What is RSS?

Deco and Carvalho injured as United denied by late Chelsea equaliser

Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

A late Salomon Kalou goal earned Chelsea a point against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, and maintained the Blues’ four-and-a-half year unbeaten home league record.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men were dealt two early injury blows, with Deco pulling out during the warm-up and Ricardo Carvalho forced off in the opening stages. The hosts’ difficult start was further compounded when Ji-Sung Park gave United a deserved lead, but Kalou’s late strike was just rewards for Chelsea, who enjoyed the better of the play during the second half.

Jose Bosingwa and Carvalho were both selected in the home line-up by Scolari, initially alongside Deco, until the midfielder broke down during the warm-up and was replaced in the starting eleven by Michael Ballack. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still working his way back to full fitness, was joined on the United substitutes’ bench by Nani.

United made an excellent start, dictating much of the play in the opening half hour and restricting Chelsea to a single Joe Cole chance, which he fired past the post. United had threatened on a couple of occasions early on, first through Fletcher who touched a Hargreaves cross past the post, then when Petr Cech was called upon to make an excellent save from Rio Ferdinand after the defender had started and then got on the end of a swift counter attack.

Bosingwa beaten

By that time Carvalho had already been forced off, replaced by Brazilian Alex, and United soon got the goal their play deserved. Wayne Rooney slid the ball through the left hand channel, where Patrice Evra out muscled Bosingwa and found Berbatov with a cutback, with the Bulgarian’s initial shot parried by Cech only for the ever-alert Park to prod home from close-range.

An injury to goalkeeper Edwin van Der Sar appeared to unsettle United somewhat in the build-up to half time, and Chelsea began to enjoy better pressure ahead of the break, although the Blues were largely restricted to long-range efforts from Alex and Ballack.

The second half started in a similar vein to the end of the first, leading Alex Ferguson to introduce Ronaldo for his first league appearance of the season. Within minutes the Portuguese had dragged a shot wide, and soon after Ronaldo skipped past John Obi Mikel and drove at the heart of the Chelsea defence, only for the move to break down on the edge of the penalty area.

With United playing on the break, Chelsea’s pressure began to grow as the half progressed, and United were given a major let-off when Nicolas Anelka failed to get any contact on a Joe Cole cross when faced with an open goal from close range when the slightest of touches would have resulted in a goal.

Ronaldo assist

United had a further chance when Ronaldo found space on the left and played a clever ball across the danger area for Rooney to smash into the side netting, and the miss proved vital when Chelsea levelled with ten minutes left to play.

Scolari had played his final card in introducing Salomon Kalou in place of Ballack, and the Ivorian would prove the Blues’ saviour. John Obi Mikel floated a dangerous free-kick into the penalty area and the unmarked Kalou nodded the ball past substitute United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak to preserve Chelsea’s proud unbeaten home run.

Chelsea:
Cech, Bosingwa, A.Cole, Carvalho (Alex, 11), Terry, Mikel, Lampard, Ballack (Kalou, 73), Malouda (Drogba, 46), J.Cole, Anelka
Yellow Cards: Mikel (66)

Man United:
Van Der Sar (Kuszczak, 31), Neville, Evra, Evans, Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Fletcher, Scholes (Ronaldo, 54), Park (O‘Shea, 74), Rooney, Berbatov
Yellow Cards: Scholes (34), Ferdinand (40), Neville (57), Berbatov (58), Rooney (78), Evra (85), Ronaldo (90)

Goals:
[0-1] Park, 17
[1-1] Kalou, 79