The fans had barely settled into their seats, when a roar went up. It had taken United just thirty six seconds to take the lead. Hernandez had slotted the ball past Cech to give Manchester United the lead. Cech even in his wildest dream wouldn’t have imagined that he would be called upon to make a save, so early into the game .
Chelsea’s defense was caught napping, as the through ball from Park found Hernandez who doesn’t need a second invitation to score. Luiz was the culprit for not clearing the ball and Terry was caught ball watching. United were relentless and took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Chelsea were going into this game with a must win situation and began with a more attacking 4-3-2-1 formation. Cech was forced to make a fine save to deny Rooney from scoring. It was not long before Chelsea’s defense fell asleep and Vidic headed in the ball to double United’s lead. It seemed like a competition between a hare and a tortoise, as Chelsea’s players played at a pedestrian pace. Chelsea’s only chance to score came, when Kalou’s header was tipped over by Van der Saar to safety. United had tormented Chelsea’s defense in the first half of the game.
Ancelotti had to make some drastic changes, as Chelsea’s dream of retaining the title was slipping away. Mikel and Luiz were substituted by Ramires and Alex. It was an uncharacteristic John Terry display, as he seemed to be carrying an injury which hampered his movement. Ivanovic was lucky not be sent off for a rash tackle on Rooney. Ashley Cole, probably England’s best left back was tormented by Valencia throughout the game.
Valencia after a long layoff seems like a totally different player and his marauding runs reminded the fans off Ronaldo. Chelsea pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute. Kalou was substituted by Torres as the last throw of the dice by Ancelotti. Vidic and Ferdinand dished out another good performance for United at the back.
The score line read 2-1 at the end of the game and the players began to celebrate as the title was their’s for the taking. United with this victory has slammed door of hope, which had opened for Chelsea. Even though the score card read 2-1, it was evident from the body language of Chelsea’s players that they had been pummeled into submission.
Watch video highlights from the game here
