Chelsea 1 : 0 United

Disgust! That's the only word I can use to explain the feeling I have about last night's game.
Man United, who were written off by pretty much everybody (many of whom had the audacity to call the defending champions underdogs!) came up with a brilliant tactical performance only to be undone by poor refereeing. Chelsea won by a solitary, disputed goal that has now given them a 5-point cushion almost a third into the season.

It was disappointing to see every quarter of the media virtually writing off United prior to this game. The ESPN, the channel that I follow (unfortunately!), has this set of so called football pundits who are pathetic to say the least. None of the 'pundits' thought United could gain anything from this game. It really smacks of bias and illogic. When United travel to Liverpool, Liverpool are the favourites just because United have not obtained great result against them in the last season. United's league win, it's position above Liverpool and Liverpool's poor reason just don't count for the occasion. And when United go to Chelsea with just 2 points separating them, Chelsea are clear favourites because : Carlo Ancelotti is leading them; He ousted United out of the Champions' League with AC Milan twice; Chelsea are a goal-scoring machine; And United have "not been convincing" this season! Really, it's as if United are at the bottom of the table. No respect for United's tactical ability even if they have a certain Alex Ferguson as their manager. No respect for United's ability to fight back - something which is acknowledged as their trait.
Never mind. Having known the English press, this kind of behaviour is hardly unexpected!

I was just hoping and in fact strongly felt United could turn the tables on Chelsea. Fletcher's availability for this game was a major boost. And I must say that I was not surprised that Sir Alex went with a defensive 4-5-1 formation. The defense was definitely a worrying aspect considering that Browne and Evans had looked quite ordinary during the midweek clash with CSK Moscow. But it was United who enjoyed most of the possession when the game started. With every passing minute you could sense that Sir Alex seemed to have found an answer to silence Ancelotti's much-touted diamond formation. Fletcher, Anderson and Carrick combination worked brilliantly specially with their ability to close down Chelsea midfielders. Valencia, with his attacking runs kept Ashley Cole on his toes and forced him to defend most of the time. Rooney, being the lone striker was prepared to do all the running and could have been rewarded had it not been for a wrong off-side ruling. He was clearly on his way for a one-on-one with Cech only to be flagged off-side. Replays suggested he wasn't, though by a few centimeters I guess! United won the midfield battle all of first half but the fact that Rooney wasn't supported upfront meant that they couldn't quite create clear chances but had to contend with half ones. Chelsea did try to break free every now and then but they too didn't create great number of chances.

Second half looked pretty much the same. United enjoyed better possession most of the time but couldn't come up with a clear chance. Rooney went closest when he missed the far post by about a foot. As time progressed in the second half, it seemed as if United would either hold on for a draw or that one killer goal could clinch the game for either side. That is just what happened - On the 75 minute mark, Chelsea were awarded a dubious free kick though Fletcher seemed to have got the ball off Ashley Cole. When the free kick was whipped in, Browne was brought down by (the actor called!) Drogba and the ball deflected into the net off the shoulder of Terry who was lurking behind him. The referee failed to spot the foul and United were unluckily behind with 15 minutes to go. From then on United pressed forward desperate for a reply. Owen and Obertan were pressed into service. Though it seemed that they could nick an equalizer, they just didn't seem to have any luck in the final third of the pitch. And that's how it ended. Chelsea, who seemed to be chasing the game most of the time came out as the unworthy winners.

Irrespective of the result, I thought it was a very spirited performance by United. There was great improvement in effort and desire from the United we saw 2 weeks ago at Anfield. And it was absolutely agonizing to see United came off unrewarded from a game they deserved at least a point from. But then such things happen in football. Wayne Rooney was my Man of the Match. In spite of being lonely upfront he worked tremendously hard to find the net as well as supported the midfield diligently. The midfield worked brilliantly well according to me. If Carrick, Anderson and Fletcher can improve on their shooting abilities, United can definitely find the match winners we need in such games. The make-shift defensive combo of Browne and Evans did very well and definitely handled the pressure of facing Anelka and Drogba very well.

Chelsea might have opened a healthy 5-point lead but it's still early days according to me. United just need to build on this performance and I am sure we can stay close on Chelsea's heels through the season. With Chelsea and Liverpool having to visit Old Trafford later in the season, I am positive the situation is entirely in control!