Analysis from Manchester United vs Chelsea

After painstakingly distancing myself from any soccer or mainstream sports site that I feared would reveal the result of the Manchester United vs. Chelsea battle, I finally got a chance to watch the game for myself on DVR at 1 A.M..

I have to say that I was a bit disappointed, not just because I'm a fan of the Blues. The game was more open and fast-paced than recent affairs between the rivals, but Deco missing with an injury and Ronaldo not coming on til the second half removed some anticipated aesthetic appeal. Still there was the debut of Dimitar Berbatov for Man U, Alex Ferguson's first attempt to outwit fellow footballing genius Luiz Felipe Scolari, and Wayne Rooney managing to stay on for a full 90 minutes despite a card happy referee.

Here are random bits of insight I gleaned from the game:

The first 15 minutes saw a back-and-forth high paced hectic pace with each team on the attack. The highlight was a ridiculous looping volley by Rooney attempting to chip Petr Cech that narrowly missed the goal.

Manchester United scored soon afterward following a spectacular team move consisting of a string of about six first touch passes culminating in a Ji-sung Park rebound goal. Park is oft-overlooked (a racially insensitive friend of mine calls him "that Chinese guy on Manchester United who never does anything") , but I have a lot of respect for him. He's constantly moving on the field, tracks back and gets forward at full speed, and never shies away from physical contact. It's hard to think of a comparable player to Park, but maybe Mikel Arteta?

United controlled much of the rest of the half, with Chelsea surging late, but never really threatening.

The second half was all Chelsea thanks to John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard. Soon after I scribbled down that Mikel was having a quiet game and didn't seem to be quick enough to keep up with the world-class athletes on the field, he not only stepped up the pace, he took over. His passing improved and became more adventurous, his one free kick was perfectly taken and led to an easy goal for Salomon Kalou, he stuffed Cristiano Ronaldo on multiple occassions one-on-one, and he was an excellent aerial deterrent to United's attack, especially crucial after Ricardo Carvalho went off injured in the first half.

Lampard's game was subtle, but extremely effective. He never found the space to make marauding 20-yard dribbles from the center line, but he alleviated pressure on teammates with excellent first touches, possession, and passing. He rarely gave the ball away and was strong in the tackle. Lamps wasn't flashy, but his second-half steady play inspired the whole side.
Didier Drogba came on late and looked like a black Andy Reid... or put more simply, pretty fat. He should take a cue from Mido and lose a few stones, and stop there when it comes to emulating Mido.

Nicolas Anelka whiffed badly from three yards out after a perfect Joe Cole cross when it would've been easier to score. I'm thinking he's not Chelsea quality. I hear Spurs need a striker...

Jonny Evans had a quiet, impressive day. It's hard to believe he's just 20 years old. I don't see United missing Nemanja Vidic if Evans plays like that every game.

And Cristiano Ronaldo, the 130 million quid man... He's clearly not all the way back from his injury yet as he tried to take every Chelsea player one-on-one and was stuffed basically every time. This fan of beautiful football hopes his form improves and he lights up the next match-up between these two top-of-the-table sides.

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