Chelsea vs Manchester Utd Highlights: EPL Highlights

Posted on September 21, 2008
Filed Under Arsenal, Chelsea, English Premier League, Manchester United

Manchester United may have returned from Stamford Bridge with a precious point but they may feel that they blew the chance to end Chelsea’s long unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge. Park Ji-Sung bundled in after Petr Cech had palmed away a Berbatov shot on 18 minutes. Chelsea pushed hard for an equaliser and were rewarded when sub Salomon Kalou headed in to score in the 80th minute.

After Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack had tried and failed to break down United’s stubborn defence, Kalou exposed United’s poor defense and scored the crucial equaliser by nodding home John Mikel Obi’s free-kick 10 minutes from time.

Not for the first time in his illustrious career, Ferguson’s team selection caused a sense of surprise and outbreak of head scratching among United’s army of fans.

Yet his squad selection with Park and Darren Fletcher worked a dream, especially with the Scot switching to the middle of midfield, a move that saw Owen Hargreaves take up a right-wing station.

Having realised that Chelsea’s full-backs Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole are major attacking threats,Sir Alex chose to put his two most hard running men in direct opposition, keeping the home pair occupied defensively and stifling their threat in attack.

Red Devils showed no sings of their recent slump in form and were at their attacking best from the start, when Fletcher turned Hargreaves’ low cross wide, and Blues seemed to have lost touch without Deco.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men were further disrupted when Ricardo Carvalho hobbled off after just 12 minutes, so there was always a nagging fear Joe Cole’s missed chance to score when he robbed Patrice Evra to give himself a clear sight of goal was going to prove costly.

Chelsea, already were lucky not to concede with Petr Cech’s wayward clearance gave first Berbatov, then Wayne Rooney the chance to launch speculative efforts at the home goal, survived again when Rooney set up Ferdinand, only for him to save with his legs.

But United were rewarded soon as Patrice Evra galloped past Bosingwa to reach Rooney’s inspired through ball. Evra’s pinpoint cross met Berbatov and while Cech was once blocked the shot, Park had the easiest of tasks to fire home the rebound.

After Chelsea regained their stride the visitors defence panicked when Gary Neville back headed the ball. Edwin van der Sar was forced out of the field after he came off worst in a collision with Florent Malouda.

Joe Cole should have handled Anelka’s low cross better than prod it straight at Evra, then Jonny Evans in place of Wes Brown in central defence got in the way of Bosingwa’s shot.

Ferguson’s response was to bring on talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, this put the Chelsea defence on red alert with his direct running.

Michael Ballack split United’s defence wide open, Joe Cole did no better than blast his shot straight at Kuszczak, who was quickly becoming one of the visitors key men.

Red devils looked like ending Chelsea’s long unbeaten run at home but by bringing down
Ashley Cole, Rooney not only picked up his side’s fifth booking. He also provided John Mikel Obi with the opportunity to float the ball to the edge of the United six-yard box where the visitors, getting their marking and offside trap all wrong, left Kalou on his own to net home the equaliser.

Chelsea 0-1 Manchester Utd

Chelsea 1-1 Manchester Utd

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