Graphic: Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

Mike Dean had some big calls to make at Old Trafford yesterday. It really would have spoilt it had he got one right. He gave a penalty that was not; missed a penalty that was; sent off a player that did not deserve it; merely cautioned one that did. When Sir Alex Ferguson describes a red card to an opposition player as harsh, it would suggest an extreme miscarriage of justice. If the jury is out on the new Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, it is because the performance of the referee ruled this match a mistrial.

Chelsea were not particularly impressive, but the dismissal of John Obi Mikel for a tackle that was at worst recklessly overenthusiastic in the 31st minute, ended the match as a fair contest. Denied their two most significant attacking players in Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, Chelsea were already struggling to contain Manchester United; once reduced to ten men it made the first goal a matter of time, and roughly 14 minutes later one duly arrived.

The only reason to withhold sympathy for Chelsea, who, with 11 points from seven games are experiencing their worst spell since the stewardship of Gianluca Vialli in the 2000-01 season, is the fact that before Dean had wrongly dismissed Mikel, he had also failed to spot a certain penalty when Joe Cole clumsily hacked Patrice Evra down in the penalty area. As the second half unfolded, the calamities continued. Joe Cole could easily have followed Mikel to the dressing-room for taking out Cristiano Ronaldo, late, from behind and with no chance of winning the ball. Louis Saha looked to have played Dean for a patsy when winning a penalty in the 88th minute, making the most of minimal contact from Tal Ben Haim and collapsing to the ground as if picked off by a stadium sniper.

In this way, Dean ensured that few are any the wiser about Grant or his regime. Had he continued to hold United to a goalless draw, what would he have done to win the game late on? Would understandable early caution have given way to a more expansive style? Would he have thrown a second striker on, perhaps moved away from the 4-3-3 blueprint of José Mourinho? We must wait and see; the dead hand of Dean killed the game, as surely as Grant’s solemn demeanour and a series of hangdog touchline expressions are doing no favours for Chelsea’s hopes of sending a global brand around the world, after the departure of the handsome, smartly attired and compelling José Mourinho.

Grant had little to crack a smile about, once Dean ripped a hole in his solidly-constructed midfield, by showing Mikel a straight red card for a tackle that warranted at most a yellow, if that. Mikel’s tackle on Evra may have looked two-footed from Dean’s angle, but replays showed Mikel led with one and mistimed his arrival only slightly.

It looked much worse than it was, but experienced professional referees such as Dean are there to judge such things and five dismissals in his past seven matches suggests a certain overeagerness. The reaction of the United players, particularly Wayne Rooney, did not help, though. For obvious reasons he, more than anyone, should have known better.

As should Joe Cole when, in the seventeenth minute, he chased Evra back into Chelsea’s penalty area from along the flank, before attempting a diving tackle that took the ball, but only after removing the player first. As the crowd roared for a penalty, Dean signalled a firm negative in front of the Stretford End. Full marks for bravery, zero for accuracy. Anyone can take the ball if the man can be sent airborne, too, and Chelsea could have been a goal down almost 30 minutes before Carlos Tévez opened the scoring.

Even that goal, his first of the season, was not without controversy. Dean’s assistant showed that two minutes of injury time would be played at the end of the first half, but there were more than three additional minutes on the clock when Tévez met a perfect cross from Ryan Giggs at the near post to glance the ball past Petr Cech.

And that, really, was that. A shot by Giggs over the bar in the 58th minute aside, the second half consisted of little more than bookings and unsuccessful Chelsea substitutions - Claudio Pizarro looking even more cumbersome than Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips seeming about as far away from an England player as it is possible to be, without turning into Michael Ricketts – punctuated by the odd howler from Dean.

His final lowlights comprised the decision to book Joe Cole for a tackle on Ronaldo that was considerably worse than Mikel’s hit on Evra and the penalty given to Saha for a small touch from Ben Haim, followed by a dive that appeared to make even his manager uncomfortable. Saha converted from the spot, underlying rough justice as the theme for the day.

United were much the better team and deserved the win, incredibly the first time since April 28 that Ferguson’s team have scored more than a single goal in a game. Chelsea’s premium performer was Cech, whose first-half display in goal was exceptional, including saves from Rooney, Michael Carrick, Tévez and a quite stunning stop after a glancing header from Nemanja Vidic.

Chelsea, by contrast, were ineffectual and the continued inclusion of Roman Abramovich’s favourite, Shevchenko, is doing little to increase their chances of scoring. He had a shot travel over after eight minutes and pulled off an exquisite turn six minutes later, which caused Evra and Vidic to run into each other, but these were party tricks, when his club needed a star turn. He was replaced by Salomon Kalou after 58 minutes to the surprise of nobody.

At the end, Abramovich stood and applauded warmly as if what he had seen was a big improvement. It was nothing of the sort. Chelsea were predictable and uninspiring, as they have been for much of the season; the only change was that this time it was agreed widely that they also had the referee to blame. In a bizarre way, while being stitched up by Dean, the new manager might also have been a little lucky he was there.

AVRAM WATCH

Team selection Grant would have to be a cross between Rinus Michels and Arsène Wenger to fulfil the demand for beautiful football, but on this evidence he is closer to José Mourinho. Sprang a surprise by dropping Salomon Kalou for an extra midfield player, although, in the circumstances, it was justified. 3 Mourinhos out of 5

Substitutions Grant showed that he is his own man. Andriy Shevchenko was bravely removed after 58 minutes and he took a gamble by putting on Shaun Wright-Phillips and Claudio Pizarro in search of an equaliser. The manager was unable to get his side back into the game, but he was not responsible for losing it, either. 3/5

Tactics If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then maybe Grant liked Mourinho after all. The Israeli’s tactics were reminiscent of his predecessor’s, if not more conservative, with Chelsea’s 4-1-4-1 formation designed to smother Manchester United. As the home side dominated entirely, they cannot be deemed a success. 2/5

Touchline demeanour With his ill-fitting tracksuit, Grant resembles a provincial PE teacher in contrast to Mourinho’s slick corporate lawyer, and their approach to management appears equally different. Whereas Mourinho ranted and raved, Grant was either sat in the dugout or standing silently with arms folded, offering little in the way of inspiration. 2/5

Specialness To judge from the fact that the travelling supporters refused to chant his name – singing instead for Mourinho and Steve Clarke – Chelsea fans are still to be convinced. The home supporters taunted them with “Where is the Special One?”. After this, Chelsea fans may be wondering the same. 2/5
Matt Hughes

Manchester United 2 Tévez 45, Saha 90 (pen)
Chelsea 0

How they rated

Manchester United 4-2-3-1

E van der Sar 6 W Brown Y 7 R Ferdinand 8 N Vidic 7 P Evra 6 M Carrick 7 P Scholes 6 C Ronaldo 7 C Tévez 7 R Giggs 7 W Rooney Y 7 Substitutes L Saha (for Tévez, 78min) Not used Nani, G Piqué, J O’Shea, T Kuszczak Next: Birmingham City (a)

Chelsea 4-1-4-1

P Cech 8 P Ferreira 6 T Ben Haim 6 J Terry Y 6 A Cole 7 M Essien 6 C Makelele 6 J O Mikel R 5 J Cole Y 5 A Shevchenko 5 F Malouda 6 Substitutes S Kalou 5 (for Shevchenko, 58), S Wright-Phillips 4 (for Malouda, 68), C Pizarro (for J Cole, 75) Not used C Cudicini, Alex Next: Fulham (h)

Referee M Dean
Attendance 75,663