Match Analysis

geez, what a time for us. try ing to dissect the game what can i say. the use of hargraves as RM, what a surprise! even when the team was announced i was so sure, and i'm sure chelsea was sure that hargraves would be playing DM behind carrick and scholes. As it turned out it worked brilliantly, especially in the first half. Hargraves looked like he had the better of his compatriot Ashley Cole and made some great runs and actually defended against ashley really well.

United's 4-4-2. i think this was a good formation to use, especially considering they thought we'd be playing a narrow 4-3-3. so with these extra wingers we were getting behind them and causing all kinds of problems. well done SAF!

Chelsea's team selection was an odd one. i have to say that use of essien, ballack and lampard i thought was a mistake. I think at right back grant would have been better off with a known right back as opposed to a makeshift one. Even though essien is a great player, seems to me like grant was forced to select his best players and then put them on the field where they fit. Ronaldo had the measure of him in the first half and lost him to create the goal. To Grant's credit he worked out united's system and when the second half came around they fixed this by giving essien more licence to float into midfield, and dragging ronaldo out of position.

i think SAF did not adapt well at all in this game. in the second half chelsea were running riot. the likes of lampard and ballack and essien (who was right back but make it up to central midfield) taking pot shots from outside the box was their only threat. i was imperitive that we revert back to 4-3-3. at least get hargo to sit infront of the defense to stop their one treat!

another aspect that SAF didn't do well was substitutions. i think the injection and anderson at about 60 mins would have been important, he brings that extra grit to midfield and he is genuine quality.

ronaldo as a penalty taker. the second i saw ronaldo step up to take that penalty i had bad feelings, he had done poorly on the two previous attempts. He missed the penalty against barca and his last penalty that he scored against wigan was poor, and very savable, but on target.

lastly the incident in extra time that got drogba sent off. chelsea kicked the ball out because a few of their players went down with cramps. we got it back and tevez kicked it out for a throw in. but more then that he urged our players to defend this throw in. now chelsea had already done this a couple of times, but they did not defend the resulting throw in. so when terry came to confrom him tevez was making the point that we are repaying the favour. Then ballack or "the german sausage" as a friend likes to call him comes over and physically confronts tevez all hell breaks loose. somehow drogba and vidic makes their way down from the other side of the pitch and drogba slaps him and the rest is history. ballack finally gets booked, in the 115th min. he should have been booked about 90 mins ago for constant dissent.

Vidic getting drogba sent off actually disrupted their 5 penalty takers. as it turned out terry was not meant to take the last penalty. they asked anelka to take one in drogba's place. but he told them where they can shove it, and thus brave john terry stepped up and performed the slip of the season.

vidic and ferdinand was absolutely huge for us. chelsea only had 1 shot on target from a foolish essien attempt on goal, 2 rebounds and lampard the chucker being in the right place at the right time. two posters mind you. but still huge performance from the center backs to negate the drog.

what else can i say about the game? i could go on for ages, but should get back to some study. posts on transfers to follow.