A late penalty was the difference at Stamford Bridge, where Frank Lampard's 79th minute conversion saw Chelsea to a 2-1 victory over league-leading Manchester United. In match played with enough energy to match the prestige of the rivalry, Manchester United got a 30th minute goal from Wayne Rooney to open scoring. An early second goal tally from David Luiz equalized before Lampard saw Chelsea past United and into fourth place, extended a home winning streak over the Red Devils that dates back to 2002.
Chelsea FC Vs. Manchester United, Match Report: Late Penalty The Difference As Blues Move Fourth
The first half was played in three parts, the two 4-4-2 set-ups alternating control of the match. Over the opening quarter hour, Chelsea looked the better side, able to come outside-in to threaten United, particularly down their left side. When United asserted some control over the next 15 minutes, Chelsea’s opening looked like early match energy. In the 30th minute, that energy was forgotten, with United taking the lead.
After a spell where Chelsea had trouble getting out of their own half - giveaways by John Terry and Ramires leading to quick chances for the visitors - United found themselves in possession at the edge of the Chelsea third, Wayne Rooney standing above the ball. With Chelsea's line backing into their own area, Rooney was able to take a couple of touches toward the middle of the park before letting go of a 24-yard rocket, soundly beating Petr Cech inside the left post, giving United a 1-0 lead.
After a lull that allowed Chelsea to adjust to the match's new circumstances, Chelsea resumed the approach with which they started. Florent Malouda continued to find opportunities to threaten from the left, finding little resistance from a seemingly reverential John O'Shea.
But it was through the middle the Chelsea created their most threatening chance of the half. Fernando Torres drew a fortunate whistle in the 41st minute, giving Frank Lampard a chance from 27 yards out. The midfielder's shot forced Edwin van der Sar to lay-out for his save, the rebound going high but straight to Branislav Ivanovic at the far post. The defender couldn't muster the required control with his first touch, a ball off his stomach saved off the line by van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic.
The second half started more evenly, but it wasn’t long before Chelsea had found an equalizer. A corner to the right of van der Sar’s goal saw Frank Lampard play a ball through the area. On the second movement, David Luiz was left unmarked to the right of goal. When the ball eventually found him eight yards out, the young Brazilian half-volleyed a ball inside van der Sar’s left upright, giving the `keeper no chance to prevent the equalizer.
The one hour mark saw the match's first change, with Nicolas Anelka giving way for Didier Drogba. The Ivorian was a controversial if unsurprising exclusion, with Carlo Ancelotti electing to keep the tandem that won last week in Copenhagen.
Drogba’s first spell on the pitch met a match where the sides had evened-out play. The energy Chelsea carried from their equalizer had dissipated. Manchester United had not only started holding more possession, they’d created some moments of worry for their hosts, with Wayne Rooney looking dangerous probing left of center.
In the 70th minute, Alex Ferguson made his first set of changes. Javier Hernández gave way for Dimitar Berbatov, a like-for-like. In a more historic move, Ryan Giggs replaced Paul Scholes. The move shifted Darren Fletcher back to the middle, Nani to the right, but also tied Bobby Charlton for most league appearances by a United player.
In the 79th minute, after 25 minutes of relatively even play, Chelsea got the match's big break. Building an attack down their left, Didier Drogba drew John O'Shea in before flicking a ball wide to Frank Lampard. The Chelsea midfielder played the ball back toward Yurik Zhirkov (who had come on earlier for Florent Malouda). Zhirkov touched the ball past Chris Smalling before trying to run past the defender's slightly outstretched left leg. When the Russian went down, Martin Atikinson pointed to the spot, awarded a penalty kick Lampard blasted into the upper 90. With just over 10 minutes to go, Chelsea had taken their first lead, 2-1.
For five minutes after the goal, Chelsea searched for a second, their best chance seeing Vidic save a Zhirkov shot off the line. Soon after, Chelsea adopted a more conservative stance, settling-in to defend their lead. By that time, Alex Ferguson had used his last substitution, with Fabio da Silva coming on for the injured Patrice Evra.
Fabio nearly had an equalizer in the 87th minute. Wayne Rooney played in the left back, but by the time da Silva cut outside a recovering José Bosingwa (on in the 81st for David Luiz), Petr Cech come out to collect the ball.
In the third minute of stoppage time, United's last hope seemed to fade as Nemanja Vidic left the pitch. Already on a yellow, Vidic pulled down Ramires to the right of the penalty area. Atkinson again brandished a card, followed it up with a red, and sent the captain to the locker room. Vidic is now set to miss Sunday's match at Liverpool.
One minute later, Atkinson blew his whistle, this time ending the match. Manchester United was handed their second loss of the season, their lead atop the league staying at four. Chelsea, with their biggest victory of the season, passes Tottenham Hotspur for fourth place, moving within 12 of United.
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