Man Utd 0-0

Independent:

Manchester United 0 Chelsea 0

Rooney outshines van Persie in a big player stalemate

Sam Wallace

Chelsea show steel to put goal within touch
If this was to be the first instalment in a long fight for the prizes of English football, then David Moyes v Jose Mourinho Part I will not trouble the historians of our 21st century game for too long. They came, they saw, they barely had a chance worthy of the name.

Yes, it was intriguing, never more so than in the selections of both managers: Wayne Rooney in for Manchester United; Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku both on the bench in Mourinho’s striker-less formation. There was a good deal of the simmering resentment between these two clubs boiling to the surface in the stands but for those match-defining moments? That did not take much of our time.
Moyes made good on the promise that he would select Rooney who emerged from one of the biggest sulks in modern football history to contribute a performance that while not match-winning, showed why United can hardly let him go. He looked sharp and got stronger the longer the game went on; in fact he outshone Robin Van Persie.
As for Mourinho, he as good as said he settled for a point before the game and while United had the better chances – and that was not saying much - the way in which Chelsea restricted them, led by an outstanding performance from John Terry, was a sign of their manager’s defensive organisation. Listening to Mourinho talk about his attacking players it seemed that he selected them more on the basis of what they could do defensively.
He calls them his “kids” and he said he picked Kevin De Bruyne to shut down the attacking threat from Patrice Evra. Andre Schurrle was obliged to scurry around closing down United’s defence. Mourinho conceded that with 75 minutes played he took the decision that his side could not win the game and opted against bringing on Juan Mata for that reason.
Afterwards Moyes said that his side had simply missed “the final cross or the final pass ... the moment of individual brilliance” that might have changed the game. He was right that his side were by far the more attacking, as you might expect of a United team at home. Yet for United it was a concern that Michael Carrick was composed but there were too few really telling forward passes from either him or Tom Cleverley in central midfield.
If Rooney’s inclusion was a statement about how Moyes saw the future of one of the key players at his club then equally there was one from Mourinho on the resources at his disposal. His decision to leave both Torres and Lukaku on the bench – while Demba Ba did not even travel with the squad – was a resounding judgement on his striking options.
Mourinho has said all summer that he believes in Lukaku, whom he tried to sign at Real Madrid, even if he does not think he is ready yet. As for Torres, who came on for De Bruyne on the hour, this was another low in his ever dwindling Chelsea career. The only consolation for him is that Ba is closer to the exit door 
Afterwards, Mourinho joked that Torres, should stop having his £50m transfer fee thrown at him. “If you like the numbers you have to remember he scored a goal that won the Uefa Cup [Europa League] so that means some millions. He scored a goal against Everton that puts Chelsea in the Champions League, that also means some millions. So it is not 50, maybe it is 20 now ... he did his job. I’m happy with Fernando, no problem.”
As the game opened up when legs tired there was greater potential for mistakes and it was United who offered the more. Yet it was still shots from a distance or a goalmouth scramble that saw Van Persie’s shot strike the substitute John Obi Mikel. Watching from the directors’ box, after that painful defeat to Cardiff City on Sunday, Manuel Pellegrini will not have seen anything that his Manchester City cannot live with on their good days.
As far as the intrigue went, that was happening around fringes of the game. In the first half, Mourinho waved to the United fans who goaded him, having made his entry into the stadium and then sought out both Ryan Giggs and Moyes for an embrace. The new United manager, he emerged later than the rest of his players and was treated to a warm reception from the Stretford End.
There was no doubting the warmth of the feelings from the majority of the home fans towards Rooney. In the first half he only got on the ball occasionally but he looked like the one player who might be on the same wavelength as Van Persie. On 29 minutes he took a pass from Cleverley and manoeuvred himself sharply to make room for a shot which, when it came, was weak. As the United fans began singing Rooney’s name, so too did those in the away end.
The quality, however, was low. In Mourinho’s 4-2-1-3 formation it was Andre Schurrle who had to adapt to the centre-forward’s role and, while he can cover the yards, it would be overstating the case to say that he caused United’s defence problems.
United struggled to get behind Chelsea on either wing but their biggest concern was how rarely Van Persie got the ball in promising circumstances. He managed to pick the ball up on a fast turnover of possession by United on 23 minutes and drifted left to get his shot away, but that was the wrong side of the post.
It was harder to recall a decent chance for Chelsea. Oscar had a shot on target on ten minutes and another later in the first half, neither of which caused David De Gea any problems. Martin Atkinson did his best to keep his yellow card in his pocket, excusing a challenge on Van Persie by Ashley Cole and another by Antonio Valencia on Oscar that both merited a booking. De Bruyne finally copped it for a trip on Van Persie when Atkinson felt he had no other option.
The concern for United was how few chances they created – and with a home crowd urging them to attack in the last 15 minutes they made heavy work of prising open Chelsea. One of their best chances fell to Danny Welbeck, made by Rooney’s aggression in the final third of the pitch. But when the ball was presented to the United attacker he could not keep his shot on target.
Otherwise it was very fragmented from United. Rooney looked ever stronger, sliding in to tackle Ramires on the United goalline out by the corner flag, and then emerging with the ball. He had a sharply struck shot pushed round the post by Cech with 13 minutes left. Earlier United had a debatable penalty appeal for a Frank Lampard handball rejected.
At the start of the game, Ferdinand and Terry had shaken hands – for the first time before a game since the acrimonious episode involving Ferdinad’s brother Anton. Given what was at stake in the game that was to follow it barely merited a footnote at the time. After 90 flat minutes it still feels like we are waiting for this new old rivalry, under new management, to re-ignite.

Match details
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley; Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck; Van Persie.
Substitutes not used: Anderson, Giggs, Smalling, Lindegaard (gk), Young, Kagawa, Buttner
Young/Valencia 66, Welbeck/Giggs 78

Chelsea (4-2-1-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Ramires; Oscar; De Bruyne, Hazard, Schurrle.
De Bruyne/Torres 60, Schurrle/Mikel 87, Azpilicueta/Hazard 90
Man of the match: Terry
Booked: De Bruyne, Torres

Rating: 5
Attendance: 75,032
Referee: M Atkinson

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Guardian:

Manchester United draw with Chelsea in frenzy of activity but no goals
Daniel Taylor at Old Trafford

Maybe the game arrived too early in the season to be a classic. José Mourinho's return to Old Trafford certainly never brought the drama that had been anticipated. No knee-slides in that crisp, dark suit and only a few sporadic moments when David Moyes's first home game as Manchester United manager looked as if it could turn into one of the nights of his life. For the most part the two men just stood there, hands in pockets, watching two teams slug it out without managing to create a single clear-cut chance.
A game played at this speed, with all the surrounding politics and intrigue, can never be described as entirely dull but the stalemate was disappointing given the weight of expectation that had accompanied the occasion. Some goalless draws have everything but a goal. This, however, was not one of them. It was the first 0-0 stalemate in 77 Premier League games at Old Trafford, stretching back to April 2009, and it will quickly be forgotten compared with some of Mourinho's previous visits.
For Chelsea, perhaps the greatest encouragement is that Mourinho's presence already appears to be having therapeutic effects on John Terry, who was superb alongside Gary Cahill at the heart of their defence. They had to be because Wayne Rooney was as prominently involved as anyone on a night when both sets of supporters could be heard serenading him. However scrambled his emotions, playing for a club he wants to leave against the team he wants to join, nobody could doubt Rooney's commitment on the night and, on this evidence, it is clear why Mourinho wants him and United will not let it happen. The sight of him chasing down Ramires in the last few minutes, filling in as a temporary left-back and then pulling off a perfectly executed sliding tackle, spoke volumes. The only downside was that his link-up play with Robin van Persie was noticeable for its absence.
Mourinho's assertion afterwards was that United's crowd had been so supportive, describing it as "very English"; his guess was that Rooney would probably now decide to stay in Manchester and, if not, should say so within the next 48 hours. He ignores the fact that United have made it absolutely clear they would never agree to sell him to a major domestic rival. Yet, whatever the reasons, it is clear why Mourinho craves another striker and has Samuel Eto'o lined up as a Plan B. Chelsea, for all their gifts, look short in attack and started this match without an orthodox centre-forward.
Their manager explained it on wanting to "go for mobility". In other words, Mourinho felt Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand might be vulnerable to the pace and movement of Andre Schürrle, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar. It all seemed a sad reflection of the decline of Fernando Torres, a player who used to terrorise Old Trafford in Liverpool's colours. Demba Ba, too, clearly has a lot to ponder after not even making the squad. But this tactic – the false No9 or call it what you will – remains the speciality of Spain and Barcelona, not Chelsea. Schürrle and De Bruyne, in particular, were only on the edges. Mourinho's first observation after the match was that the breakaway pass, when they had the chance to counter-attack, was "not the best".
The same applied to the home side. At times the game was played at a speed more reminiscent of ice hockey and that, in turn, led to carelessness when maybe it needed someone to put his foot on the ball and start orchestrating matters with a little more subtlety. The pity for Chelsea was that Juan Mata was not fully fit and started on the bench. United played with the greater sense of adventure and the more attack-minded line-up but they, too, lacked their usual composure on the ball.
Instead it was too quick to be pretty. United, on the balance of chances created, had the slight edge but neither side could put together a sustained threat to the opposition goal. Antonio Valencia did not seem to have the confidence to believe he could get past Ashley Cole. Hazard seldom explored whether he could trouble Phil Jones. Daniel Welbeck, playing on the left of United's attack, worked diligently but the composure he had shown with his two goals at Swansea was sorely lacking when he had a couple of chances inside the first 15 minutes of the second half. This, ultimately, was the disappointment for both sides: neither Petr Cech nor David de Gea had to make a save that could be rated as more than six out of 10.
United thought they might have won a second-half penalty when Tom Cleverley cracked a shot from the edge of the penalty area and it struck Frank Lampard's hand from point-blank range. Lampard had a point afterwards when he said he did not know how he could be expected to get out of the way, but so did Moyes when he called for the rule-makers to let everyone know what should be given in those circumstances. The referee, Martin Atkinson, waved away the appeals when other like-for-like offences have already been punished this season. Moyes referred specifically to the handball penalty Tottenham Hotspur won at Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
The new manager had been given a rousing welcome and can reflect on a satisfying start to his new job. Mourinho, with seven points out of nine, can do likewise. And next time these sides meet, it is safe to assume there might be a touch more drama and excitement.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2013/aug/26/jose-mourinho-david-moyes

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Telegraph:

Manchester United 0 Chelsea 0
By Henry Winter, at Old Trafford

This was a game of little creative merit, the first supposed show-piece of the new £3billion television deal that must have tempted the broadcasters to rifle through their wallet to check whether they had kept the receipt.
This game, the first goalless draw in the Premier League at Old Trafford since May 2009, deserved only a one-star rating but that one star was Wayne Rooney.
John Terry was named man of the match, and the centre-half undeniably manned the Chelsea barricades with typical organisation and obstinacy, but Rooney was a poor game’s sole redeeming feature.
He was the best striker on view, and would have scored but for Petr Cech’s agile reflexes in keeping his 200th clean sheet. Rooney was the most creative player in view, dropping off Robin van Persie, sweeping the ball wide or teeing up Danny Welbeck for a missed chance.
At one point, Rooney was even the best left-back on view, tracking back to near the corner-flag to dispossess Ramires. At the end, Jose Mourinho left Old Trafford with the point he set out for but how the Chelsea manager would have loved to have returned home with the outstanding Rooney.
Mourinho even set his team up without a centre-forward, almost advertising the vacancy to Rooney.
“Wayne Rooney, we’ll see you next week,’’ chanted the Chelsea fans who were in good humour throughout, particularly enjoying an important point at the home of one of their main rivals for the title. Chelsea’s coveting of Rooney has been one of the sagas of the summer.
This game demonstrated why Mourinho wants him, giving a cutting edge to Chelsea’s attack.
Mourinho’s selection indicated a total lack of belief in Fernando Torres, who came on only after an hour and did little, barring heading wide and collecting a caution. It showed an unwillingness to risk the promising but raw Romelu Lukaku.
It highlighted that he does not particularly rate Demba Ba, who did not even make the bench. Samuel Eto’o is a possible option but is no Rooney. It wasn’t a team-sheet from Mourinho; it was a statement.
Yet David Moyes also made a statement, reminding everyone that he does value Rooney, starting him, keeping him on for 90 minutes, knowing that a player who loves football as much as Rooney would give everything. Yet even Rooney’s formidable influence could not break down Chelsea.
Mourinho, who has yet to lose to Moyes in seven Premier League games, played cautiously, flooding midfield. It was classic Mourinho, the end justifying the means, carrying echoes of his Inter Milan side’s defensive game-plan at Camp Nou in 2010 (albeit without the errant sprinkler after the final whistle).
He even left Juan Mata, Chelsea’s best player over the past two seasons, on the bench. After Torres, Mourinho’s final two substitutions brought on John Obi Mikel and Cesar Azpilicueta to lock down the game and guarantee the point.
Manchester United fans would not have accepted such tactics. Moyes was far more adventurous, starting with Rooney and Robin van Persie with Danny Welbeck and Antonio Valencia wide. United still lack a dominant creative presence in the centre for all Michael Carrick’s occasional composed delivery.
If Mourinho left the happier, Moyes can take heart from the reality that Old Trafford preferred his more adventurous approach. The former Everton manager knows he has much to prove to United supporters but at least this indicated attack-minded tendencies in keeping with the club’s traditions.
This was the Chosen One versus the Special One, the Scot in suede shoes versus the Portuguese showman who had apparently coveted the chance to become Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor. “Jose Mourinho, you wanted this job,’’ chanted the Stretford End who unveiled a banner for Moyes.
United’s new manager had welcomed Mourinho warmly, declaring that Chelsea have appointed a “great coach” but the gloves were off. The pair were in dispute over Rooney, and now embroiled in a tense game which was a disappointing war of attrition in the first half, partly caused by Mourinho’s tactics.
Space was at a premium. The match screamed out for a leader, somebody prepared to take a risk, take opponents on. Rooney tried. Ramires and Frank Lampard, Mourinho’s central midfielders, began dropping even deeper to combat the man in the United No 10 shirt.
He started by trying to dribble Gary Cahill, drawing cheers from United fans, and immediately chants of his name from the Chelsea fans.
Chelsea, their line led by Andre Schurrle, so needed a striker of Rooney’s class. Oscar sent in a snap-shot that David de Gea held. The game then staggered back down the other end. Terry athletically intercepted a Rooney cross. Van Persie hit the side-netting.
It was not particularly appetising fare for a sold-out audience or some distinguished guests. The great and the good of the game were here, Manuel Pellegrini and Roy Hodgson swapping phone numbers, Roberto Martinez watching on, doubtless realising why United are pushing for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. The game craved a focal point, a forward.
Hernan Crespo, here on television duty, could have brought a cutting edge to his old Chelsea team. Even at 38.
The game meandered along. Tom Cleverley wafted a left-footed shot over. Rooney glided past Ivanovic and Ramires. De Bruyne was then cautioned for a challenge on Van Persie, the yellow card a slight surprise as Martin Atkinson had just allowed Valencia to get away with a nasty foul on Oscar.
Defences continued to dominate. Nemanja Vidic dispossessed Oscar with all the nonchalance of a burly policeman taking a water-pistol off a tiny kid. Carrick and Patrice Evra did combine to send Rooney across the edge of the 18-yard box, the England striker eluding Ramires again before slipping the ball into the area for Welbeck, who wasted the opportunity with a shot over.
Another England player, Cleverley, then let fly with a volley which crashed into Lampard. Cleverley appealed loudly for a penalty but Atkinson waved play on. The referee then dismissed Ashley Cole’s claim that Phil Jones had tugged his shirt as he darted past.
Rooney, inevitably, came closest to breaking the deadlock, taking a pass off Welbeck, and bringing a magnificent save from Cech.
A Van Persie volley thudded into Mikel. Still Rooney gave hope, dribbling forward, almost scoring. Mourinho departed with a smile, with catcalls from the Stretford End, but without Rooney.

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Mirror:
 
Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea: Blues target Rooney proves his worth to champions even in disappointing stalemate

By David McDonnell 
  
Cheered by the Old Trafford fans and the best player on a night of few chances, it's hard to see the striker leaving now

Say what you like about Wayne Rooney, but there is no doubting his passion, commitment and professionalism.
Rooney may have become disillusioned with life at Manchester United and had his head turned by Chelsea, but that did not stop him giving his all here for his current employers.
And the unstinting support from United fans towards Rooney, reminding him he is still wanted and revered, may just have convinced the forward he would be mad to turn his back on Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho said as much after the game, admitting he was stunned by the reaction of United's fans to Rooney, having indicated his desire to leave for the second time in under three years.
Mourinho said afterwards he wanted Rooney to make it clear whether he wants to stay at United or leave, only then will Chelsea decide whether to submit a third bid, in the region of £40million, for the forward.
If Rooney is still intent on leaving United, he did not let that show in a charged display that would surely have earned him the man-of-the-match award had it not required him to speak to the Sky TV cameras afterwards.
Given the sensitivity of his current predicament, interviews with Rooney are clearly off limits, but the 27-year-old's performance was the most eloquent expression of his enduring value as a player.
Rooney's pre-season has consisted of 45 minutes in a practice match behind closed doors at United's training ground, 67 minutes for England and a 28-minute cameo role in a 4-1 win at Swansea.
As such, he was clearly not match-fit or as sharp as the other players on the field, Moyes indicating after he only expected Rooney to play 60 to 70 minutes.
But Rooney lasted the full 90 minutes and was unquestionably United's most dominant threat going forward, out-performing Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck.
Rooney was handed his first start for United since April 28 and any apprehension he may have had over his reception was eased when his name was cheered as the teams were read out prior to kick-off.
The selection of Rooney, who had recovered sufficiently from shoulder and hamstring problems to start, was a proverbial two-fingered gesture to Chelsea from Moyes, to show then up close just what they were missing out on.
The easy option for Moyes would have been to leave Rooney on the bench or out completely, given the ongoing saga with Chelsea, but his selection from the start was a masterstroke from the United boss.
Moyes banked on Rooney's professionalism and personal pride to produce his best form for United, despite his inner turmoil over his future - and so it proved.
All that was missing from Rooney's ebullient display was a goal. He had Petr Cech at full-stretch to keep out a rasping long-range effort 13 minutes from the end and tried an audacious over-head kick in added time.
United fans sang Rooney's name with gusto, their Chelsea counterparts joining in and adding "Wayne Rooney, we'll see you next week", clearly confident of getting their man, despite two failed bids.
The game produced few genuine chances in the first-half. Van Persie flashed an angled shot into the side netting in the 22nd minute, while Rooney prodded a meek shot from the edge of the area straight at Cech.
With Chelsea's players adhering to Mourinho's defensive-minded approach, it was United who did most of the pressing throughout, although they were unable to make the decisive breakthrough.
Mourinho, whose starting line-up contained no recognised striker, threw on Fernando Torres on the hour, the Chelsea manager's stated pre-match philosophy of going for "mobility", with four attacking players and no target man, not having worked in terms of yielding a goal.
United felt they should have had a penalty in the 62nd minute when a Tom Cleverley shot struck Frank Lampard's right arm, but referee Martin Atkinson saw no transgression.
Ashley Cole went to ground 10 minutes later at the other end, claiming Phil Jones had pulled at his shorts, but TV replays showed the Chelsea defender was optimistic to say the least with his appeal.
If one moment summed up Rooney the player, it came in the 75th minute when he raced back to his own touchline to dispossess Ramires with a perfectly-timed tackle, before clipping the ball forward to Van Persie.
The extraordinary show of commitment earned Rooney a deserved standing ovation from United's fans.
Such a reception may yet see Rooney have a change of heart for the second time in three years and turn his back on a fresh start, this time at Chelsea.

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Express:

Rival bosses Jose Mourinho and David Moyes draw comfort from result

THEY probably won't admit it, but neither David Moyes nor Jose Mourinho will have been too unhappy with this result.

By: Richard Tanner

At this early stage of the season, it was simply a game they didn't want to lose.
Manchester United's first goalless draw for 119 matches ensured that Moyes didn't lose his first home match as their manager, while Mourinho maintained his excellent record against them.
When they meet again at Stamford Bridge in January, the stakes will be higher, but all that can be drawn from last night's encounter is that there is little to choose between the teams and both will be challenging hard for the Premier League title.
Moyes will have been greatly encouraged though by the performance of Wayne Rooney. Despite Chelsea's persistent interest, his commitment matched his quality.
And he was cheered throughout by United fans so eager for him to stay at Old Trafford.
When he raced back to dispossess Ramires near the corner flag and then sent Robin van Persie away with a pass, the roar from the crowd was as loud as if he had scored the winner. United had more of the ball and the better chances, with Danny Welbeck missing the best of them, but Chelsea were superbly organised and resilient.
There was a minute's applause before kick-off for former United players Jack Crompton and Brian Greenhoff who passed away during the summer.
Among the crowd for an early showdown between two of last season's top three, were England boss Roy Hodgson and Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose side face United next month.
As expected, Moyes gave Rooney his first start since Chelsea won at Old Trafford on May 4, despite Chelsea apparently waiting for the game to finish before submitting a third offer.
Any fears of a negative reaction from United fans however were dispelled when his name was announced to loud cheers and chants of "Rooney, Rooney" as the players did their warm-up.
United had more possession in the early stages, but had to wait until the 23rd minute before they threatened a goal when Michael Carrick won the ball off Ramires and Van Persie's shot rattled the side netting.
Van Persie couldn't climb high enough to get any power or direction on his header from Patrice Evra as United attempted to build up some attacking momentum. Then Rooney, receiving the ball from Tom Cleverley, made room for a shot that he fired tamely straight at Petr Cech.
United were quick to close down Chelsea with some fierce tackling. After a late challenge on Oscar, Antonio Valencia received a lecture form referee Martin Atkinson.
But it was Kevin De Bruyne who picked up the first caution for a foul on Van Persie.
To add injury to insult, De Bruyne was left with blood trickling from a split lip after Van Persie attempted to fend off his challenge with his forearm.
Mourinho was furious that Valencia had escaped and De Bruyne had not and made his feelings known in his typically theatrical fashion to fourth official Mike Dean.
chelsea, manchester united, david moyes, jose mourinho, draw, tie, frank lampard, wayne rooneyBut Valencia found Lampard blocking his path

Any fears of a negative reaction from United fans however were dispelled when his name was announced to loud cheers and chants of "Rooney, Rooney" as the players did their warm-up
The two teams had shown each other too much respect in a cautious first half, but United cranked up the tempo in the second half in a bid to make the breakthrough with Welbeck heavily involved in their attacking work.
He linked well with Evra, but the United left-back was blocked as he surged into the area.
Welbeck then curled a shot high and wide and wasted the best chance of the game so far after 55 minutes, lofting his effort into the Stretford End.
United had appeals for a penalty dismissed by referee Atkinson when Cleverley's shot crashed against Frank Lampard, who was turning away from the ball.
Rooney underlined his growing confidence by spinning away from Gary Cahill to try his luck from 25 yards, but Cech fielded the shot comfortably.
Valencia had worked hard, but had blown hot and cold and Moyes decided to replace him with Ashley Young.
Cole appealed for a penalty after an excursion into United's penalty area, but he went down far too easily after brushing against Phil Jones and referee Atkinson got his second big call of the night spot on.

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Star:

Chelsea 0 - Manchester United 0: Jose Mourinho ruins David Moyes' party

DAVID MOYES discovered last night just how tough an opponent Jose Mourinho will be as the Scot bids to retain the Premier League title for United.

By David Woods

Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, ChelseaAn all-star display couldn't ensure any thrills in the rivals clash
For all his talk promising free-flowing, adventurous football, this was a stark reminder of how Mourinho can be the ultimate party-pooper by making teams tougher to beat than a hard boiled egg.
Do not forget in his first season with the Blues – when they won the title in 2004-5 – Chelsea conceded just 15 goals.
This was a game where Mourinho set out first and foremost not to lose.
It was not exactly “parking the bus” – the famous criticism the Portuguese coach once made of a Tottenham team who drew 0-0 at Stamford Bridge.
But it was a million miles away from cavalier stuff, with Mourinho keeping ­playmaker Juan Mata on the bench and starting with young, fit and ready to run and run Andre Schurrle as his solitary man up front.
It was a case of ‘Schurrle you can’t be serious’ when the team was revealed.
But Mourinho has already instilled a defensive discipline in his team, with each and every player knowing last night that they had never to forget their duty to make sure it was always a thick blue line United had to breach. It was not pretty, but it sure was effective as United were involved in a 0-0 for the first time since they went to Newcastle in April 2011.
Mourinho’s penultimate substitution saw holding midfielder John Obi Mikkel come on for an exhausted Schurrle in the 87th minute, and the Nigerian almost immediately got his body in the way of a Robin van Persie volley.
In stoppage time he sent on right-back Cesar Azpilicueta for Eden Hazard. ‘The Special One’ was certainly taking no chances.
Before kick-off Moyes received a rapturous welcome on his Old Trafford debut.
But just like his predecessor and fellow Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson, he discovered Mourinho is the master when it comes to denying the opposition.
David Moyes' first match at home provided no real dramaDavid Moyes' first match at home provided no real drama
In March, Mourinho’s Real Madrid ensured no fairytale ending to Fergie’s amazing career by dumping United out of the Champions League.
Sadly in this encounter, there was no wizard like Cristiano Ronaldo. Even the sub-plot involving Chelsea’s United target Wayne Rooney could not add any real thrills to this encounter as Mourinho’s tactics thwarted the champions.
Rooney played well without being sensational, forcing Petr Cech into his one and only serious save in the 77th minute, when he made the Czech keeper dive full length to his right to keep out a 25-yard right-foot cracker.
Chelsea’s best chances fell to Oscar, the player who marked the start of the new Mourinho era by scoring the first goal of his second coming, against Hull nine days ago.
But the Brazilian shot twice straight at David De Gea and also screwed another half-chance wide, by connecting with the wrong side of his right boot.
For United, Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley failed to make any great connections with other attempts.
At half-time the only real talking point was the fact John Terry and Rio ­­Ferdinand HAD shaken hands, having seemingly put the Anton Ferdinand race storm incident behind them at last.
But overall there was a lack of excitement in a game which was supposed to signal the Premier League season catching alight.
In truth, it was as flat as the Old ­Trafford pitch.
The Theatre of Dreams was more like the Theatre of Yawns and although the second half was better, it was no spectacle.
Fernando Torres did came on for Chelsea just after the hour, but he never threatened and always seems now to be on the verge of losing control of the ball if he runs at defenders.
Hazard was on target from nearly 30 yards but, once again, his shot proved no challenge for De Gea.
But Gary Cahill did produce a decent strike from 35 yards to force De Gea to spring to his left and collect.
There were a couple of shouts in the second half for penalties – for a Frank Lampard handball and a supposed pullback of Ashley Cole by Phil Jones.
But there was to be no drama and no delight for either set of fans as the game drew to a close.
Mourinho is a winner and will do pretty much whatever it takes to stay at the top.
And this draw will send out a grim warning that anyone wanting to beat his Chelsea will have to do it the hard way.