No surrender as Reds roar back

Manchester United served notice they will not give up their title without a fight as they produced a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down at Chelsea to leave Andre Villas-Boas, who already admits he is struggling to emerge from the shadow of Jose Mourinho, even more in the dark than ever.

The result leaves United two points behind Manchester City at the top of the table but after two penalties from Wayne Rooney and an equaliser from Javier Hernandez it will feel more like a victory for the champions this morning; and you cannot imagine it went down well in the Mancini household given the help his rivals were given by referee Howard Webb.

In fact, the game at Stamford Bridge was so remarkable that it is hard to know where to start. Those in search of controversy will want to begin with the performance of Webb who awarded two soft penalties to spark United’s revival; fans in Manchester will highlight the influence of two-goal Rooney on a spirited and defiant display; and those in west London may well want to know why their team, once renowned for seeing out results, is no longer able to do so — even from 3-0 ahead.