The significance of this result cannot be overstated. We have utterly murdered the very team who were short favourites to win the league this year. Incredibly, this was not a particularly classy display from United, but it was more than enough to do the job.
Berbatov was involved in all three goals and after his recent contributions I estimate that he has been worth about 9 points over the last month. That is not 30 million pounds but it is important.
Having been behind all season we can now be top of the league by teatime on Saturday provided we win our games in hand.
It is a lot of fixtures in a short anount of time but I think we can do it. If they do, then I think we can all forgive them for that result at Derby.
Yes, a brilliant result and particularly enjoyable for those of us who have to watch their football in a Chelsea-infested neighbourhood! My pub was very, very, quiet by the middle of the second half.
This was above all a great team performance with contributions of the expected quality from everyone on the pitch – without, as you say, hitting the real heights they are still capable of. I am struggling to name our MOTM – Giggs or Vidic?? Both had fine games and it is great to see a 35 year old tracking back, winning tackles and spraying the ball around. And as for Veni Vidi Vidic he scored one goal, made another by “inadvertently” getting in a defender’s way and dealing with the off-form but still powerful Drogba with nary a hint of effort.
We must now win our games in hand against teams who will put up much stiffer resistance than Chelski. But reminding themselves that they can perform like that should get them the 6 points we are expecting from the next two games.
By the way, i think you should publish the Benitez rant. Fergie reckons he is “disturbed”. I think it is all getting to him big time. It’s on http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7820798.stm
By all accounts a great win and a great performance, I take a delight in seeing Chelsea play so badly. For me one of the most important playes in the squad is Evra so it was good to see him back. However, Wigan at home will be tricky, the most in form team in the country at the moment, and we lost at Bolton last season.
Having said that, this weekend could not have gone better, after the horrendously timed outburst from Benitez, a man who leaves £50 million worth of striking talent on the bench in a game against a team with one of the best home records in the Division.
I’m off to weigh up the offer of £150 return flights to Rome in May……………
Love is a difficult thing to live with. The world knows that your beloved loves you but it’s not apparent to you. So being 1-0 or even 2-0 up is akin to being in love with a young woman who may let you down in an instant (Deportivo: 1-0 up after 85 minutes yet losing 2-1). Fans of Bayern Munich will empathise.
So I sat on my mate’s couch on Sunday twisting in angst until the battling Bulgar scored the third.
But in retrospect something deeply significant happened, as it did after about 65 minutes of the Milan semi in April 07. As we set about them the Opposition was going. They were on the ropes. They were about to collapse. They were grateful for the end of the game whistle.
It’s a great thing to know you are unbeatable if you can stay sane enough to appreciate it.
TG