Chelsea lead at the break

Man Utd 0 Chelsea 1

Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a 41st-minute penalty as Chelsea threatened to cast aside their Champions League gloom at Manchester United’s expense this afternoon.

Jesper Gronkjaer’s second superb strike in four days put the visitors in front early in a half which saw the premature substitution of Paul Scholes to save him from possible dismissal.

Needing a win to retain any chance of finishing runners-up to Arsenal, United started and finished the half well but van Nistelrooy, without a league goal since February 11 and with rumours about his future reaching fever pitch, failed to level when Carlo Cudicini turned away his spot-kick after Robert Huth had felled substitute Louis Saha.