CHELSEA LIE DEAD AT OLD TRAFFORD!

 

(Image taken from Manutd.com)

Chelsea last season? Well I don't really need to say much there. However we didn't have the best head-to-head record against them last season. First the Blues managed to get a point out of Old Trafford, which slowed our title run down slightly and then both sides played for a dullsville 0-0 at Stamford Bridge - after we'd already won the title! Still, we hadn't beaten Chelsea since the 05/06 season when we pulled out the stops at Old Trafford.

This season though, well while United had started on dodgy form, it was Chelsea that was already getting the bad results coming into this game and Roman Abramovich though that replacing Jose Mourinho with Arvam Grant, an Israeli mate of his worshipped in his own country but with no credibility anywhere else was a good idea. Not that I was complaining, Grant's first task was to try and get something out of Old Trafford. For United that meant a regular 4-4-2, Ronaldo right mid, Carrick and Scholes centre mid, Giggsy left mid and Rooney and Tevez up front.

Well from the start there was clearly only one side that knew what they were doing and with United doing all the attacking and Chelsea not looking very comfortable about it the new Blues gaffer's only hope was to hold out till half time and after Jon Obi Mikel got sent off, he knew that he'd have to do that with 10 men. Chelsea had no energy whatsoever though and paid the inevitable price just before half time when a Giggsy cross found the head of Tevez for the Argie assasin to open his United account.

The second half? Well really, it reminded me of the 'dead rubber' at Stamford Bridge at the end of last season. OK, so we weren't making that much effort, but then again we didn't need to - it was like the MonStars from Space Jam had stolen the Chelsea players' talents! There are clearly internal issues going on at Chelsea and it's currently looking like the Blues aren't going to make the Champions League next season because of them. Saha had the last word with a 90th minute penalty but it didn't really matter. Roman Abramovich's ego-mania has ended his club's season already!

Elsewhere, well Liverpool drew 0-0 with Birmingham at Ancield while Man City drew 3-3 with Fulham at Craven Cottage which made United well sorted because it sent us up to 2nd in the Premiership and on course for the 08/09 Champions League group stages! We're currently one point ahead of City and the preliminaries in 3rd but we're still two points behind Arsenal who are leading the League with a game in hand and making a lot of people(including me) look like idiots.

North of the border, Aberdeen faced Rangers at Ibrox in the SPL. Rangers looked to have the edge on the Dons in the first half but the Reds did have their share of chances. The Gers stepped up a gear in the second half though, Lee McCulloch, Steven Naismith and Kris Boyd all found the net to continue the Dons' domestic misery and you have to wonder where they're going to get a win from at the moment, a very dissapointing season so far for them.

Elsewhere, St Mirren drew 0-0 with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. That may not sound very interesting but it does send the Dons down to 10th in the SPL and right now they're looking more likely to get sucked into the relegation battle than make it back to Europe next season. Bottom side Inverness CT beat Hearts 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium, putting them only two points behind the Reds while Kilmarnock remain in 6th and the top half of the table - six points ahead of the Dons.

In the Women's World Cup, well England fans got a pretty nasty reality check in the quarter finals, facing the USA at the Tjanin Olympic Center. We gave the high profile US side a real match in the first half, enough to wonder if a major upset was on the cards but the Yanks then ripped us apart in the second half, goals from Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilley seeing the tournament favourites through at our expense - though it was still an impressive run from the Lionesses.

Click here to visit the football archive

Comments get emailed here

Click here to return to sports homepage

Click here to return to Matt G's homepage