Manchester United 1 v 0 Chelsea
Old Trafford, Manchester
6th November 2005
Before the game, the pundits were out in force predicting a Chelsea win, and the starting of the decline up in Manchester. Keane had even been in the press criticising the team, and it seemed that playing with an uninterested Ferdinand, and with a striker in the key defensive midfield role was a recipe for disaster.
Someone should have given the Man Utd dressing room the script, as United came out every bit the fighting warriors that Keane had said didn't exist, and the press had gone to town with.
Crunching tackles, though not quite of the same ilk as saved for Arsenal, were on the strating menu, with Drigba and lampard both effectively squeezed out of their influential roles by a revitalised Alan Smith with a point to prove.
The goalmouths of both teams suffered a few early scares, with the indomitable van der Sar forced to parry a Drogba shot on 6 minutes, after the Ivory Coast striker had glided past Rio and into space. It looked like it was going to be one of those games for Ferdinand, but in fairness, the scare woke him up, and he never let Drogba get further than a yard away for the rest of the match.
United's goal game from a well crafted move which typically for the whole match, came via Rooney and Ronaldo. Rooney took down an awkward ball and laid it neatly off to Ronaldo who beat Ferreira and chipped it to the back post. Fletcher was waiting around there but forced to back-pedal and aimed his header looping back into the danger-area. It sailed over Cech, then Terry, and flukily dropped in at the far post with only an inch to spare. Cue mass celebrations!
Some battling took it to half-time, with United not allowing Chelsea to settle on the ball, and United going desperately close with a Scholes long-shot.
Chelsea came out at the start of the second half with new intentions, but unfortunately for them, United had been brifed to "attack, attack, attack!", which left Chelsea on the back-foot once more.
Van Nistelrooy failed to turn in a shot on the turn, and Park should have done better when twenty yards out and with just Cech to beat, but United held on, and the 1 goal lead was enough.
United need to hold this good form through to their next match in two weeks. Beating Charlton is a must.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Fletcher, Smith, Scholes, Rooney, van Nistelrooy (Park 82), Ronaldo.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Richardson, Bardsley, Rossi.
Booked: Smith, Ronaldo, Fletcher.
Goals: Fletcher 31.
Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno (Carlton Cole 78), Essien (Gudjohnsen 55), Makelele, Lampard, Joe Cole (Wright-Phillips 74), Drogba, Duff.
