Overview
A run of eight wins and a draw in their last nine league games meant Chelsea arrived at Old Trafford yesterday just three points behind their hosts. Carlo Ancelotti’s side knew a win would see them leapfrog Man United with just two games left but were given no time to settle, as Javier Hernandez put United ahead after just 36 seconds.
The visitors went two behind midway through the first-half, as Nemanja Vidic headed home his fifth league goal of the season to leave Chelsea with an uphill battle in the attempt to retain their title. Frank Lampard prodded home just before the 70th minute mark to give Ancelotti’s side some hope but their efforts proved to be in vain as United saw out the win to record a fourteenth straight home league that leaves them one point shy of the title.
The home side were cleaner in the challenge, winning 25 Tackles to 14, but Ancelotti’s side ended the match with 4 Yellow Cards to United’s 2, as frustration got the better of the current champions with their crown slipping away.
Player Positions
After being rested in the midweek Champions League match with Schalke, the likes of Rooney, Hernandez, Ferdinand and Vidic all returned to first-team action, as United went 4-4-2. Sir Alex Ferguson opted for the industry of Park and Valencia on the wings, dropping Nani to the bench, with Giggs and Carrick patrolling central midfield.
Pushed high on the right, Valencia (25) troubled Ashley Cole all game and nullified the Chelsea left-back as an attacking threat. Park (13) was stationed on the left wing but such was his energy, the South Korean popped up in the centre throughout the 90 minutes, which allowed Giggs (11) some attacking licence, as Carrick (16) sat deep.
Carlo Ancelotti chose to drop Fernando Torres after the Spaniard’s poor performance last week at home to Spurs; Didier Drogba (11) was re-installed to the middle of the front three and Salomon Kalou (21) returned wide right. Chelsea’s trio of forwards didn’t give much width, though, with only Malouda (15) a constant attacking intent. Drogba was thoroughly disappointing; he had 5 Shots but just 1 was on target, and was Dispossessed 6 times, more than any other player.
Shot Directions
United had 10 shots all game, with 78% of their attempts from through the middle. No surprise, given Rooney and Hernandez mustered 7 between them. With Vidic’s goal coming from inside the penalty area, the only shots from out wide came from the wingers, as Valencia and Park has 1 Shot apiece.
Chelsea followed a similar pattern; 75% of their Shots came through the middle and both flanks were equal, on 13%. Nine different players had shots from the visiting side, though, with Drogba’s 5 followed by Salomon Kalou on 3. Kalou, at least, worked the keeper more than his fellow Ivorian, as all 3 efforts were on target.
Pass Types
Chelsea had 53% Possession but, having went two-up within 23 minutes, United were happy to let the visitors have the ball and hit them with pace on the counter, hitting 80 Long Balls to Chelsea’s 64.
Ancelotti’s side made a total of 440 Passes to United’s 400, with 350 Short Passes to the hosts’ 300 but were unable to penetrate on enough occasions to make their advantage count.
Star Player Comparison
An all-action performance from Ji-Sung Park saw impressive stats right across the board; he had 78 Touches (second only to Ryan Giggs for United) and made 43 Passes with an 81% Accuracy. Park made 3 Key Passes, which led to 1 Assist, and, going forward, had 2 Successful Dribbles against Chelsea.
He also made an outstanding 8 Tackles, far and away the most of any player; Nemanja Vidic was next best with 5. The South Korean won our Man of the Match award for this industrious display, with a rating of 8.39
With 73 Touches, Florent Malouda saw far more of the ball than any of Chelsea’s front three. Malouda was the game’s chief creator, making a fantastic 7 Key Passes from a total of 44 (with a 93% Accuracy) though poor finishing from team mates saw him end with no assists.
Malouda’s trickery troubled United plenty, too; his total of 3 Dribbles was bettered by one other player on the day, Antonio Valencia. He also floated in 7 Crosses, equalling Valencia for top-billing. No wonder he was the most fouled player on the pitch, then. With a rating of 7.99, Malouda was the stand-out player for the visitors in this disappointing defeat.
