Alex Dimond's Chelsea Special: Brilliant Blues prove they are just the better side
By Alex Dimond
Oh the irony.
Carlo Ancelotti might be the Italian, but it was Sir Alex Ferguson who employed the catenaccio style made famous by the Azzurri as he tried to give his side the best chance of getting a result in this pivotal Premier League match.
In the end that still wasn't enough, however, as Ancelotti's resilient Chelsea edged a game where two great sides struggled to contain each other.
It was perhaps understandable that the Scot sent his side out with a defensively-minded approach, considering the differing recent results of the two sides and the injury problems affecting his squad.
And it was a tactic that looked to pay dividends as Manchester United's man-marking approach — every member of Chelsea's midfield diamond was accounted for — effectively disrupted Ancelotti's free-flowing side.
However John Terry's late header, from a Frank Lampard free-kick, proved the slim difference between the two sides as the Blues went five points clear at the top of the league.
The manner of the victory was as significant as the result itself.
United put in a disciplined away performance that is the stuff champions are made of, but Chelsea proved themselves capable of dealing with that.
Less mentally tough sides — perhaps including the Blues side that faced Aston Villa last month — would have lost this game.
But the Blues did not over-extend themselves going forward in a desperate pursuit of a winner, and thus prevented a smash-and-grab defeat that, especially with Rooney in such compelling form, could easily have been inflicted.
This was two sides cancelling each other out with their excellence. Rooney in particular put in an inspired performance as he led the line for his side, but Carvalho and Terry used all of their considerable experience to keep him at bay.
At the other end, United's midfield worked efficiently as a unit to cancel out the superior physical abilities of their opposite numbers.
Harsh bookings to Branislav Ivanovic, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho indicated that perhaps this wasn't going to be the home side's day.
But Terry's late header (although Nicolas Anelka also came away claiming the crucial touch), from a fortuitously awarded free-kick, changed all that.
Full credit then to United for a very impressive performance. But the fact that, despite their efforts, Chelsea still came away with the win says a massive amount for their ability.
Now five points clear at the top of the table, Chelsea are not champions yet but they have made a real move at this early stage in the season, one that other sides will surely struggle to keep pace with.
Sir Alex Ferguson might come away from Stamford Bridge with complaints about the referee, but he won't have any complaints about the performance of his side.
That says it all.
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Personally I'm getting sick and tired of watching United play against 12 men every time they match up to Chelsea. Most of the recent games between the teams have not been decided by the players on the pitch, but by incompetent match officials. It's getting to the point where I think it would be in the EPL's best interests, or at least United's, to have Continental referees officiate matches, because the team cannot obviously get a fair shake from English officials who are at best incompetent and at worse are simply too easily influenced by a London press that can't stand a provincial team winning the competition year after year..
Fergie may have been over the top with his comments about Webb a few weeks ago, but anyone who watches the game knows that Webb has often been at the center of numerous controversies in the past between the two teams that have resulted in United losing games. Atkinson seems to be cut from the same cloth - or maybe he's just a buddy of Webb's?
What was especially hard to accept today is that for once United looked like they were not only holding their own in the midfield against Chelsea, but often dominated play in the center of the pitch, an area Chelsea usually boss against United. It was the best midfield play I've seen from United against Chelsea in a long time, including games like the Champions League final which they fortuitously won. The only other standout performance recently was the lesson they gave the Londoner's at Old Trafford last season.
A draw would have been a fair result in a game in which both teams played well and had their chances. To see match officials screw it up again though is hard to accept. Little wonder that the United players felt gutted and stated afterwards that they have little faith left in the refereeing system. Maybe the Webb comments are coming back to haunt the side, or maybe England just has some of the worst refs in the game.
Personally I think technology has to come to the fore far more in the game to lessen the negative impact human decisions are having on the outcome. Video replays to determine the validity of goals, perhaps on a finite appeal basis involving team managers. Electronic location devices around each player's waistband to automatically rule if a player is offside or not. Anything to stop this crap we're being subjected to week in and week out.
I actually expected Chelsea to win this game reasonably comfortably, given their recent form and United's problems in defense, especially with Vidic and Ferdinand out. To see the game taken away from them with such lousy officiating, especially after putting in such a sterling effort somewhat against the odds, was pretty galling. I tipped Chelsea to take United's crown this year, but they sure as hell don't need help from the officials to accomplish it. In Drogba, Ballack, and Terry, they already have more than enough help in the dirty tricks department without needing help elsewhere.
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