Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United: Too Bad Wayne Rooney!

Just a few days after becoming a father, the English man Wayne Rooney was unable to fully enjoy his weekend, as his side went on to lose by a goal to nil at the Stanford Bridge; following a powerful header from the Blues’ Captain John Terry.

Chelsea started the game hoping to contain the likes of Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, and a host of other player. Anelka was also on for the hosts, but it was the Red Devils who seemed to be on top of things in the early stages of the first period.

Rooney’s breakthrough almost gave the Mancunians the lead, but he was flagged offside, as Ashley Cole stepped up at the right time to catch his opponent into the offside trap.

Moments later, Rooney tried to threaten the back of Chelsea again, attempting to get a goal from a wide angle, but Cole was right at his place to frustrate the 24-year old forward.

Subsequent to attacks coming from Chelsea, Rooney again had chances to silence the crowd for a while, but despite having two good opportunities to do so, Wayne Rooney failed to leave up to expectations.
A good control over the ball allowed him to found himself near the goal area, but not being sure if he could placed the ball at the back of the net, the English man chose to try his luck; nevertheless, his efforts came off Chelsea’s defenders.

It was however clear that giving the ball to Antonio Valencia would have been the ideal solution, as the Ecuadorian was unmarked.

In the second half, Rooney and Giggs failed to partner and create something positive, and therefore prevented United from leading Chelsea.

Rooney was on fire looking to redeem himself afterward, when he fired in a bullet from long range, but his shot went inches wide. He had another chance minutes later, as he escaped the Chelsea defense, but his final shot was too easy for the Blues’ keeper Cech.

Eventually, a mistake from Fletcher gave Chelsea a free-kick, which Lampard took perfectly to allow John Terry to head the ball home for the winner. Protestations then raised, as Manchester United complained about the free-kick awarded earlier on – nevertheless, an unconvinced referee booked Wayne Rooney for refusing to keep quiet.

The coming of Owen and Obertan weren’t enough to make United equalize with five minutes of extra time. Chelsea went on to grab the victory, and they now lie in the first place of the English Premier League standings with five points ahead of Manchester United.

Isaac Asante, WR