Chelsea Vs Man United Liveblog.

By: Rob | September 20th, 2008

Hello, I’m just about here, and despite my dodgy connection at the moment, will hopefully be bringing you everything as it happens in the match between the two best club sides in the country.
Cristiano Ronaldo could be back in the starting XI for Manchester United, which leaves everyone to ponder who is going to be left out of the side. It could be new signing Berbatov, who missed out midweek through injury, or it could be Wayne Rooney, who was badly deployed in Ronaldo’s position last week against Liverpool. If your looking for a stream, there’s one here.

The Full Liveblog is after the jump.

Chelsea 1 – 1 Manchester United

Park 17 (United)
Kalou 79 (Chelsea)

Full Time - Its all over here, a 1-1 draw. Again United started brightly, but settled after the goal, and it was pretty much all Chelsea second half. That said, bith sides had very good chances to win the game. Thank you to everyone who read and left a comment.

90+3 – Drogba and Ferdinand collide, and instantly Ferdinand heard the whistle and walked off, assuming it was red. But it was the final whistle it seems.

90+2 – Ronaldo tries a flashy overhead kick outside the box, but the keeper saves it.

90+1 – Ronaldo goes into the book for suggesting he was fouled. He was not.

90 – Drogba, beats Rooney in the air, but doesn’t get a good contact.

3 Minutes to be added.

88 – Joe Cole hits a ball over the bar when he could have crossed.

87 – Berba, just offside. Not having his finest 90, Dietmar.

86 – Evra is United’s 6th booking, meaning United get a 25k fine. Do you reckon they can manage that? Will they have to sell John O’Shea to raise funds?

84 – Fletcher shot blocked by Alex, brilliantly.

82 – another Chelsea attack ends in a poor Lampard strike.

81 – Lightning Chelsea break is stopped by Gary Neville, who conceeds a corner. The corner is gotten rid of after Drogba’s shot on the edge is blocked.

79 – GOAL! – From the FK, its beautifully put in on Kalou’s head, and its all square again!

78 – Rooney booked for an awful tackle.

77 – Should have been a United goal – Ronaldo tore the wing apart and passed across the box, but Rooney put it wide on the far side.

76 – Rooney with a deep cross from the RW to Ronaldo, but the latter doesn’t make a great contact.

75 – Poor challenege from Joe Cole on Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney shows a lack of Respect for the Ref, by yelling at him.

- O’Shea on for Park. Not sure where he’s going to play, presumably not LW?

73 – Ballack blasts, just wide after a FK for Chelsea hit the wall. He’s off, Kalou is on.

72 – How did Anelka not score! great play by Chelsea, easy finding space, Joe Cole crosses and Anelka has an open goal, he just has to get something on it, he doesn’t.

70 – Good cross from Bosingwa to Anelka who has a yard, but he puts it wide, awful shot.

- We’re going to see Kalou.

66- Mikel slides in on Ronaldo, FK just outside the box. Ronaldo’s FK hits the wall, he claims handball. Its a corner.

65 – Joe Cole should have scored – he was in, but he hit it straight at the keeper. Not his finest game.

64 – Berbatov is holding it in the corner by the look of it.

63 Gary Neville rashly slide in on Ballack, but credit to the German, he dinks it over the United man and doesn’t go down. It goes out.

60 – Lampard gives Ronaldo a sly grin, and Ronaldo takes a dive next to him.

58 – Berbatov goes into the book after obstructing Ballack.

56 – Bad foul from Gary Neville, who was claiming a FK, didn’t get it, so hacked down Anelka. He’s booked.

55 – Ronaldo gets his first touch, a shot, wide.

- Scholes off, C-Ron on. He’ll go RW, Hargreaves will go CM.

52 – Good counter from United, Rooney tackled, ran all the way up the pitch, passed to Berba who laid off to Park who blazed over.

51 – C-Ron is stripping off. Which means he’s coming on presumably.

50 Kuszczak comes off his line to collect, jumps into Drogba and drops it, FK United.

48 – Good cross from Ballack, but Drogba can’t quite rise enough to meet it.

47 – Joe Cole could havce scored!, cut back to him in the box, but he miskicks

46 – Drogba is robbed by Evra, the latter getting a kick for his troubles.

45 – Chelsea kick off – without Drogba who is stood on the sideline. Confusion rules.

- Drogba will be coming on second half it seems.

Half Time - Apologies for that, My internet went away, but I think i fixed the problem, and, I don’t think we missed a great deal in the last bit of the first half.

39 – Alex blasts against Kuszczak’s goal, the keeper parries, but Ferdinand beats everyone to the loose ball.

- Do the commentators know they are commentating on a stream? “wherever you are around the world, I hope you are enjoying this with us..”

36 – Lampard did well to make space for a shot, but Johnny Evans dived in the way to get a block.

35 – Bit of a battle in centre mid, between Ballack and Scholes, tackles flying in.

34 – Lampard FK comes in and Alex heads into Kuszczak’s gloves.

- Van der Saar off, Kuszczak on.

30 Van Der Saar isn’t taking Goal Kicks anymore, perhaps injured in the Malouda challenge. I think he’s coming off.

29 – Hargreaves, chasing back Ashley Cole, puts his arms up and Cole hits them. No intent, but FK given. Lampard blazes it over the bar.

26 – Controversy ahoy, Van Der Saar might well have given away a penalty there, bringing down, I think Malouda in the box. Ref gives nothing.

- Park against Bosingwa by the way, might be the most pacey battle in Prem History.

24 – Game quieter now. Ballack just broke, but a great tackle from Darren Fletcher gives Chelsea a corner. Which VDS takes.

18 – Joe Cole blazes one towards goal, but Rio deflects it over

17 – GOAL Park Ji Sung has scored! Evra broke wide and slotted back to Berba, who’s shot is parried by Cech, but he just pushes it in front of Park who taps home.

15 – Berbatov and Rooney linked up beautifully, first time control from Roo, and he plays in, of all people Rio Ferdinand in the box, but Cech saves

13 – Berbatov tries to create something on his own, but his shot is blocked.

- Pretty end to end so far.

- Now Hargreaves is down after he made a tackle. Carvalho is off, Alex is on.

9 – Carvalho’s got a knock, Alex looks like he’s coming on for him.

8 – Two great chances at either end! Cech comes out and Rooney dinks it over him, but just wide, then at the other end, Joe Cole was through and the whole crowd is up, but its just wide.

7 – Back, and first thing i see is a bad challenge from Scholes on Ballack

- Oh dear, my internet dropped, and now I can’t get the stream back, hope nothing important is a-happening.

1 – Fletcher gets the first chance, a shot blocked by Berbatov.

- Kick off.

-Berba in red for the first time.

- Ronaldo just hugged ‘Father Figure’ Phil Scolari.

Just waiting for the big KO.

BIG NEWS – Deco has injured himself in the warm up! An early break for United. Ballack plays instead.

- Looking at the United lineup, I’m sort of diassapointed, with a slightly weakend Chelsea (no Essien, Ballack and Drogba not fit enough for 90) I would hope Fergie would go all out attack to end Chelsea’s run at the Bridge. Looks like he just wants to avoid getting beaten though.

- So its Tevez who misses out in the United attack. Giggs and Ronaldo only on the bench.

Teams are in:

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry, Carvahlo, A Cole, Mikel, Lampard, J Coe, Deco, Malouda, Anelka.
Subs: Cudicini, Drogba, Ballack, Bridge, Kalou, Alex, Belletti.

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Fetcher, Scholes, Hargreaves, Park, Berbatov, Rooney.
Subs: Kuszczak, Bornw, Ronaldo, Giggs, Nani, O’Shea, Tevez

I must admit, I’m really looking forward to this. Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea/United games were dull – Fergie played defensive because of his fear of Mourinho, and Jose naturally played quite dull football. I can remember nothing about the 120 minutes they played in the FA Cup final, except relief that it was finally over when Drogba scored.

Last season under Grant though it improved, and the last two games between the club, have been good. With Scolari’s new attacking regieme and Fergie’s wealth of options up front, it should be a very attacking game, and a good advert for the EPL. Hopefully.