The big game against the Champions ended in a predictable and disappointing result for the Blades. Chelsea were certainly deserving of the 3 points but hardly put on a show for the biggest crowd at the Lane for a number of years. In the end the game finished with a whimper as Chelsea went through the motions in the last twenty minutes keeping the ball against a tiring United team.
It could have been very different had the Blades taken one of their early chances. United started well but lost Michael Tonge after only 5 minutes due to a twisted ankle. Montgomery was his replacement. After a couple of early corners for the visitors the Blades carved out their first opportunity of the match. As Quinn crossed in to the box Carvalho appeared to elbow Hulse in the face but the referee pointed to the corner flag rather than the spot. From the resulting corner Quinn put in a low, teasing, cross that seemed destined for Davis but was cleared at the last minute by Drogba’s outstretched leg.
After 17 minutes the Blades were again appealing for a penalty when Davis went down in the box while tussling with Drogba. This time Atkinson did point to the spot. It seemed a very generous decision by the referee who may well have been looking to make up for missing the earlier incident in the box involving Hulse and Carvalho. Danny Webber stepped up to take the penalty and give the Blades a shock lead but saw his weak effort pushed away by Hilario.
As United rued the miss opportunity Chelsea had a penalty appeal of their own. Davis tangled with Ferriera on the edge of the box and the latter went down but the referee got it right this time as he waved play on. The disappointment of missing the spot-kick did not hold the Blades back long though as they continued to push for a goal. Quinn saw one effort sail over the bar and another intercepted by Carvalho as United pushed forward.
Chelsea were not on the back-foot for long though and created chances for both Ballack and Lampard. Ballack saw his header caught by Kenny while Lampard’s was superbly pushed away by the keeper after a fantastic reflex save.
Kenny turned from hero to villain only a minute later however when he was fooled by a Lampard free kick for the opening goal of the game. After Chelsea got a somewhat fortuitous free kick after the referee appeared to play advantage, Lampard sent a powerful strike at goal. Kenny seemed to be fooled by the strike as he dived beneath the ball which flew in to the back of the net. United had a right to feel very hard done by to be a goal down at halftime.
The second-half couldn’t have started any worse for the home side as the visitors were two goals up in the 49th minute. Lampard’s cross was met by Ballack who powerfully headed into the bottom right hand corner of the net to give United an almost impossible task.
United created few opportunities from then on. Gillespie saw his drive fly over the crossbar after Montgomery, to the fury of the Chelsea players, looked to have handled. Davis also saw his Volley deflect of Essien while a Hulse header cleared the crossbar. Chelsea managed to create two more opportunities for Ballack. The midfielder volleyed the first over and headed the second straight at Kenny.
The final 20 minutes of the game were the most frustrating for the Blades as Chelsea’s multi-million pound squad seemed happy to just shut up shop and keep the score at 2-0. As the final whistle blew United fans trudged home wondering just what could have been if Webber had taken his early chance.
I would like to take a second to compare the way Chelsea play to a Dyson vacuum cleaner (strange I know, but stay with me on this one!). Their both very well presented, do everything right, and get the results their supposed to, but at the end of the day that doesn’t stop them from being pretty boring to watch. Since the Premiership began there have been only four winners of the title, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and now Chelsea. As much as I dislike Arsenal and Manchester United I have to admit that they won the title playing very attractive football, as did Blackburn, but not to quite as high a standard. Chelsea on the other hand seem to be the most consistent of all four yet play the least attractive and most defensive football. Mourinho’s methods may get results but they certainly aren’t pretty to watch. The question is which one matters the most?
Player Ratings
Kenny
6/10
Made a great save from Lampard but was at fault for first goal.
Bromby
6/10
Was pushed off the ball too easily by Robben for second goal but coped better than expected with the tricky winger.
Jagielka
6.5/10
Not as involved as he was against Everton but did ok defensively.
Davis
6/10
A solid performance from Davis but not spectacular.
Armstrong
6.5/10
Armstrong put a few good crosses in and looked solid at the back.
Tonge
N/A
Went off after only 5 minutes.
Leigertwood
5.5/10
Didn’t do enough going forward without Tonge and disappeared for certain periods of the game.
Quinn
6.5/10
Had some of United’s best chances in front of goal and put in a good cross which Drogba cleared.
Webber
5.5/10
Webber wasted his big chance to stake a claim for a place in the side. He missed a penalty and lost the ball a number of times.
Hulse
6.5/10
A fairly quiet game for Hulse. He had few opportunities in front of goal, mainly due to Terry.
Gillespie
7/10
Gillespie held the ball well and worked hard throughout the game.
Montgomery
7.5/10
Monty worked his socks off and largely kept Ballack and Lampard quiet.
Kozluck
6/10
Made little impression on the game but did little wrong.
5.5/10
Was fighting a losing battle against a Chelsea side who decided to sit back and close the game out.