Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, criticised Manchester United’s players for not showing respect to Mike Riley, the referee, during yesterday’s 1-1 draw. United will be fined £25,000 for failing to control their players after collecting seven yellow cards on their first visit to West London since the so-called “battle of Stamford Bridge” in April, which threatened to take place off the pitch on this occasion when a brick was thrown through a window of the visiting team’s coach as it left the ground. “There was an incident and it’s in the hands of the police,” a United official said.

John Obi Mikel was the only Chelsea player booked in a feisty encounter, but Scolari showed no sympathy for his opponents after his first Barclays Premier League meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson. Three of United’s bookings were the result of dissent in a game that ended with Rio Ferdinand condemning Didier Drogba’s behaviour and Scolari unhappy that Chelsea were not permitted to take an injury-time free kick after Riley had signalled a foul on the Ivory Coast striker, then immediately blown the final whistle. United could face further charges because, five months after Ferdinand accidentally kicked a female steward after his side’s 2-1 league defeat away to Chelsea, the player left the field mouthing obscenities about Riley.

“I’m not surprised there were so many yellow cards,” Scolari said. “The referee is there for this. If players don’t respect him, they should get a yellow or red. Not only for Manchester. Chelsea, Liverpool, any club, if they don’t respect the referee, yellow and red.

“I was more surprised the referee finished the game at that time. But like I said before, he is the referee, the boss on the pitch, and his decision is his decision. We have to respect it.”

Scolari was happier with the performance of his side, who came from behind to move up to second place, a point behind Arsenal. Park Ji Sung gave United the lead with an eighteenth-minute tap-in, but Salomon Kalou, a substitute, equalised with a header in the 80th minute to extend Chelsea’s unbeaten home league record to 85 matches. But Chelsea’s salvage operation came at a cost, as Ricardo Carvalho, the defender, limped off with a knee problem after Deco, the midfield player, pulled a groin muscle in the prematch warm-up. United lost Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper, in the first half with a knee injury.

“The game is one of the best we’ve played this season because we had many problems,” Scolari said. “My team have a fantastic spirit. [Michael] Ballack was only fit for 45 minutes, but started and played 70 minutes. Mikel was fantastic, he played at the back of midfield, at the front, right side, left side, fighting and jumping.

“This is the spirit I want and this is the spirit Chelsea has. I’m happy with this. It is not just Manchester and Chelsea, there are five or six teams near the top. I think after maybe 20 games one or two of the teams will be a few points in front, but now we are all together. The record is not important for me, only the fans. The record we want is to win the championship.”

Ferguson expressed satisfaction at a result that left United fifteenth in the table, but was clearly irked by Riley’s performance, as he demonstrated when explaining his shock when Mike Phelan, the United assistant manager, popped a balloon by his feet during the first half.

“I wished he’d burst it under Riley as it might have woken him up,” Ferguson said. “It was a competitive game, but I did not think there was one bad tackle in it. The game is being screened worldwide, everyone is watching it, and that goes on. All things being equal, I felt we deserved a point.

“They had a lot of free kicks around the box at the end, but we worked hard and I felt we deserved it.”