man utd 3-3

Independent:

Inspirational Rooney keeps title dream alive
Chelsea 3 Manchester United 3: Boos for Blues as Red Devils recover from 3-0 down to draw... but Webb is villain of piece
SAM WALLACE STAMFORD BRIDGE

A draw at home to Manchester United given his team's recent run of results would not have been a bad outcome for Andre Villas-Boas, all things considered. A draw at home to United having led the game by three goals, well, that is a different proposition altogether.
It was the hope that did for Chelsea in the end which is why the men in blue shirts were booed by sections of their own support when the whistle blew for full-time. They had led United by three goals with 32 minutes of the match remaining and this promised, at one point, to be the definitive win of Villas-Boas' eight months in charge. In the end, it felt like it offered up as many question as it did answers.
When David Luiz scored his team's third goal on 51 minutes, the club were looking at one of those watershed moments. This was a Chelsea team without John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole and they had a victory over English football's most-longstanding power within their grasp. This was the new era that the club had envisaged that Villas-Boas would deliver for them.
Never during the Premier League years have Chelsea failed to turn a three-goal lead into a victory but they were up against a United side that refuses to relinquish its place in the title race. There is a softness to Sir Alex Ferguson's team, especially in the way in which they conceded twice in six minutes at the start of the second half, but they still have Wayne Rooney who embodies their old refusal to surrender.
Rooney benefited from two penalties awarded by Howard Webb against Chelsea in the second half and neither of them were anything like open-and-shut decisions. Villas-Boas was generous in saying that the first, given for Daniel Sturridge's challenge on Patrice Evra, was "an obvious penalty" when it looked anything but.
The second of Webb's two penalty awards 11 minutes later was "very, very dubious", according to Villas-Boas, and that was putting it mildly. Danny Welbeck hung off for an age to make the most of minimal contact from Branislav Ivanovic and when it came he certainly made the most of it.
With Rooney in such decisive form from the penalty spot, these were vital moments for United and put them in a position to gain the momentum for Javier Hernandez's equaliser.
The draw leaves United two points shy of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League which is no disaster. The league leaders lost their game at Stamford Bridge in December and United escaped with a point. There's has been a sometimes chaotic pursuit of City but since those back-to-back defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle, Ferguson's team have won three and drawn one game. Beat Liverpool at home on Saturday and they will go top for one day at least.
It was not Webb's finest game but for a slow-burner it exploded into action in the second half. Possibly pre-empting the softness of the penalties awarded to his own team, Ferguson railed against Webb's failure not to dismiss Gary Cahill in the first half when he fouled Welbeck. It looked like a penalty but the angle of Welbeck's run appeared to be taking him away from goal.
Yet for a game that had such an unpromising start this built into a tremendous climax. David de Gea, who started his first league game for United since the defeat to Blackburn Rovers on New Year's Eve, flapped at a cross on seven minutes. Fernando Torres, playing alone up front in a 4-2-3-1 formation, looked effective against Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans, but until Chelsea took the lead it was a game without a theme.
That was apart from the chants from the home fans directed at Ferdinand in relation to his brother Anton and his part in the racial-abuse charge against Terry. It was unpleasant and unnecessary and it will embarrass those Chelsea supporters who took no part in it.
The first Chelsea goal went in off Evans whom the ball struck last, but it was Patrice Evra who Daniel Sturridge left behind on the right wing before he cut in down the touchline. The Chelsea man beat United's left-back from what was a standing start and hit his cross into a congested area where it struck Evans and beat De Gea.
That goal was flattering for Chelsea who had not had the best of the game before then. Rooney and Ashley Young, making his first start in 12 games, both had shots saved from Petr Cech before Chelsea came back at them with a vengeance after the break. The second Chelsea goal was magnificent: 24 seconds gone and a cross from Torres to the back post where Juan Mata hit the ball crisply with his left foot into the top of De Gea's goal.
Before United had recovered, Luiz headed in Mata's ball from the right with six minutes of the half played, via a deflection off the shoulder of Ferdinand. This should have been the moment from which they wrapped the game up. The trouble with Villas-Boas' team is that for a manager so preoccupied with tactical theory they do lack a certain discipline.
Villas-Boas had already berated Sturridge once before for failing to track back when, in a fit of exuberance, the player did just that and fouled Evra for the first penalty. It was noticeable that when Sturridge was substituted he came off with great reluctance, not seeking to acknowledge his manager on the way. He should have done himself a favour and considered why it was that he was being withdrawn.
By the time Rooney had dispatched the second of the penalties, following Ivanovic's foul on Welbeck, Chelsea were well and truly struggling. Nevertheless they did have chances. De Gea saved from Michael Essien and then Torres spent too long with the ball in the United area without unleashing a shot and was eventually dispossessed.
The goal from Hernandez came after Cech pushed a shot away and Ryan Giggs recycled the ball on the left wing. Suddenly it looked like a defence that was missing John Terry. Hernandez was between Cahill and Luiz when he twisted and directed his header past Cech. De Gea made two good late saves from a Mata free-kick and Cahill but no winner for Chelsea. Hence the boos from the home fans which did not tell the whole story.

Match facts

Chelsea: CECH 6/10; IVANOVIC 6; CAHILL 6; LUIZ 7; BOSINGWA 5; ESSIEN 7; MEIRELES 6; STURRIDGE 6; MATA 7; MALOUDA 6; TORRES 7
Man Utd: DE GEA 6; EVRA 6; FERDINAND 6; EVANS 6; RAFAEL 5; YOUNG 5; GIGGS 7; CARRICK 7; VALENCIA 5; ROONEY 8; WELBECK 6

Goals: Chelsea: Evans og 36, Mata 46, Luiz 50. Man Utd: Rooney pens 58, 69, Hernandez 84
Substitutes: Chelsea Romeu 5 (Sturridge, 70). Manchester United Hernandez 6 (Young, 53), Scholes 6 (Rafael, 63), Park (Welbeck, 86).
Booked: Chelsea Torres, Ivanovic. Man United Evra.
Man of the match Rooney.
Match rating 8/10.
Possession: Chelsea 51% Man United 49%.
Attempts on target: Chelsea 10 Man United 10.
Referee H Webb (South Yorkshire).
Attendance 41,668.


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Guardian:

Manchester United earn point at Chelsea after thrilling comeback
Daniel Taylor at Stamford Bridge

Even for a side with Manchester United's renowned powers of recovery, this was a remarkable demonstration of the competitive spirit and togetherness that makes them such a hard team to shake off. Sir Alex Ferguson's team were 3-0 down after 50 minutes, playing badly and facing the prospect of a reckless defeat, before reminding us in time-honoured fashion why the improbable comeback has become their speciality over the years.Rescuing seemingly irretrievable positions is an enduring part of the United story under Ferguson's watch and, though they could not emulate that famous 5-3 win at White Hart Lane in 2003, it still represents another astonishing feat of escapology, the first time Chelsea have surrendered a three-goal lead in the Premier League years. Points have been lost to Manchester City in the title race this weekend but, in another sense, Ferguson's men have shown their neighbours how determined they are not to relinquish the championship trophy.It was a wild and eccentric game in which questionable refereeing and erratic defending both played their part, Juan Mata scored one of the outstanding goals of the season and, in the end, both teams could reflect they had enough chances to win. Ferguson seemed perplexed that United lost their momentum at 3-3, with seven minutes of normal time still to play and four minutes of stoppages, whereas Chelsea can reflect on two brilliant saves from David de Gea to prevent Mata then Gary Cahill from one providing one final, dramatic twist.The lingering memory, however, will be of United's response at the point of the match when it had seemed as though this was shaping up to be remembered as a collective loss of nerve. The game had seemed to have lurched away from the champions at the start of the second half when Mata lashed in a stunning volley from Fernando Torres's right-wing cross and, four minutes later, David Luiz's header took a decisive flick off Rio Ferdinand's shoulder.The home side had been given the lead on 36 minutes when Danny Sturridge's cross struck Jonny Evans on the chest and went past De Gea for an own goal, and when the lead accelerated with two more goals in four minutes André Villas-Boas could have been forgiven for thinking this was going to be one of the more satisfying days of his time in charge.Instead, what followed was a remarkable display of character from Ferguson's team. They replied with two goals in the space of 10 minutes, both penalties from Wayne Rooney, and when the substitute, Javier Hernández, headed in the equaliser from Ryan Giggs's cross United might actually feel disappointed they could not go on to complete the job. This Chelsea team have lost the solidity of old and there were boos at the final whistle. Villas-Boas spent a large part of the post-match interviews criticising the referee, Howard Webb, for the second penalty. The Chelsea manager had a point because there was only the briefest of touches before Daniel Welbeck went to ground and, if anything, it was the United player whose foot had initiated the contact with Branislav Ivanovic. Yet United had their own complaints about Webb.Ferguson was incensed that Cahill was not penalised, and sent off, for an early challenge on Welbeck on the edge of the penalty area and the United manager could be seen striding a yard on the pitch, flapping his arms like a man fighting off an invisible swarm of wasps.Both managers had reasonable gripes but it was also true that the two sets of players did not always make it easy for Webb, particularly the way they crowded around him. Ashley Young's dive in the penalty box was lamentable in the extreme and, before criticising the match officials, managers should take account of how their players behave.Rooney also took an exaggerated tumble in the first half and, with Villas-Boas pointing an accusatory finger at Welbeck, there were three different England internationals under scrutiny.From Chelsea's point of view, however, they should have done a lot better at closing out the game at 3-0. This was the point when the home side could have been excused for playing with a bit more caution. Yet they demonstrated a bewildering lack of know-how in that 25-minute period when everything went wrong. In those moments Chelsea badly missed the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole.Villas-Boas will also reflect on that moment, with the score at 3-1, when Fernando Torres had a clear sight of goal and hesitated just at the moment when the player of old would have taken his shot. The chance passed away and it was not long afterwards that Welbeck went down. Rooney buried the penalty, just as he had 10 minutes earlier when Evra tumbled under Sturridge's challenge.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Manchester United 3
By Henry Winter, at Stamford Bridge

Never write Manchester United off. Never stand off them. Chelsea were leading 3-0, coasting towards a famous victory when they eased up, allowing the champions to stage one of their epic comebacks. United, and the outstanding Wayne Rooney in particular, never give up.
A more intelligent team than Chelsea would have killed the game off. A less resilient team thanUnited would have folded. Even though they did not win, and are two points behind leaders Manchester City,
United’s reputation as the comeback kings under Sir Alex Ferguson is enhanced. Stamford Bridge 2012 will be added to the list, thanks to Rooney.
The memory remains strong of Steve Bruce in the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1992-93, of Eric Cantona in the 3-2 against Manchester City in 1993-94 and David Beckham putting Tottenham to the sword 5-3 in 2001-02.
There was Rooney in the 4-2 over Everton in 2006/07 and Federico Macheda against Aston Villa in 08-09. No one, of course, will forget Barcelona 99.
When Chelsea were three goals clear, there was a temptation to feel that this was a turning-point, a watershed at the Bridge, the signature performance for Andre Villas-Boas. Chelsea were playing with more youth, largely free of the old guard.
No John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard or Didier Drogba? No problem? By full-time, they realised how much they missed the injured Terry in particular.
Chelsea fans sang Terry’s name, chorusing "there’s only one England captain" and, sadly, booed Rio Ferdinand, the brother of Anton.
Their chants pockmarked an otherwise compelling game. Yet the early sparring gave little indication of the drama to come. Chelsea settled quickly in their 4-2-3-1 formation, Michael Essien and Raul Meireles holding with Juan Mata unleashed in his preferred position behind Fernando Torres. David Luiz, all blue tights and Joan Baez hair, partnered Gary Cahill.
United were 4-4-2 with Rooney dropping off Danny Welbeck, and Antonio Valencia and the returning Ashley Young looking to get behind Chelsea’s full-backs.
Yet Branislav Ivanovic and Jose Bosingwa held firm. Mistakes still littered the first half. De Gea finished the game magnificently but he started with a weird clearing punch, almost a back-hand slap like Basil Fawlty reprimanding Manuel.
A game of assorted controversies saw Cahill catch Welbeck just outside the box. Howard Webb waved play on and Ferguson went into meltdown, berating Darren Cann, the World Cup final linesman.
Still the mistakes continued. Jonny Evans hesitated and Torres shot wide. Luiz gave ball away. Chelsea raised their game, raising their fans’ hopes by attacking more persistently and breaking through 10 minutes before half-time.
Essien had already been imposing himself on midfield and now he found Mata, whose response was majestic.
A disguised pass down the inside-right channel released Sturridge, who cut in towards goal. De Gea decided to block with his feet, the ball struck Evans and bounced in.
De Gea largely impressed for the rest of the game, immediately making a fine save from Sturridge. When Chelsea came calling 24 seconds after the break, De Gea stood no chance.
Torres lifted a magnificent cross in from the right and with Evans and Ferdinand dawdling, Mata cracked a marvellous left-footed volley into the roof of the net.
United’s defence was creaking like a barn door in a storm. Suggestions that Evra’s form has been in slow decline since the World Cup were lent additional credence here; whether the Luis Suarez incident has affected him only Evra will know but he looks vulnerable to quick-witted wingers.
Five minutes later, Chelsea’s third came from the right. Mata swept across a free-kick and there was Luiz heading firmly goalwards, the ball going in off Ferdinand.
Ferguson promptly removed Young, and sent on Hernandez, meaning Welbeck had to push wide where he worked with typically tireless endeavour. And so it began. United rallied. Evra, chasing Ryan Giggs’ ball, was fouled by Sturridge, a naïve challenge, gifting Rooney a penalty. He absolutely thundered the ball past Petr Cech. Game on.
Second sub on. Scholes charged on in the 63rd minute, replacing Rafael and immediately bringing his passing mastery to the occasion. Welbeck went right, Valencia dropped to left-back and Giggs went left.
Chelsea were confused, their confidence draining, their defence dropping deeper. A wonderful passing move saw the ball glide between Scholes, Rooney, Giggs, Rooney and Welbeck before Rooney demanded a low save from Cech.
Within six minutes, United took a stride closer to Chelsea, albeit contentiously. Welbeck trailed his leg, actually catching Ivanovic and went down.
Howard Webb was tricked into awarding a penalty when Welbeck’s response had simply echoed Adam Johnson’s gamesmanship for City a day earlier. However many doubts clung to the decision, Rooney’s response was undeniable, the ball placed expertly past Cech.
Strangely, Villas-Boas hooked Sturridge, who trudged to the bench without a handshake or any eye-contact with his manager. The surprise was that Malouda remained in the fray.
There was little surprise in seeing United continuing to pour forward, almost invited on by a now nervy Chelsea. The hosts did break out at times, and an Essien drive was punched over by De Gea, but the rising tide was flecked with red. Cahill impressed by throwing himself in the way of a Welbeck shot and then heading clear.
But Chelsea’s central defence was badly caught out with six minutes remaining. Valencia found Giggs, whose cross from the left was headed home by Hernandez, exploiting poor marking by David Luiz.
United were level but were still grateful to De Gea, their oft-criticised keeper, for an unbelievably athletic save at the death. Mata’s free-kick appeared destined for the top corner until De Gea somehow tipped it away.
United’s fight-back certainly deserved a point.


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Mail:

Chelsea 3 Manchester United 3: Head boy Hernandez completes stunning fightback
By MATT LAWTON

What an insane game of football. A game as memorable for Manchester United’s comeback as Chelsea’s collapse. For a terrific goal from Juan Mata, to mark a terrific performance, and a save from David de Gea that demonstrated why Sir Alex Ferguson chose to spend as much as he did on the young goalkeeper.
There were two United penalties, one soft and one just about deserved, and claims that were rightly and wrongly ignored. Should Gary Cahill have been dismissed 11 minutes into his Chelsea debut for a foul on Danny Welbeck? Quite possibly, even if that particular challenge did not merit a penalty.
In a game that had everything, there was even a clean tackle from Paul Scholes. No really, there was. But there was a poor one too and it was from the resulting free-kick in the 91st minute that De Gea produced that marvellous save.
Mata could not have placed it any better; in the top corner to De Gea’s left. But the Spaniard, 21, launched himself across the goal and somehow diverted the ball to safety with his right hand.
As a spectacle it was soured, sadly, by the moronic booing and baiting that Rio Ferdinand had to endure. It was disgusting, and clearly motivated by the fact that his brother, Anton, is central to the case that has cost John Terry the England captaincy and sees him standing trial for an allegation of racism in July.
Ferdinand, as the watching Fabio Capello no doubt noted, was abused every time he touched the ball and he had to listen to his brother being called ‘a c***’ on a number of occasions as well.
Presumably because he too has been involved in a high-profile racism case this season, Patrice Evra also took some stick to underline further how much work still needs to be done to combat racism in this country. Players are being abused for making a stand against racism. As are the siblings of players who make a stand against racism.
When the entertainment on the field here at Stamford Bridge was as good as it was, it makes it all the more depressing.
This was a breathless, brilliant contest, United somehow recovering from a three-goal deficit that Chelsea had established by the 50th minute.
In Chelsea’s defence, this was the first time in four years that they were missing all four of the players who have long been considered the key to the success they have enjoyed. There was no Terry, no Frank Lampard, no Didier Drogba and no Ashley Cole.
But this was still another crushing setback for Andre Villas-Boas, just as it proved this remains a United side with the appetite and desire required to defend their title. Ferguson saw it as ‘two points dropped’ and he was right, even if he must have been thrilled by the spirit of his side. Afterwards Villas-Boas also congratulated Ferguson on his ‘fantastic substitutions’. They were aggressive, effective and hugely influential.
Both managers criticised referee Howard Webb and his assistants and they did do so with justification. That said, things probably just about evened themselves out.
A degree of leniency from the officials favoured both sides in the opening 15 minutes. Rafael da Silva looked a little lucky to escape punishment for a crunching challenge on Fernando Torres just outside the box. And Cahill was even more fortunate when he felled a rapidly advancing Welbeck, again outside the penalty area but in a position that could well have resulted in a red card for a defender making his first appearance since January 4.
If that one was not a penalty, Jose Bosingwa’s tug on Ashley Young probably was and it would have made it all the more frustrating for Ferguson that a first half his side dominated ended with Chelsea a goal up. It was a poor goal to concede in the 36th minute, Daniel Sturridge beating Evra with ease before driving in a ball that De Gea diverted with his foot against Jonny Evans only to then see it bounce over the line; an own goal for Evans and a demoralising one at that.
Some fine goalkeeping followed. While De Gea did well to deny Sturridge, Petr Cech produced excellent saves to stop Welbeck and Wayne Rooney.
But there was nothing De Gea could do to prevent Mata scoring 20 seconds into the second half. It was a marvellous cross from the otherwise ineffective Torres but a truly breathtaking left-foot volley that Mata blasted into the roof of the United net.
When Chelsea scored again five minutes later, David Luiz meeting a Mata free-kick with a header that took a deflection off Ferdinand, United appeared to be finished.
But within eight minutes Sturridge had brought down Evra with a clumsy challenge, enabling Rooney to convert with finesse from the spot, and by the 69th minute Rooney had repeated the feat, albeit in rather more dubious circumstances.
Webb gave the penalty for Ivanovic’s foul on Welbeck when it looked like the striker, while impressive yesterday, might have made a point of tripping over the Serb’s foot.
There was no disputing the third United goal, scored in the 84th minute. It began with a touch of class from Rooney, the striker controlling a cross from Antonio Valencia before forcing a fine save from Cech. The move continued when Ryan Giggs knocked the ball back in for Javier Hernandez to meet with a wonderful header which also exposed a breakdown in communication between Luiz and Cahill.
To Chelsea’s credit they probably went closest to scoring a fourth, De Gea not only denying Mata but also Cahill. Not that knowing it will ease Chelsea’s pain.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 3-3 Man United
By Martin Lipton

They may not be a title-winning side – but nobody can doubt they have the courage of champions.
Last night, as Chelsea went from heroes to zeroes in the space of half an hour and United made the opposite journey, the enduring truth of every Sir Alex Ferguson side was illustrated once again at a freezing Stamford Bridge.
There have been many better United teams. Ferguson, for all he rails against such criticism of his men, will know that all too well.
When David Luiz’s header flicked off Rio Ferdinand’s shoulder to cap five minutes of defensive madness and put Chelsea three up and seemingly in cruise control, with the Bridge aflame in delight, what followed would have been inconceivable.
There was only, surely, one winner. Only, surely, one outcome. Only, surely, smiles for Roberto Mancini. Previous Chelsea sides, as well, would not have crumbled.
Yet United, even a United side which is a pale ­imitation of the great ones of the recent past, simply do not know when they are beaten, do not understand the concept of a lost cause.
Yes, Andre Villas-Boas will argue, they were given a helping hand by referee Howard Webb, certainly on the second of the two penalties converted with staggering calmness by Wayne Rooney.
But once the opportunity was there, once the possibility came alive, once Chelsea’s confidence evaporated as swiftly as the air escaping from a punctured tyre, there was an inevitability about the end game.
And as Javier Hernandez rose, unchallenged, six yards out to glance home Ryan Giggs’ cross and rescue a point, the sheer spirit of United had once again chiseled out a result from the most unlikely of circumstances.
It may not be enough, especially if Mancini’s Manchester City keep winning, certainly not if United do not sort it out at the back.
Even though United did get a point – not matching their remarkable win from three down at White Hart Lane in 2003 – they lost ground on the leaders.
Yet 90 minutes which explained just why the Premier League is the world’s favourite version of the game, which delivered far more in real spectacle than all the false glitter and glamour on display at the NFL showpiece in Indianapolis last night, were truly engrossing.
The jeers that greeted Villas-Boas’ team at the end – far less unpleasant than that which met every touch from Ferdinand – were unfair, too.
That, though, is what happens when a team is perceived to have thrown away victory, when supporters feel that the officials have conspired against them. There would have been none of that before the first United penalty.
Indeed, Webb allowed Jose Bosingwa to escape for a blatant tug on Ashley Young and then decided debut-making Gary Cahill had got the ball before sending Danny Welbeck tumbling in the first half.
United were bossing the game, only a terrific intervention by Branislav Ivanovic preventing Welbeck tapping in Rooney’s pass, before the Serb’s heel accidentally sent Juan Mata’s ball to Danny Sturridge nine minutes before the interval.
Sturridge walked around Patrice Evra – the defender’s sluggishness perhaps the belated effect of other recent events – and smashed across goal, the ball flicking off David De Gea’s leg onto luckless Johnny Evans’ chest and over the United goal-line.
Cech saved thrillingly from Young, Welbeck and Rooney before the break, but, 24 seconds into the second period, Fernando Torres’ deep cross was thundered home on the volley by Mata.
The Spaniard’s technique and quality were truly acceptable, and soon afterwards the baying home fans relished Ferdinand’s misfortune after Luiz got the first touch to Mata’s free-kick.
But that was all before Sturridge’s clip on Evra was viewed as a spot-kick by Mr Webb, Rooney finding the top corner.
If that was soft but arguable, the second was harder to justify, Welbeck looking for Ivanovic’s leg and making sure of contact before striking the ground with no outside aid. By now Hernandez had been followed on to the pitch by Paul Scholes, Rooney the Pied Piper leading Chelsea a merry dance, only Cech’s defiance – three times – preventing the England ace levelling.
From the third of those saves, though, Giggs latched on to the loose ball, picked out Hernandez’s run for the ‘Little Pea’ to nod home despite Cech’s touch.
Time for a winner, prevented when Raul Meireles headed over before De Gea brilliantly denied Mata’s free-kick.
Yet it felt like a victory for United, was treated like a defeat for Chelsea. Only in the Premier League.

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Express:

CHELSEA 3 - MANCHESTER UNITED 3: UNITED SHOW BOTTLE FOR A BATTLE
By Danny Fullbrook

IT is a cliche – but Manchester United proved exactly what champions are made of.

They looked overwhelmed as Chelsea raced into the most unlikely of 3-0 leads by the 51st minute.
But then Sir Alex Ferguson’s side produced the most stunning comeback in a scintillating game.
Mind you, they were given some help as referee Howard Webb handed them two very soft penalties and Chelsea did the rest as they crumbled under intense pressure.
When the Blues needed leaders to batten down the hatches, to see the game through, they were not there.
John Terry, in the eye of the storm since being stripped of the England captaincy, was missing with a knee injury along with the sidelined Frank Lampard.
Ashley Cole was suspended while Didier Drogba is on international duty, and it was the first time since January 2008 those four stalwarts have all been missing in a league game.
But even so, this result should never have been allowed to happen.
United were shell shocked after a Jonny Evans owngoal, and strikes from Juan Mata and David Luiz, which deflected off Rio Ferdinand, put the Blues in command at 3-0.
But even with their own list of absences, United got their heads down and stormed back.
Within 12 minutes of Chelsea’s last goal they had a lifeline. Daniel Sturridge tackled Patrice Evra in the area and just caught his right foot with a tackle which should never have sent the stand-in skipper to ground.
But that was what happened and Webb pointed to the spot.
Wayne Rooney scored the most brilliant of penalties as he smashed the ball high into the top corner.
Chelsea’s resolve melted away as easily as the snowfall around the ground.
In the 69th minute United were awarded another spot-kick but they should never have been given the opportunity.
Danny Welbeck danced across the edge of the Chelsea area followed by Branislav Ivanovic.
The Serb initially dangled his foot out to make a challenge but then withdrew it.
But Welbeck pushed his foot towards the tackler and then dived as well as he could to try to win a penalty.
The trickery worked, despite the home side’s protests. There was no danger of Rooney not having the bottle to step up again and once more he out-thought Petr Cech to drive the ball home and bring the score to 3-2.
Cech had made great saves in the first half from Ashley Young and Welbeck.
If it had not been for him the fightback would have been completed sooner, or the result could have been even worse.
The third goal looked inevitable, and that was how it proved. Cech once more was forced to save well from Rooney, but only managed to push the effort wide to Ryan Giggs in the 83rd minute.
The veteran winger crossed perfectly and the Chelsea defence went walkabout as Javier Hernandez ghosted in to head the ball home and shatter Chelsea’s hopes of a memorable win.
This never looked on the cards after Chelsea took an emphatic lead and seemed to be fighting tooth and nail for their under pressure manager, Andre Villas-Boas.
The first goal was scrappy, just like the first half, but it was still deserved.
Sturridge has been a revelation this sea- son so it was no wonder he had a vital hand in it. In the 41st minute he walked past a feeble challenge from Evra and looked to cross the ball.
It bounced of the knee of fit-again goal- keeper David de Gea and then onto the chest of Jonny Evans and into the net.
There was a huge sense of relief around Stamford Bridge with the breakthrough and that got better within 24 seconds of the second half kicking off. Ivanovic fed Fernando Torres on the right and he whisked the ball perfectly towards the backpost.
Mata arrived on time and hit a brilliant left foot volley into the roof of the net with sublime technique to score the goal of the game.
Matters looked catastrophic for United when Chelsea grabbed their third.
It came in the 51st minute when a Mata cross found Luiz unmarked and his header bounced off the shoulder of Ferdinand and into the corner of the net.
All this seemed pointless after United’s fightback but Chelsea could still have won the game.
The £50m Torres failed to score again de- spite being put clean through before Hernandez grabbed the third.
A goal then would have stopped United in their tracks but the Spaniard could not manage it.
De Gea has also come under pressure recently for his cock-ups, but with seconds left he made one of the saves of the season with his right hand from a perfectly taken Mata free-kick which was heading into the top corner.
Mind you, Fergie still thought his side deserved another two penalties in the first half.
Just another mad game to add to the rollercoaster nature of this season’s Premier League.