Brave calls bring deliverance for Resurrection Man Grant

ASKED after the final whistle at Old Trafford yesterday what result he wanted from the upcoming game down at Stamford Bridge, Alex Ferguson hardly sprang a surprise by opting for a draw.

Well, he didn’t get that, but he got the next best thing as Arsenal, on course for victory, surrendered both their lead in the game and in the table over Chelsea. But if Manchester United were the clear winners on Grand Slam Sunday, Avram Grant wasn’t far behind. On Easter Sunday, we might even call him the Resurrection Man.

Roundly abused for bringing off Ballack and Makelele when his side were one down, the Chelsea manager’s bold decision was promptly vindicated when Didier Drogba, a problem for Arsenal’s wobbly defence all afternoon, struck on the double. The result was probably a fatal blow to the Gunners’ title ambitions, since they had already put themselves in a position of playing catch-up after four draws on the spin.