Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Everytime I think about Man Utd and Chelsea, what comes to mind? Mark Hughes, who played for both sides (Bosnich and Veron too)? Gianfranco Zola and his amazing ability? Cantona and Hasselbaink? Solskjaer and Flo? Other names from the past like Kanchelskis, Poyet, or so many others? I actually always remember Phil Neville scoring the winner in 1998. Really. Strange, I know.

Billed as the biggest game of the season, the title-decider, the table-topping extravaganza, the clash of the titans, Red vs Blue certainly lived up to the hype. As a United fan, here's some analysis, which will try to stay as objective as possible.

Firstly, the lineups for both teams were very positive, which was to be expected given United were playing at home - even the FA Cup tie against Arsenal saw an "attacking" starting XI, despite what many will argue - and they had rested most of the squad in midweek. Chelsea, of course, needed a win to move to the summit and hold their destiny in their hands.

Instead, it seemed that less than a minute in, Chelsea were intent on wrecking the destiny that they had worked so hard to salvage the past few weeks. Given time and room to turn and look for a forward pass in midfield, the a vintage Ryan Giggs picked out the floppy-haired Park Ji-Sung, who in turn found the Mexican Magician to make it 1-0 before most had settled. Chelsea certainly hadn't.

The rest of the first half saw United dominate, extending their lead and in truth, it could have and perhaps should have been at least three goals for the team in red by the break.

Much had been made of Howard Webb's appointment as match official (his record at Old Trafford is suspicious, at best), but his decision(s) to allow Ivanovic to remain on the pitch and disregard a blatant Lampard handball were quite astonishing. One might think he was trying his damnedest to remove the tag of United-lackey that many have (justifiably) labelled him with. That Lampard scored in the second half to threaten a Roman revolution in itself suggested that a certain Scotsman would have been apoplectic come the final whistle had Chelsea pulled level.

And yet, the Chelsea goal almost triggered a repeat of what happened in the Champions League; United nearly restoring their two-goal advantage to take the tie beyond the visitors.

Many had predicted (and hoped?) before the game that Fernando Torres would start on the bench, though certain members of the Liverpool fan-base were sure he'd score, given his record against United and a certain Nemanja Vidic (who did score). His appearance late in the second half produced one misplaced shot and a weak penalty appeal, though even that was more than what some of the other Chelsea players conjured up during the entire 90 minutes.

The aforementioned Nemaja Vidic was a rock at the heart of the United defence, shackling the Ivorian threat of Didier Drogba, and Fabio on the right side of defence showed why so many had pipped him as a better player than his twin brother Rafael. How Ferguson will fit both of them with the missing Patrice Evra will be interesting to watch in the coming years, given the form of Valencia and Park.

Speaking of missing players, United scored this decisive victory over the current champions and their closest rivals without the league's top scorer and the one who should have been crowned Player of the Season (ahead of the scarred Judas Carlos Tevez). While this might suggest a staggering strength in depth that United might boast, one feels that it only demonstrates that nearly every side in the Premier League this season is much weaker than they ought to be.

There are voices in the Chelsea camp (and in the United camp) calling for a mass overhaul in the playing squad, with the players the wrong side of 30 being offloaded. I'm not sure how effective that mentality would be, but an Alex-David Luiz partnership is probably the Blues' best defensive pairing even today. A returning Daniel Sturridge would also make a strong argument for a starting place, giving Ancelotti (if he's still there) more selection problems upfront.

And upfront is where Chelsea will surely improve next season. Wayne Rooney took nearly a year to come close to his snarling best, pre-ankle injury. Torres played a long time for Spain and Liverpool nowhere close to full fitness, and the Spaniard will most likely find his form of old after a good pre-season. Speaking of poor displays, Ashley Cole looked absolutely ragged against Antonio Valencia, didn't he?

On to United.

I've long been a detractor of Michael Carrick. He's neither the visionary maestro that Paul Scholes is nor the inspirational bruiser that the former No. 16 Roy Keane was (is?). I tend to remember his mistakes (Man City) more than his quiet contributions, but the partnership with the ageless Giggs seems to be a fantastic pairing. Will they cope with Barcelona in a few weeks? I highly doubt it, but you never know. I'm a fan of Anderson, truth be told, and Fletcher will surely get into the side. I've already spoken about Fabio, while Evans and Smalling in particular looked more than tidy at the back when they came on, though Evans might have done more for Lampard's goal.

At the final whistle, the United fans, players and staff celebrated as if the trophy presentation was to follow. Post-match, journalists asked Fergie how happy he was to knock Liverpool off their perch. That perch was the subject of an entertaining banner that cameras focussed on during the game as well. Now, while a sole point from two games - Ewood Park and Blackpool at home - should be a formality, disastrous collapses have happened before. No one would be happier than I (with Kopper friends, family and co-workers) when United to secure that 19th title, but let's hold off the champagne to when we finally do win, eh?

All in all, it was a good game, unless you are a Chelsea fan. But even they would have to admit that the better side won, on the day. Next season will be intriguing, with a revitalized Liverpool and an ever-improving Man City thrown into the works.