With crosstown rivals Manchester City dropping points in a 2–2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage, United moved two points clear at the top of the table.
All of United’s goals came in the first half, but they could easily have doubled their tally in the second period when they hit the woodwork twice and missed a penalty.
Fernando Torres pulled a goal back for Chelsea when the second half was a mere 34 seconds old. It was a beautifully taken goal, which reminded everyone of what the Spanish striker can do when he is on song. It really looked as if he had regained his old confidence and panache, yet all that was destroyed by a nightmare moment seven minutes from the end of normal time.
Torres did everything right initially, timing his run to perfection in order to latch on to a through ball, then rounding the keeper with a delightful step-over. With the goal gaping the 50 million pound man then somehow contrived to miss the target. Howls of laughter and derision echoed around Old Trafford, except for the small contingent of travelling Chelsea supporters who sighed as one and shook their collective heads in disbelief.
Missed Penalty
Yet this was by no means the only bizarre moment in a quite remarkable second half.
Nani had scored a glorious goal in the first half and was having one of those days when he is absolutely irresistible. On 55 minutes, he cut in from the left, dribbled his way past a clutch of defenders along the edge of the box into the center before unleashing a drive that unluckily came back off the crossbar. In the ensuing scramble for the rebound Nani was upended and a penalty was awarded.
Wayne Rooney had already taken his season’s goal tally to nine after 45 minutes, and you would have put your house on him making it 10 from the penalty spot given the way he has been playing this season.
However his left foot slipped from under him as he was striking the ball and the shot skewed wide of the post.
"I think for the neutral it was a fantastic open match," said Sir Alex Ferguson on manchesterunited.com. "It was strange because games against Chelsea over the years have always been tight affairs. This was a very, very open match.”
“’I am very happy with how our team reacted to such a negative half time result and we showed commitment and desire to turn things around,” said Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas on chelseafc.com.
Best Start in Years
Manchester United is normally a notoriously slow starter, so what the club has achieved so far this season is all the more remarkable. The fact that they would have to play both Arsenal and Chelsea in the first few weeks of the season, as well as negotiate some tricky away fixtures at places like Bolton, would not have been lost on Sir Alex Ferguson.
The squad looks stronger than ever with an excellent blend of youth and experience. Sir Alex could afford to have half a dozen of the team that played Benfica in midweek sitting on the bench, and that with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Danny Welbeck, and Tom Cleverly all injured and unavailable.
Young goalkeeper David De Gea made several key saves against Chelsea, the pick of those coming on 72 minutes from Torres when a goal would have brought the Londoners right back into the game.
Anders Lindegaard proved to be a more than capable backup at Benfica in midweek, so it appears at this stage that the feared goalkeeping crisis following the retirement of Edwin van der Sar has been avoided.
Chelsea Still a Force
Notwithstanding this setback, Chelsea remains a force to be reckoned with and will certainly run the two Manchester clubs close in the race for this year’s title.
Make no mistake, they were by no means outplayed at Old Trafford and actually controlled the play for long periods. This is the first league game Villas Boas has lost in 17 months with Porto and Chelsea, and one suspects that he won’t lose too many more.
Recruiting Juan Mata from Valencia was a master stroke, because Fernando Torres looks a different player in tandem with his fellow countryman. Torres should have had a hat trick at Old Trafford. If he can find the mental strength to put that glaring miss behind him he should finally start to pay back some of that huge transfer fee.
