Very strange thread considering we were playing the best Chelsea team in 5~ years in the best form in a similar period. It was the worst possible time to visit historically our most difficult fixture of the season. In my opinion, ignoring the decisions the game went something like:
0-35 mins: Chelsea have more of the ball but look ineffectual. United look lethal every time they get the ball and save some wastefulness could be at least 3 up.
35-45 mins: Chelsea wake up, which combined with United changing mentality causes Chelsea being on the ascendancy. Decent defending combined with excellent Goalkeeping means we should be going into half time 2-0 up. Brain fart from Rooney, excellent set piece, 2-1.
45-55: As expected Chelsea come out of the traps and United continue to defend, Chelsea score, 2-2.
55-63: Exactly as Chelsea did at 2-0, United wake up and start playing some good Football. Game could go either way at this point.
63-70: United's ascendancy is illustrated when Young is tripped when clear through on goal, Ivanovic has to go. United in the driving seat, Torres harshly sent off.
70-75: Inevitable that United will score, United score.
75-90: United see out the game relatively comfortably against Chelsea's 9 men, bar a few stupid passes that give Chelsea possession.
It was a good performance against a very good team, the 65 minutes of 11-11 was roughly split between us being much better for half and them being much better for half. They packed the midfield, which exposed Cleverley-Carrick for the period Chelsea were ahead. We went for width, which exposed their full backs for the period we were ahead.
Although I can see why some people think it was a far more terrible performance when people are writing this:
It was an abysmal decision. Not just wrong, but full of the alienating arrogance of modern officialdom. There is no way Clattenburg could have been sure, 100 per cent sure, stone-cold guaranteed beyond all semblance of doubt sure, that Torres had cheated. He knew the consequence of a booking would be a red card. Yet he ploughed ahead, altering the balance of power beyond repair, convicting an innocent man on a hunch. He ruined the game, there and then. It was now a matter of time before United found a way through.
It took seven minutes. Van Persie shot, Petr Cech got his fingertips to the ball and, as it edged towards the goal-line, recovered to kick clear. His desperate attempt found only Rafael, however, who drilled a shot into the area to be turned in by substitute Javier Hernandez. If the sense of injustice inside Stamford Bridge was already palpable it exploded when replays showed Hernandez standing in an offside position when Rafael shot. He was almost on the goal-line, level with Cech at best, but behind every blue shirt. It was not a difficult offside for a linesman to spot. To be fair, Lemon Jefferson could have taken a fair swing at it. Using Ray Charles’s spectacles.
At this point it is customary to trot out the cliche about refereeing being an impossible job and its protagonists deserving of sympathy. No it isn’t and no they aren’t. Not here, anyway. It is not impossible to use common sense, as Clattenburg should have done over Torres, or to spot no blue shirt between a red shirt and goal. Yet Clattenburg’s bravado continued to the bitter end. In stoppage-time, he booked Antonio Valencia for diving when he plainly ran into Mikel. He should not be near a match as big as this for a very long time.
at this...