Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea Change of gurad at the top « Football Blog – Football News

UNITED 1-2 CHELSEA: CHANGE OF GUARD AT THE TOP


The Theatre of Dreams was buzzing with excitement at kick-off as the biggest game of the season got underway. Even without Rooney, Sir Alex had said that United would go out, not looking for a draw, but to take all three points and stretch their lead to four points at the summit.

After full-time though, a very subdued atmosphere greeted the final whistle and it was the few thousands who had made their trip from London to Manchester who were making all the noise.

‘We are top of the league’, they sang after watching their team put on a fantastic display and return to the summit.

Rooney and Drogba, who have scored 50 goals between them in the league this season, were absent on the pitch at kick-off, the former out injured and the latter on the bench.

A lot was expected from Dimitar Berbatov, who was filling in for Rooney, but the Bulgarian failed to cause any problem for the Chelsea back line.

United didn’t have a clear-cut opportunity throughout the game, except perhaps when Berbatov was played through by Par, but the attack was snuffed quickly by a splendid tackle by Lampard.

With five games remaining in this campaign, United handed the initiative back to Chelsea, who are looking like the side to beat after fantastic wins in their last three games.

Man Utd, on the other hand have now lost two in two in all competitions, after Bayern Munich beat them in the Champions League last Tuesday.

Sir Alex conceded after the Chelsea game that the Londoners are now favourites to win the title, but also blasted referee Mike Dean after a seemingly offside Drogba had put Chelsea two up and effectively killed the contest.

The Scot said, “Chelsea are favorites now, there is no question about that. We could win all five matches and still not win the title."

"I cannot understand the goal. The linesman is directly in front of him. There is no-one near him and there is not a defender in sight, yet he still gets it wrong.

"Really, in a game of that magnitude you really need quality officials. We did not get them today. It was a poor performance."

Giggs and Scholes both started the game and they were unable to inject anything as they were overshadowed by a strong Chelsea midfield. The inclusion of Nani was certainly a boost as the Portuguese international tormented Ferreira with his pace, and Sir Alex was left to brood over whether he should have been included in the last 11.

United face Bayern again in the second-leg of their quarter-final tie on Wednesday at Old Trafford, and Sir Alex will have a big job of motivating his players after yesterday’s disappointment. Defeat in midweek could see United’s season turn topsy-turvy in a mere 4 days.

Chelsea though, will be full of confidence ahead of their FA Cup semi-final showdown with Aston Villa on Saturday, after having thrashed the Villans 7-1 just a week back.

For Carlo Ancelotti’s men, the equation is simple – They win all their games, and they win the title. Easier said than done though, as the Blues still have to go to White Hart Lane and Anfield to face Tottenham and Liverpool respectively.

Their home games include Bolton next week, Stoke two weeks later and Wigan Athletic on the last day of the season.

United, meanwhile, have travels to Ewood Park, Eastlands and the Stadium of Light left on their schedule. Their home games include Tottenham and Stoke on the last day of the season.

But, as Sir Alex said, the title is firmly in Chelsea’s hands, and United need to depend on The Pensioners to drop points, whilst making sure they maintain a 100% record of their own.

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Source: Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea Change of gurad at the top