New Delhi: Rarely does a 3-1 scoreline reveal so little about the actual story of the game. Yet, though Manchester United ran out winners in the end, their game against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday had much more, from flashes of brilliance to glaring errors, to on-field drama and moments of controversy. Gripping!
Some obvious and not-so-obvious lessons from a terrific encounter -
Defence matters: It could have been a lot better for Chelsea, but it also could have been a lot worse. Poor defending was at fault for all three goals conceded and United had ample chances to add to their tally, twice being denied by the post. A solid defence is crucial to any success - Chelsea should know, as holders of the record for winning the title while conceding the fewest goals in a season (15 in 2004-05). Even the mighty Barcelona, for all their goal-scoring exploits, let in just 21 goals all of last season. So if Chelsea are to harbour any serious ambitions of winning the Premier League, John Terry, Jose Bosingwa and the rest need to get their act together, fast.
Missed chances come back to haunt: Well, more often than not anyway! This game offered a variety of dreadful misses to choose from, with everyone from Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, Ramires and Dimitar Berbatov passing up seemingly straightforward opportunities to score. Rooney's miskicked penalty might have hurt United, but Torres returned his hosts' generosity in the 83rd minute, somehow contriving to shoot wide with the goal at his mercy. It was one of the several chances he missed that might have helped Chelsea earn a point. As it was though, United took their chances while the Blues didn't, and Torres can only rue what might have been.
Torres' misery isn't over yet: For Torres right now, 'anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.' The misfiring Spaniard produced his best game yet in a Chelsea shirt, even scoring a goal after having netted just once in 23 appearances before this game. Any talk of a revival, however, ended prematurely as Torres missed a golden chance seven minutes from time. It is unfortunate and perhaps symptomatic of Torres' current plight, that in a game in which he contributed so positively, it is only his howler that will grab all the headlines. It now remains to be seen whether the troubled striker can recover from this huge setback.
Villas-Boas' Chelsea can threaten: Alex Ferguson said as much before the game, and though the visitors were defeated, it was far from a comfortable win for Manchester United. Meanwhile, there were plenty of positives for his counterpart to draw comfort from, be it his side's attacking play, the number of chances they created or the fight and vigour they showed despite trailing 3-0 at half-time. Chelsea are still a work in progress, but facing a manager who began his career before Villas-Boas was even born, the Portuguese acquitted himself fairly well. He also showed he is not likely to be bogged down by history, bringing on Nicolas Anelka for Frank Lampard at the start of the second half. The decision paid instant dividends, while the manager's faith in the likes of Juan Mata, Raul Meireles, Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku points to a new-look Chelsea in the future. Meanwhile, age is starting to catch up with the 33-year-old Lampard, who will need to adapt himself if he is to keep his place in the Chelsea midfield.
United are favourites to win the title: If four wins in their first four games with 18 goals scored wasn't enough proof enough, a 3-1 victory over the only team that has challenged them in recent times made it blatantly evident. With rival contenders Manchester City dropping points away at Fulham, United are already two points clear at the top of the table. More tellingly, they are in sublime form, scoring goals for fun. New signings Phil Jones and Ashley Young have fitted in seamlessly, while Chris Smalling, Nani, Anderson and Javier Hernandez are going from strength to strength. Even the much-scrutinized David de Gea did well against Chelsea, while a formidable squad is still missing regular centre-backs Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand and youngsters Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck.
Yet, a word of caution - Manchester United on Sunday matched Chelsea's record for the most goals scored (21) after five games of a Premier League season. The Blues made a similarly scintillating start in 2010-11, only to fall away mid-season before finishing runners-up to Ferguson's men. In fact, no team that has scored 13 or more goals in their opening four games has ever gone on to win the league that season. And the last time United began a season with five straight wins - in 1985-86 - they finished fourth.
Of course, that was before Ferguson came to Old Trafford. After the game on Sunday, the ever-critical Scot was quick to point to the number of passes that went astray or the chances that visitors were allowed to create. He knows from experience that it is still too early in the season to draw conclusions and that tougher tests lie ahead, but on the evidence so far, it is hard to bet against the Red Devils winning a 20th league crown.
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