After the body blow Sir Alex Ferguson took last Tuesday against Real Madrid in the Champions League he would of looking for his Manchester United side to bounce back and push on to secure a domestic double.
Chelsea obviously didn't read the script though, as they came from 2-0 down to secure a replay against the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge on a yet to be decided date.
United got off to the dream start against an under fire Chelsea when Michael Carrick produced one of the balls of the season to put in fox in the box Chicharito. The Mexican looped in a superb header to leave Petr Cech stranded. Things got even better for United just minutes later when a Rooney free kick wasn't dealt with by the Chelsea rear-guard and was aloud to creep in the far post to put the home side 2-0 up. Things weren't looking good for Chelsea as United looked to put the game to bed in the first half, to their credit though, they held on until the whistle was blown.
Chelsea came out after half-time still looking fairly flat until Benitez made two inspired substitutions. John Obi Mikel replaced Frank Lampard who is still searching for his 200th Chelsea goal, while Eden Hazard replaced Victor Moses.
Chelsea were almost instantly energised, the substitutions added another dimension to their play as they probed for a goal. They didn't have to wait long, Eden Hazard picked up the ball on the edge of the United area and stepped inside to put a fantastic effort into the net.
The Blues sensed a come-back here and it wasn't long before they levelled the game at 2-2 with a left footed shot from Ramires just beating the impressive David de Gea.
United were tiring and it looked as if Chelsea would prove to much in the second half for the Reds, but after some more fantastic and slightly unorthodox saves from de Gea United got over the line to earn a replay and keep themselves in with a chance of completing the double.
Check out the video highlights of the match from FA TV below.
Exclusive Pitchside and Tunnelcam from FA TV.
Source: DSG
