Chelsea 3 – 3 Manchester United

Chelsea 3 – 3 Manchester United: for WinkBall.

Manchester United gave a warning performance to the rest of the Premier League – especially Manchester City – on Sunday 5th February, as the Champions came back from 3-0 down to earn a point on a snowy away day at Stamford Bridge.

The momentum they created in this fine display of escapology was enough to make them even feel unlucky to have returned to Manchester with only a point in tow.

The away side had more of the first half dominance and felt aggrieved to see penalty shouts waved away by referee Howard Webb, particularly Gary Cahill’s challenge on Danny Welbeck, which caused Sir Alex to gesticulate furiously on the touchline. The recently signed defender slid in, missed the ball but took out Welbeck. Arguably it was just outside the area, but it could easily have been a red card as without Cahill’s lunge, Welbeck would have been through on goal.

Burning from the injustice, United continued to look dangerous with the ball, especially in counter-attack, while Chelsea seemed pensive in attack. Branislav Ivanovic was forced to prevent Welbeck, again, from receiving Wayne Rooney’s low cross.

On the back foot, it certainly against the run of play that Chelsea took the lead, just nine minutes before the break – though it was of course an unwitting own-goal (is there any other?) from Johnny Evans.

While the Blue’s seemed incredibly lucky to lead at the end of the first half – luck being a quality that’s so frequently said to govern this beautiful game – the lovely Lady had nothing to do with their deserved lead just one minute into the second half.

While Torres is now infamously bereft of goal-scoring acumen – a terrible quality for a striker, especially one formerly acknowledged as one of the best forwards in the game – it hasn’t hindered his assist-accuracy. The blonde Spaniard curved in a pinpoint cross from the right wing into the box, for an embarrassingly unmarked Juan Mata to volley stunningly past a helpless De Gea. It truly was a beautiful piece of play: the perfect cross from Torres and the exquisite, assured volley from fellow Spaniard, Mata.

Chelsea had come out for the second half with far more purpose than they displayed in the first 45, so when United presented them with another sample of poor in-the-box marking only five minutes later, they easily took advantage to make the score a surprising 3-0. It goes to show how important it is to take chances, as the first half was bossed by Manchester United, yet 51 minutes in, they saw themselves a distant 3 goals down.

Not that this was the end of the drama – six more minutes and Patrice Evra won a penalty on the left of the box after Sturridge’s clumsy challenge. Rooney converted the penalty, slammed unstoppably into the top left. Running to the centre with the ball, this was the start of United’s revival.

Ten minutes later, they earned a second penalty – earned being the operative word, as Welbeck appears to kick Ivanovic’s foot, instead of the other way around, before going to ground. Rooney converted from the spot again, this time firing right. Surely though their second penalty is no more fortunate that the own goal Evans offered Chelsea in the first half.

Since Scholes’s arrival onto the pitch, United suddenly had all the dominance and continued pressure and chances. United forced a chance five minutes from time, as Rooney met with a Valencia cross in the box, only for Petr Cech to parry it away to the left. Unfortunately Cech’s luck had ran out, as Giggs met with the ball and crossed it straight back into the box towards Javier Hernandez who was unmarked and headed straight into the net to make the score an unprecedented 3-3.

Hear what both sets of fans had to say ahead of and following the game: about Andre Villas-Boas’s job at Chelsea, John Terry losing the England captaincy, and all the on-field action from the dramatic 3-3 draw.