United have the momentum
Torres finally ended his goal drought for Chelsea after being surprisingly chosen ahead of Nicolas Anelka; but his 84th minute miss when he rounded goalkeeper David De Gea and inexplicably fired wide of an open net was one of the most astonishing fluffs of all time.
United fans inside a delirious Old Trafford could not have greeted the incident with more fervour had they seen Wayne Rooney score with an overhead kick from the halfway line.
And it underlined how all the luck, all the momentum and all the power is with United right now — definitely not with Chelsea who performed so well but ended with nothing.
These early-season encounters are never title deciders — something Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas was keen to stress both before and after the match — but on a day when Manchester City dropped points at Fulham, a 3-1 victory was enough to convince many onlookers that United’s new-look side are capable of leading from the front all the way until May.
Goals from Chris Smalling, Nani and Wayne Rooney in a remarkably open match sealed the points even though a thorough analysis of the action may well conclude that the visitors were the better team for long periods.
For Villas-Boas, managing a team for the first time at Old Trafford, that will provide food for thought; but United’s finishing and their ability to take advantage of any luck or momentum that came their way was the key to an important victory.
For Chelsea there were consolations, though. It was the first real test of Villas-Boas’s reign at Chelsea, having been chosen to replace the more experienced Carlo Ancelotti, and his team showed far more attacking flair than they have done in the past.
As Alex Ferguson wryly pointed out before kick-off the 33-year-old Portuguese is so young “he could be my grandson” but he still had the courage to take off the untouchable Frank Lampard at half-time and to attack United on their home patch.
“It was a very strange game, very open,’’ he said. ““If luck had played a part for us we could have done better. But I think we reacted well and the response for the second half was very good. It was a good display and the scoreline was crazy, it doesn’t show the difference between the teams. I think the teams are even and we can sustain our challenge for the Premier League.’’
Villas-Boas’ first big shout — and probably the most important — was to stick with the much-maligned Torres up front despite only one goal from the former Liverpool striker since January.
With Didier Drogba unavailable and still recovering from a head injury it was not the same highly political decision that faced Ancelotti when he came here in the Champions League; but just like his predecessor it was one he could not shy away from.
And in the end he reaped the dividends for his decision and suffered the consequences in equal amounts.
The suffering came in the first half when crucial half-chances fell to Torres — both after misdirected passes from United players — and the Spaniard wasted both of them as nerves and lack of confidence crept up on him.
But there were also rewards as Torres neatly lifted an Anelka pass over keeper David Dea in the first minute of the second half to finally break his duck.
That goal was only Torres’ second for Chelsea since a £50m move from Liverpool in January and his first ever in a match in which he played in the starting XI, so you can see how much it must have meant to him — even if that late miss undid much of the good work.
Unfortunately for Chelsea they were already 3-0 down by the time Torres awoke, despite possibly looking the better team in a strange first half.
The first came after eight minutes thanks to a free-kick from Ashley Young that was expertly headed home by the unmarked Smalling with Chelsea, correctly as video evidence showed, shouting for offside.
The second, after 37 minutes, was something far more special — a wonderful individual effort from Nani who cut in from the right-hand flank after collecting a cross-field pass and curled a stunning 25-yard effort into the top left-hand corner as Chelsea’s defence backed off him.
With Chelsea, who continued look bright going forward, wondering what on earth had hit them it was 3-0 on the stroke of half-time when Terry slipped as he tried to clear in the box — and his effort bounced off Nani straight into the path of Rooney, who couldn’t miss.
Villas-Boas’ brave response was to haul off Lampard and replace him with Anelka — a tactic that reaped immediate dividends when the Frenchman slipped a beautiful pass through for Torres to cleverly chip his team a consolation effort.
United could, and should, have extended their lead with a penalty won for foul by Jose Bosingwa on Nani — but Rooney slipped as he took the kick and then later hit a post as United tried to finish on a high.
Chelsea created plenty of opportunities too — not least that incredible one for Torres at the death — and that will worry Ferguson as he looks ahead.
On this evidence, though, United won’t be looking behind too often; the champions are ahead and the wind is definitely with them.
FERNANDO TORRES produced an early contender for the season’s worst miss when the £50 million man failed to find an open net in Chelsea’s defeat by Manchester United yesterday.
The Spanish striker did well to sidestep goalkeeper David De Gea but then sliced a shot wide from eight yards when he seemed sure to score his second goal of the game.
The following are a selection of other famous misses,
Scotland v Norway, 2008
IN a crucial World Cup qualifier, and on his Scotland debut, striker Chris Iwelumo managed to miss the target from close range after a perfect cross from Gary Naysmith.
Aston Villa v Liverpool, 1992
THE Liverpool striker rounded Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink and, with the goal wide open, leant back and side-footed the ball against the bar – to the delight of a packed Holte End.
West Brom v Middlesbrough, 2004
WITH the goal wide open and Boro leading 2-1 in the dying minutes, West Brom’s Nigerian striker lobbed the ball over the bar from one yard – something his manager Bryan Robson said was “almost impossible”.
Bolton v Arsenal, 2005
LJUNGBERG netted the only goal of the game at the Reebok Stadium – but in the last minute he scooped the ball over with the goal at his mercy.
Man Utd v Arsenal, 2005
A tempestuous FA Cup tie turned on an astonishing miss by Giggs. With the match goalless, Giggs dribbled through and was left with an open goal. However, he fired the ball over and into the Stretford End — and Arsenal went on to win 2-0.
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