The two most consistent title challengers of the last 15 years go head-to-head once again on Sunday, and while Jose Mourinho’s defensive tactics might suggest it will be a dull game the history books suggest otherwise. Mourinho has been involved in some classic matches between these two sides since his arrival in England in 2004.
We take a look at five of the best Chelsea versus Manchester United matches in the Premier League era:
Chelsea 5-0 Manchester United (October 1999)
Manchester United seemed untouchable following their famous treble win in the 1998/99 season, and having made a flying start to the new campaign arrived at Stamford Bridge on a 29-match undefeated run. It was quite incredible, then, when Chelsea hammered Alex Ferguson’s side. They had Massimo Taibi to thank.
Taibi had let a Matt Le Tissier shot squirm horribly under his body in United’s previous match, a 3-3 draw with Southampton, and he was at it again within the first 30 seconds of this one clashing with Dennis Irwin to provide Gus Poyet with a tap-in. Nervous and untrusting of their keeper, United shipped another four, courtesy of Chris Sutton, Henning Berg, Jody Morris, and Poyet.
United still went on to lift the title but Taibi never played for the club again.
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (August 2004)
Jose Mourinho’s first match in charge of Chelsea was a vintage defensive display, but at the time his side’s lack of possession and defensive football gave this match a very different feel. The BBC match report claimed the result was “harsh” on United because they “dominated possession but could not cash in”. Little did they know that this was a deliberate tactic from Mourinho, and one that would come to define his managerial style over the next 13 years.
Eidur Gudjohnsen scored the only goal of the game in the 13th minute with a brave finish past Tim Howard after Didier Drogba, also making his debut, flicked the ball superbly into his path. Mourinho’s side went on to win the Premier League by 12 points, losing just one league game all season.
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea (May 2011)
It is rare for the Premier League fixture list to present us with a title showdown but that is what happened in May 2011 when Chelsea visited Old Trafford. The hosts were three points clear at the top of the Premier League table with just three matches to go before this one – but any nerves in Manchester dissipated within 37 seconds.
Park Ji-Sung’s through ball somehow found its way past David Luiz and into the path of Javier Hernandez, who slipped it underneath the goalkeeper to send Old Trafford into raptures. Nemanja Vidic added a second in the 23rd minute on a tempestuous day in Manchester; it was no surprise that six players were booked given what was at stake - and given Chelsea had been beaten by United in the Champions League quarter-final less than four weeks earlier.
A second-half strike from Frank Lampard wasn’t enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s team as the final whistle effectively ended the title race. The Italian was sacked at the end of the campaign.
Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United (February 2012)
Two costly defeats at the end of 2011 had raised concerns for United boss Alex Ferguson, and so, following three successive league wins in January, it was vital his team didn’t lose further ground when they visited Stamford Bridge.
Heads might have dropped when a Jonny Evans own goal, followed by a superb Juan Mata volley and a David Luiz header, gave Chelsea a commanding three-goal lead with just over half an hour to play.
But two Wayne Rooney penalties and a Hernandez strike sealed a dramatic comeback for the visitors. Manchester City went on to win the title on goal difference thanks to Sergio Aguero’s injury-time winner against QPR.
Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United (October 2016)
Just three weeks after Antonio Conte’s side lost 3-0 to Arsenal, and so only the third game in which Chelsea had played with three at the back under the Italian, Chelsea hammered Manchester United on Jose Mourinho’s first match at Stamford Bridge since his dismissal in 2015. It was a stark reminder of how far United had fallen over the past few seasons.
Pedro gave Chelsea the lead after 29 seconds and before a visiting player had even touched the ball, before goals from Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard, and N’Golo Kante sealed the rout. Gary Neville described United’s defending as “garbage”. You couldn’t disagree.
