Summary
Our unbeaten FA Cup run continues thanks to a
second-half fight back at Old Trafford.
We have not lost a game in this competition in
open play since this quarter-final stage five years ago, and thanks to
second-half goals from Eden Hazard and Ramires, we live to fight another day in
2013 after a terrible start away to the Premier League leaders.
United went two up inside 10 minutes, Javier
Hernandez and Wayne Rooney putting them in control, and only rarely in a tame
first half did Chelsea threaten to make it a contest.
Frank Lampard and Demba Ba both brought saves
from David De Gea, but the home side looked more likely to add to their tally
and we had Petr Cech to thank for keeping us in the tie after a string of
important saves.
After the break it was a different story as
Chelsea wrestled the initiative back from our hosts and pulled one back through
a beauty from sub Hazard before Ramires swept home on the break to level the
scores 23 minutes from time.
It set up a grandstand finish in which either
side could win it, United through Robin van Persie and Chelsea through Juan
Mata, but in the end there could be no winner and so our amazing season goes on
with yet another fixture to add to the calendar.
Team news
Ba, cup-tied on Thursday, was back in the side as
one of seven changes from our defeat to Steaua Bucharest, preferred to Fernando
Torres in attack.
John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Ryan Bertrand
all dropped to the bench with David Luiz the only surviving defender in the 11.
Frank Lampard was captain alongside Ramires in deep midfield, with Victor Moses
and Juan Mata back in with Oscar behind the striker.
United left Robin van Persie on the bench
following their midweek Champions League exit to Real Madrid, as Javier
Hernandez started with Wayne Rooney up front.
First half
Underdogs as we sought to defend our FA Cup
crown, the one thing Chelsea did not want to do was concede early, so there
would have been despair in the dugout to see United gifted two early goals
within 10 minutes of the start.
With the first meaningful attack of the game,
United went ahead, owing to a rare mistake from Cech. Michael Carrick sent a
long pass from midfield into the Chelsea area, and with the goalkeeper
hesitating, Hernandez was able to peel off Gary Cahill and send a looping
header into the empty net.
Before the Blues had time to respond, the home
side had doubled their lead. A swift counter attack ended with Nani being
tripped by Moses on the United left. Rooney bent in the free-kick which evaded
everybody, bouncing in front of Cech and into the far corner.
Man U v Chelsea
Chelsea's first chance to get back into the game
came on 19 minutes, but it came purely through luck, with Rafael misplacing a
dangerous square ball straight to Moses, who saw his shot blocked by the legs
of a defender without working David De Gea in the United goal.
Ba and Mata then linked up inside the United
half, the latter squaring for Lampard, seeking his 200th Chelsea goal, to bend
into the goalkeeper's arms.
United were soon back on top though, and
threatened to go further ahead with another typical fast counter, Nani crossing
low for Hernandez who arrived before Azpilicueta but flicked his shot wide of
the near post.
Cech then had to save excellently twice, first
from a low Rooney shot, and then from a David Luiz header after the defender
headed the rebound back towards goal. From the resultant corner Tom Cleverley
eventually hit the target again with a vicious drive, but Cech held on.
Man United v Chelsea
There was more work for De Gea from Ba as the
Blues improved, but United were still the more convincing side, and with a
two-goal lead, they did not need to take any unnecessary risks. Carrick was
rarely caught ahead of the ball, and when it did bypass him, Jonny Evans and
Rio Ferdinand were well placed to clear.
Chelsea's best move of the half involved Mata and
Moses, the Spaniard back-heeling for the Nigerian inside the area, but he then
miscued his shot way, way wide when a much-needed goal looked likely.
Azpilicueta then beat Shinji Kagawa but could not find a team-mate with his
cross, and when United countered, the full-back was cautioned for a trip on
Hernandez.
It had not been a good half.
Second half
Rafael Benitez made no substitutions at the
break, but within six minutes of the restart was making a double switch.
Lampard and Moses came off, John Mikel Obi and Hazard their replacements. Just
previously Ramires had burst forward and shot wide.
Chelsea now had a greater urgency and United were
spending more and more time on the back foot, but a breakthrough still looked
unlikely.
Then, Hazard found a yard of space on the edge of
the United area, and bent a wicked effort into the far corner with De Gea
stranded. Game on.
Man U v Chelsea
Nine second-half minutes passed with little in
the way of action, United replacing Hernandez with Van Persie, and neither side
looking like scoring.
Chelsea won possession down the left, the ball
finding its way to Oscar inside the United half, and after taking a touch he
played it to Ramires on his right. With Evans between him and the goal, the
Brazilian had plenty to do, but turned his marker one way then the other to
find space to shoot and then calmly slotted the ball low into the far corner.
It was a quite superb equaliser.
Old Trafford was stunned, United were wounded.
How would they react?
Van Persie almost fired them back ahead but twice
saw efforts blocked, and then the Dutchman opted to go alone on the counter
instead of playing in fellow sub Danny Welbeck, but could not find his way
through the Chelsea defence.
Mata brought another save from De Gea and sub
Torres won us a fruitless corner as thoughts of a replay began to enter the
mind, when such a game could go ahead is anyone's guess.
Thirty seconds before the end of normal time it
all looked academic, Mata bringing down David Luiz's pass, turning Evans and
shooting low from six yards. Nine times out of 10 it would be a goal, but this
time De Gea stuck out a leg, as he does so well, and diverted it around the
post.
There was still time after for Hazard to sting
the keeper's palms, but he would not be beaten again.
From being dead and buried, we had been prevented
a last-minute winner at the home of the league leaders. We might not have won,
but Chelsea, simply, do not lose in the FA Cup.
Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra (c); Nani (Valencia 45+1),
Carrick, Cleverley, Kagawa (Welbeck 75); Rooney, Hernandez (Van Persie 62).
Unused subs Amos, Vidic, Anderson, Young.
Goals Hernandez 4, Rooney 10
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, David Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard (c) (Mikel
52); Moses (Hazard 52), Mata, Oscar; Ba (Torres 77).
Unused subs Turnbull, Terry, Ivanovic, Bertrand.
Goals Hazard 58, Ramires 67
Booked Azpilicueta 41, David Luiz 54, Hazard 75
Referee Howard Webb
Crowd 75,196
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