Chelsea goes top with Old Trafford win

Thanks to goals by Joe Cole and Didier Drogba, Chelsea went 2 points clear ManUtd for the English Premier League title chase, with only 5 matches remaining.

 

1st half analysis

First threat for a goal came from a corner kick at 3’ from the right taken by Lampard, but Alex’s header went wide. A good attempt by Valencia from the right at 9’ who beated Zhirkov and made the cross, but Berbatov’s header went high. The best chance for United in the 1st half was a result of an Evra-Giggs team work, with the Frenchman making a long run, entering the penalty box but his shot goit well saved by Cech.

 

A moment of magic at 20’. Malouda made the run from the left with Fletcher on his shoulder, pulling him and trying to stop him, but the Chelsea winger kept going, got into the penalty area and passed it shortly to Joe Cole who pulled out an Agger (or a Del Piero if you prefer). Wonderful goal, 0-1.

Both teams appealed for a penalty but frankly I think it was a very close decision on both occasions. But surprised me the most is the fact this particular referee has awarded the most penalties in EPL this season.

2nd half analysis

First chance in the 1nd half and Chelsea missed a great opportunity to make it 0-2. Ferreira received the ball nicely by Cole on the right, got into the penalty box but he didn’t took a proper shot neither he passed it to Anelka was close, so naturally, the ball went slowly out.

 

Good chance for Red Devils at 58' as Fletcher made the run from the middle, passed it to Park who made himself available but lost his balance and his shot eventually went high. They came closer at 60' when Giggs's cross from the right found Berbatov in the area, but the header from the Bulgarian striker went inches wide. That was United's best clear chance in the 2nd half.

 

Despite the pressure and the ball possession for those 15-20mins, United couldn't find the key to unlock Chelsea's defence. And as a result, in one of Chelsea's counter attack's, Kalou passed it to Drogba (who apparently was clearly offside). The striker from Ivory Coast had no problem to put the ball in.

 

 

Two minites afterwards, Nani went through from the left, made the low cross, Cech couldn't clear it well, but handled it enough to get to Macheda's chest (and arms by the way) and ... 1-2!!!! Despite narrowing the gap, the Red Devils couldn't put up the pressure the way they wanted, as it was clear that their strenghts were not enough. The last chance came from Berbatov's effort from the penalty spot, but his shot went straight to Cech's hands.

The Verdict: Chelsea was clearly fresher and looked by far the better team in the pitch. United’s approach in the game was very flat. The ball could hardly reach Berbatov and with Valencia blocked, there weren’t many options left for the Red Devils. Even when they put up the pressure a lot from 55' to 75' they didn't score a goal and it was more of a mentality challenge rather than a clear goal threat for Cech's nets.

Man of the Match: Florent Malouda

 

Attendance: 75,217

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Fletcher (Gibson 86), Giggs, Scholes (Nani 71), Park (Macheda 71), Berbatov.
Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Alex, Terry, Zhirkov, Joe Cole (Kalou 73), Deco (Ballack 82), Lampard, Mikel, Malouda, Anelka (Drogba 69)