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
