Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: Red Devils Emerge Victorious in Thrilling yet Controversial Encounter

Robin van Persie of Manchester United celebrates scoring the second goal with Ashley Young (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

It was an enthralling spectacle for all to behold at Stamford Bridge this weekend, as the two most prolific sides in the Premier League faced off in a hugely dramatic five-goal thriller. The dynamic contest was littered with twists and turns, and both sides refused to go down easily; scrapping to salvage something from the tie right until the final whistle. But ultimately, it was Manchester United who weathered the storm to emerge the victors; though Chelsea can take heart from what was a valiant effort in a narrow defeat.

The game began as it intended to go on, with a blistering start that saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s side burst to a two-goal lead inside the first 12 minutes. Wayne Rooney proved instrumental in the opener, initiating a clever one-two with Ashley Young from deep before picking out Robin van Persie in the centre. The Dutchman’s effort then crashed back off the post, only to bobble into the net off an unfortunate yet unaware David Luiz for 1-0. There was no such luck involved in the second strike however. This time it was Antonio Valencia who got broke free on the United right, dragging Luiz out of position before exploiting the space in the centre with a low, driven cross that van Persie finished with aplomb. After Ferguson had advocated the use of a narrower diamond formation in midweek, United’s two goals were interestingly both supplied from wider positions. Furthermore, the Blues had been rendered mere bystanders as their opponents swept into a position of real dominance.

Juan Mata of Chelsea celebrates (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

As the game moved on, it became clear that United were not only competent in their opponents’ half, but in their own as well, demonstrating great proficiency in continually keeping the Blues at bay. Rooney pulled the strings in his deeper role, sparking much of United’s forward play with passing of impeccable accuracy whilst also working hard to aid his team defensively. The hosts soon grew into the match though, springing into life after half an hour of play. David De Gea produced some fine stops to deny Luiz and Gary Cahill, as well as an absolutely world class save to keep out Fernando Torres’ 42^nd minute header. But United’s resiliency was soon broken. Rooney’s exuberance in tracking back saw the Englishman concede a free kick on the edge of the box, which Juan Mata curled beautifully into the top corner to make the score 2-1 to Manchester United at the break. The Blues were now truly in the ascendency, with United grateful for their lead as well as referee Mark Clattenburg’s half-time whistle.

Ramires of Chelsea celebrates (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

But Roberto Di Matteo’s men emerged for the second period with just as much spirit, and once again made the pressure pay as Ramires headed home from Oscar’s looping cross. Eden Hazard then had the opportunity to put his side ahead a minute later, but was foiled by the impressive De Gea once again in the United goal. Chelsea looked likely to pull off the most dramatic of comebacks, but their dominance was halted rather abruptly in the 63^rd minute. With Young played through by van Persie, Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanovic got in a muddle and clipped the back of Young’s ankle. Malicious it was not, but the Serb was the last man and was correctly given his marching orders by Clattenburg. Still reeling, the Blues then suffered another blow as Fernando Torres received a second booking for alleged simulation after a challenge from Jonny Evans. Replays later showed that there was minimal contact, though with recent issues in the Premier League regarding diving, Clattenburg was given an incredibly difficult decision to make. With the Blues down to nine men, Manchester United could sense victory and were ready to pounce.

Fernando Torres of Chelsea is shown the red card by referee Mark Clattenburg (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Between the two quick-fire sending offs, Ferguson had sent Javier Hernandez on in place of Tom Cleverley, and his tactical change reaped near-immediate rewards. Petr Cech pulled off a decent stop to deny van Persie a second, but Rafael was first to the rebound, rattling the ball back into the goalmouth for Hernandez to instinctively turn the ball home. 3-2 Manchester United. Replays later suggested that the Mexican may have been offside before his assured finish, but the linesman’s view was obscured by the imposing figures of both Cech and Cahill. Thus, another key moment in the game was decided by one of the toughest decisions for the officials to make, and in truth no blame can be placed on them given the frantic pace of the affair.

Javier Hernandez of Manchester United celebrates his goal (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

United then controlled much of the final proceedings, with Chelsea struggling to mount a decent attack with their depleted line-up. Substitute Ryan Giggs’ showed his abundant experience, squeezing the life out of the game as his side closed out the final moments with relative ease. Chelsea threw men forward in the dying minutes, but with their numerical disadvantage rarely tested De Gea. Though the game ended in somewhat acrimonious circumstances, that should not be held against what was a brilliant contest and a fantastic advert for the English Premier League. After the game, United centre-half Evans added to the debate, stating that he felt the second yellow for Torres was the correct call from the referee. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

“At the time I didn’t feel like I’d made contact but I’ve seen it again and there was a bit of contact. I didn’t feel like it was enough to bring him down. He probably realized he wasn’t getting the ball and I think the referee’s made the right decision in sending him off.”

A down to earth Hernandez remained realistic in his post-match comments. As reported by the BBC, when asked if he was offside he responded:

“Probably. It’s a habit I have to look to linesman. It was a difficult game but we were lucky that we scored the last goal.”

The Mexican’s words concisely summarise the end of the game, and his side now cut Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to just one point. Blues fans will be disappointed to see their unbeaten run end, but their team will need to bounce back soon. They face Swansea away from home next weekend, while United’s supporters have another big game to look forward to, this time at home against Arsenal. And as for the neutral viewer, they will simply be able to savour what was a match of the highest quality, capping off another great weekend of the English Premier League.
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