Man United 2-2 Chelsea: Hazard and Ramires goals cap remarkable fightback to secure Stamford Bridge replay

10 Mar 2013 18:47

Man United were two goals up inside ten minutes thanks to Hernandez and Rooney PLUS player ratings

Cue the replay: Ramires of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's leveller

Alex Livesey

Hands up if you saw that coming. Fergie certainly didn’t. Not at half-time. Nor, in truth, did anybody else inside Old Trafford.
But as Rafa Benitez went from staring at humiliation to pondering what should have been, United were left facing their first real doubts of the entire campaign.
A week which began with dreams of the ultimate Treble, cruelly undone by that infamous red card for Nani on Wednesday night, ended with them hanging onto their Double ambitions by the thinnest of threads.
Things can change quickly in football. The past few days have demonstrated that and whenever these two meet again for the right to play Manchester City at Wembley what happened last night will be ­irrelevant.
United, though, perhaps briefly, have lost that effortless sense of poise, that expectation of victory from a state of dominance.
And the way Chelsea came back from the dead to be in a position to thrust the blade in United’s FA Cup heart will perhaps give City hope the title race is not over either.
When Wayne Rooney’s free-kick sailed over and past everybody to put United two up inside 11 minutes, there was surely only one possible outcome.
The ghosts of that defeat by Real Madrid seemed to have been exorcised, Rooney marking his return in fitting style, the Blues simply all over the place.

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Manchester United 2- 2 Chelsea: All the FA Cup action from Old Trafford

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 Benitez’s game-plan seemed out of the window, too, with the opening goal a defensive shocker, leaving fingers pointing in all directions.
Nothing, though, could detract from the quality of Michael Carrick’s angled ball, Hernandez’s run between Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta or the intelligence with which he headed over Petr Cech, caught in no-man’s land.
It was the Mexican’s seventh goal in nine games against Chelsea. Some record, and when United doubled their advantage it looked like a question of the scale of Sir Alex Ferguson’s triumph over his bitter foe.
A swift counter-attack, initiated by Rooney, was only ended when Victor Moses downed Nani on the left of the box.
Rooney took responsibility, floating the set-piece into the danger area and with David Luiz’s battle with Jonny Evans leaving the ball unmolested, it was past Cech before he could respond.
Chelsea have been there before, of course. Back in November they were two down after 12 minutes and level inside an hour only to fall apart late-on after two red cards.
Yesterday, though, a repeat looked even less likely, so open and exposed were Benitez’s team, the Spaniard still fuming about being blanked by the Scot before the start.
Frank Lampard shot weakly and Victor Moses, teased in by Juan Mata, managed to hit the corner flag.
United, though, were carving them apart. Cech repelled Rooney from Patrice Evra’s cross and then got up to prevent Luiz putting the rebound through his own net. Hernendez, too quick for Azpilicueta at the near post, stabbed a Nani delivery just wide.
But Benitez’s double change soon after the restart, Eden Hazard and John Obi Mikel replacing Lampard and Moses, bore instant fruit.
Mata, always available, came inside to feed Hazard and, with Rafael standing off, the Belgian picked out the far corner.

Glovely! Eden Hazard (l) of Chelsea is congratulated by team-mate David Luiz

Alex Livesey

Momentum shift? Absolutely. Chelsea now monopolising possession, even the entry of Robin van Persie, Rooney pulling left, having no immediate impact.
And mid-way through the period, they were level with a terrific, swift and incisive counter, instigated by Luiz and involving Demba Ba and Oscar.
Even then, there was still plenty for Ramires to do, achieved superbly as the Brazilian stepped inside Evans and eased his left-footer into the bottom corner, despite David De Gea’s touch.

Congratulations: Rafa Benitez goes to join the cuddle-up as Chelsea celebrate their draw. John Terry's on his way probably

Alex Livesey

 One-way traffic, Chelsea knocking ever louder on the door, United, having been in total command, now all at sea.
Mata, superb, twisted his ankle as he stepped inside ­Rio Ferdinand and then fired too close to De Gea. Torres, on for Ba, lacked conviction with his first chance.
Then, as the game entered stoppage time, the opening they craved after Luiz won the ball and clipped to the back post. Mata juggled past Evans and picked his spot, only for De Gea’s outstretched and leading right foot to divert the ball behind.
Still more chances. Fernando Torres – should we be surprised? – squandered the first before De Gea, saved superbly from Hazard and grasping another effort from the Belgian.
Torres was also involved in an off-the-ball clash with Ferdinand which may be probed by the FA.
But a good day for Rafa, after all. And it might even have been better.
United may start to harbour a few inner worries. Surely they can’t throw it all away again?

How they rated:

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Rafael 6, Ferdinand 7, Evans 5, Evra 6; Carrick 6, Cleverley 5; Kagawa 5 (Welbeck, 76, 6), Rooney 6, Nani 6 (Valencia, 45, 5); Hernandez 7 (Van Persie, 63, 5)
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 5, Luiz 6, Cole 6; Ramires 7, Lampard 6 (Mikel, 53, 8); Moses 6 (Hazard, 53, 8), Mata 9, Oscar 6; Ba 5 (Torres, 77, 5)
Referee: Howard Webb
Man of the match: Mata refused to give up the ghost ----Mirror Football