United undress Chelsea to breathe all over the nineteenth
United undress Chelsea to breathe all over the nineteenth
Manchester United 2 (Hernandez 1, Vidic 23) Chelsea 1 (Lampard 67)
He was on his knees, eyes up, palms held open, incantations swiftly recited. At that moment it wasn’t a great theatre of 76,000 souls, and (potentially) a billion others peering through fixated satellites - it was the two of them. Javier Hernandez, and the Almighty. The exact words exchanged in that clandestine conversation we will never know, but it may as well started off as a symposium; within thirty-six seconds, the Mexican’s faith was repaid and Manchester United were on their way. Twenty-three minutes in and their destination had been reached.
The stage was set last week; Chelsea won fortuitously, and United had fallen. Three points separated England’s top two footballing giants, with goal difference level. The London side were in-form and Champions League aside, United were wobbling. By the time it ended, this was all just one colossal anti-climax. It took less a quarter of the match for Manchester United to go two goals up.
Running riot, the gap could have been four or five by the end. Two strong penalty claims were denied by Howard Webb, the first for a clear handball by Frank Lampard, and the second for a clumsy trip by John Terry on Luis Valencia, who was very carefully mutilating Ashley Cole down United’s right flank. Webb also failed to send Branislav Ivanovic off before half-time for hacking Wayne Rooney down twice. The board for injury-time went up, wailing four minutes. There was no more oxygen at Old Trafford. The aforementioned decisions, all in favour of the Blues, gave them a lifeline. Just like last week, the officials might just have kept Chelsea in the title race.
But it wasn’t to be. Javier Hernandez’ goal within a minute, after being played not-very-cleanly-through-but-cleanly-enough by Park ji-Sung, was the result of some sleepy Chelsea defending, in particular from David Luiz and John Terry, and a gorgeous finish. United’s second, from the captain Nemanja Vidic, saw Ryan Giggs roll back the years yet again that you’d suggest to him that he just remain 27 rather than 37, given the alarming regularity with which he plays God with the calendars and clocks. His sumptuous cross was met by the Serbian, who stole in ahead of the dozing Ivanovic to settle the match.
Frank Lampard didn’t score last week against Spurs, but he did this time, after 67 minutes, poking the ball in six yards out.
From then on, the game was open. United hearts were ripped open, Chelsea’s remained open. Chances fell like a guillotine in Henry VIII’s era, to both sides, but United more so. Rooney had a chance cleared off the line, Valencia had ample opportunities to get shots on target but didn’t take them, Hernandez could have had his hat-trick. It was that easy; there was only ever going to be one winner.
The nineteenth is in plain sight. Sir Alex Ferguson is on his perch, with his gaze fixed firmly on it, Barcelona, and quite possibly the most sensational send-off he could have imagined. If he’s had enough, that is.
Man of the match: Park ji-Sung
