Chelsea have grabbed a bit of revenge over Manchester United for this weekend's unfortunate match, albeit in a different competition against a mostly reserve team. In a very entertaining game, Chelsea pushed United to extra time, then dominated that extra period en route to a 5-4 win.
Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Final score 5-4, revenge is sweet
It doesn’t make up for the lost points and players from the weekend, but Chelsea were able to beat Manchester United in their second match at Stamford Bridge in four days.
United scored the opener in the 22nd minute thanks to a terrible error, after a solid spell of play from Chelsea. Daniel Sturridge mucked up a couple of clear chances before the 22nd minute, when Oriol Romeu miscontrolled a goal kick from Petr Cech, gifting a chance to United. Anderson took the ball off Romeu and set up Ryan Giggs for a nice finish, giving United a 1-0 lead.
The Blues got back into it quickly, thanks to a bad foul by Alexander Buttner. In the 30th minute, he took down Victor Moses in the penalty area and the spot kick was given. David Luiz stepped up and converted the equalizer, but Chelsea wouldn't stay level long. Another giveaway led to United's second goal, this time committed by Luiz. He went on one of his famous runs into midfield with the ball, but lost it to Anderson. He found Javier Hernandez in space, and Chicharito finished off the chance to send United into halftime with a lead.
Both sides made substitutions at halftime. Ramires came on for John Obi Mikel, while Nick Powell replaced Buttner. Mikel had been booked earlier, which probably contributed to the change.
Chelsea equalized on 52 minutes, thanks to an excellent corner by Juan Mata. He delivered for Gary Cahill, who hit a powerful header into the center of the goal. Ramires tried to clear off the line with a header, but the ball had clearly crossed the line before he was able to nod it away.
Nani fired United back into the lead in the 59th minute with a fantastic finish, helped by Anderson, who had a surprisingly brilliant match. On the edge of the penalty area, they played a one-two combination with Anderson returning the ball to Nani, who chipped over Cech to put his side back in front.
It appeared that Chelsea would once again have gripes with the officiating in a game against United until the very end. In the 71st minute, Mata had a cross hit the outstretched hand of Michael Keane, but no penalty was given. Eventually, they did have a call go in their favor, with Lee Mason pointing to the spot for a shove by Scott Wootton on Ramires. Eden Hazard, who came on as a substitute, stepped up and buried it to force extra time.
The inexperience of United's defense continued to catch up with them in the extra period. A terrible attempt at a header by Wootton on a long ball turned into a perfect through ball for Sturridge, who rounded Anders Lindegaard and slotted the ball into the back of the net to give Chelsea a lead in the 97th minute. Luiz nearly put the Blues two goals up just before the end of the first 15-minute half of extra time, striking the crossbar with a free kick.
Hazard and Ramires effectively ended proceedings in the 115th minute, with Hazard providing a truly world class assist to Ramries for the clincher. Incredibly, United got back into the game with a late penalty, scored by Giggs after Cesar Azpilicueta took down Hernandez in the box, but they never came close to equalizing as Chelsea held on for a one-goal victory.
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