Manchester United and Chelsea are owned by Americans and Russians respectively these days, but this is not yet one of history’s great superpower contests. It is a sign of how new the rivalry is that the Old Trafford faithful have no traditional Chelsea-baiting songs. Before Tuesday’s semi-final against Barcelona the Manchester pubs were full of fans singing the old ones about Liverpool and even Leeds United (who are in English football’s third tier). But not an abusive couplet could be heard about the club fighting United to be champions of Europe and the Barclays Premier League.

In my quick poll of fellow Reds at the Barcelona match, some wanted Liverpool in the final for the chance to put a big one over the old enemy. Far more, however, hoped it would be Chelsea — a stronger team — because they could not bear the thought of losing to the Scousers.

Either way, the big motivating factor was a deep detestation of Liverpool FC.

Traditional rivalries die hard in football and new ones are easier to find in headlines than in supporters’ hearts. But in Chelsea’s case we are working on it. In the past couple of years it has become a heated contest for supremacy on the pitch, culminating in Saturday’s ill-tempered match and the “Battle of the Bridge” nonsense. Off the pitch, however, it has still more often seemed like a battle of the brands than the fans.

This is not to deny that there is history between the clubs. When I started supporting the United of Georgie Best in the Swinging Sixties, Chelsea were the rival glamour club of the South, with players who were part of the Kings Road scene. Behind the glam, the Chelsea aggro of Ron “Chopper” Harris and the Shed skinheads ensured that there was little love lost. (Although as a football nostalgic I rather like the way that they still play The Liquidator, the ultimate boot-boy anthem, before matches at the Bridge.)

In the first decade of the Premier League, as Alex Ferguson’s United knocked Liverpool off their perch, Chelsea became known as our “bogey team” — a lesser team who you fail to roll over. Chelsea have taken the most points off United since the start of the Premier League in 1992, winning ten and drawing 13 of the 32 matches. But still, they were not seen as serious rivals.

Even when they thrashed the Reds 5-0 in October 1999, it turned out meaningless in a season when United won the title by a record margin. The one real showdown, the 1994 FA Cup Final, became a 4-0 Eric Cantona show. The one chant I can recall hearing about the Blues — the uninspired repetition of “Chelsea rent boys” — reinforced the impression that there was something fey and flash but fragile about them. Of course, with the arrival of Roman Abramovich and José Mourinho, Chelsea became an overnight superpower, not only taking the league crown but challenging for United’s treasured title of MUFC — Most Unpopular Football Club. Two years ago they hammered United 3-0 to celebrate their second league title. Things have been warming up ever since.

The best thing about this fresh rivalry is that it has given Sir Alex Ferguson a new lease of life, driving his team to the remarkable achievement of regaining the title from Roman’s legions. Now Ferguson will want to reassert the Red order in Moscow, hopefully having beaten Avram Grant’s Chelszzzea to the Premier League title. And maybe by then United fans will not just be singing from the same old songsheet.

Chelsea may never be arch enemies like Liverpool, but one of those is more than enough already.

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