half and good but not standout in the 2nd. Nice pick n’ roll between him and Vida for the 3rd
SAF said he would be using Giggs out of position this year because to help keep the pace of the game up. I don’t think Giggs would slow it down at all, but he made a few key defensive moves and I’m not surprised he did so well in the center. A TURE legend
TRUE legend…
I’m going out on a limb and saying that, unless something drastic happens, Chelsea are finished. This was their biggest game of the year, so far. It was a game that, even the players conceded was a must-win for them. It would have been one thing if they had played hard, acquitted themselves well, and just came up short. They didn’t even show up for this match and were lucky not to lose by more.
A lot has been made about Ronaldo’s body language, but he seems on the verge of signing a lifetime contract with United compared to Drogba’s body language. He looks like he’s already left Stamford Bridge. I’d bench him and go with Anelka, who looks like he’s actually trying out there. They also need to resolve the Deco/Ballack/Lampard logjam in midfield. Big Phil’s got his work cut out.
I said 3-2 i was wrong but wrong by much!!!
I am glad to see that Chelsea lost but I hope Scolari keeps his job!!!
Victor,
That’s a pretty short and solid limb.
That late miskick on his team’s one fair chance of the day suggests DD has indeed left–for another universe, where concentration is not a factor.
And the way to resolve that heavy-legged Chelsea midfield logjam might be to open a new wing in the Old Soldiers’ Home.
The last time United beat a major rival this way?
Last year, Arsenal, fa cup, 4-0. What did they do last season?
Exactly…
Ahmed–
Well, fair point about that comparison in retrospect, still there’s a long way to go. Between the Reds and what they did last season also lies this year’s Barca edition, really something special as that fly in your ointment Liverpool Fan suggested above.
Justice enough in your and Victor’s MoM award to the finesseful Bulgarian–and your suggestion he had a hand in all three goals is right, though wouldn’t that be more specifically a head rather than a hand in two of them (still can’t tell from replays if the second flicked off his noggin–?)–but really wouldn’t those honors most fairly fall to the team as a whole: Giggs and Neville looking like they’d been sipping from the Fountain of Youth, Park and Rooney full of energy and running, Ronaldo for the first time this season really bristling with danger, not to mention of course the wonderful Evra, and Vidic a tower as ever; and then young Evans standing tall in the pinch (and even Carlitos showing the heart to clap the crowd though not playing)… all in all a victory, wouldn’t you say, attributable not to any one man but to the side as a whole, working together at a pace and skill level demonstrably superior to that of the opposition (and making the other side look old, slow and distracted at that)?
I probably should have done a better job at articulating this, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone on United’s side that didn’t deserve consideration as Man of the Match. Really, the only one you couldn’t make a case for would be Van der Sar, and that’s only because he barely had anything to do all day. They could have put Mini-Me back there and he would have kept a clean sheet the way Chelsea played.
My rule of thumb for the Man of the Match thing, usually, is to go with the player who made the biggest impact on the winning side. Maybe Berbatov didn’t play a dominant 90 minutes, or even a dominant 45. However, if you score a goal and notch two assists, then it certainly makes you a worthy candidate. I understand the whole Giggs argument, and he played wonderfully yesterday (Neville too - which surprised me). But in the end, I went with Berbatov because of his contribution on the scoresheet. Maybe if I had been in a different mood, I would have gone with Giggs.
Either way, this is hardly an exact science. ESPN went with Giggs, so there you go.
Fair enough and well said, Vic.
How funny do you guys find it that the Scouse “supporters” were accusing the ref of not booking Rooney early enough. What a joke! Web was awful, he could have cost United the game on another day, Beletti should have been taken the walk of shame into the dressing room after that disgusting double - foul on Ronaldo, who incidently should have had 2 goals were it not for mr useless linesman. But the mighty reds had the power to beat Chelsea AND the officials. THATS WHY WE’RE CHAMPIONS!!!
When are the Chelsea fans going to start with a “bring back Avram Grant” campaign I wonder. John Terry being constantly clapped by the United fans as the teams were called and during the game also made me laugh no end!
I as one of the chelsea fans admit that the 3-0 over man utd is a shameful defeat that require the responsible of chelsea boss. We are tired of being told that there will be an improvement in the next game…..We want to see chelsea win over the rivals and playing so keen and win when it comes that it plays with the big rivals like man utd and liverpool. WE CHELSEA FANS WAIT FOR ACTIONS OVER THIS BIG FAILURE OVER MAN UTD….WE ARE TIRED FOR UNNECESARY MISTAKES THAT HAPPERNS EVERYDAY NOT ONLY OUTSIDE THE HOME PITCH BUT EVEN AT STAMFORD BRIDGE.
We want to see chelsea playing and win and this is the duty of the team coach.So if he fails to deliver then he doesnt fit and therefore deserve an immediate suck.We want new coach and not the existing chelsea boss because he has failed to deliver at all. We are not after history and good CV’s of PHILIP SCHOLERY….were are after tangible success so if he fails to offer utility to the fans then he has to quit and look for national team may be there he can deliver and not in chelsea club.
Chelsea had succeded in turning its fans to Cricket fans