SHOWCASE-Soccer-Six memorable Manchester United v Chelsea games
LONDON, April 12 Here are six memorable matches between Manchester United and Chelsea:
Chelsea 5 Manchester United 6 – First Division, Oct 1954
It is not often that a cattle farmer scores a second-half hat-trick on debut and still ends up on the losing side but such was the fate of Seamus O'Connell, one of two amateurs in the Chelsea side. United's Dennis Viollet also bagged three, with Tommy Taylor (2) and Jackie Blanchflower also on the mark for the visitors as the nascent Busby Babes showed their potential. But Chelsea still ended the season champions for the first time.
Manchester United 0 Chelsea 4 - First Division, Aug 1968
Talk about a European Cup hangover! After beating Benfica to win the trophy for the first time, United suffered a disastrous start to the new season. Chelsea, for whom Ron Harris and Eddie McCreadie proved uncompromising forces on the day, never looked like losing from the moment Tommy Baldwin poached a 40-second lead. By halftime, Bobby Tambling and Baldwin again had made it three, with Alan Birchenall completing the rout. Within months, manager Matt Busby was gone and United was heading for nine long years without a trophy.
Chelsea 3 Manchester United 5 - FA Cup, Jan 1998 With 16 minutes remaining, this game had become an embarrassment for Chelsea. Two first-half goals from David Beckham, including a trademark free-kick, and another double from Andy Cole put United on their way before Teddy Sheringham gave them the high five. But with United coasting, Chelsea began an astonishing comeback that saw Graeme Le Saux and sub Gianluca Vialli score two soft goals. When Gary Pallister gifted Vialli a second with a ridiculous backpass, United were in meltdown and grimly hanging on.
Chelsea 5-0 Manchester United - Premier League, Oct 1999
Jose Mourinho's United are 21 league games unbeaten but Sir Alex Ferguson's treble-winners were on a 29-match unbeaten run when they were trounced to Stamford Bridge. But they didn't help themselves, with Massimo Taibi making a hash of the Gus Poyet's opener after just 27 seconds, Nickly Butt sent off for kicking Dennis Wise in front of the referee and Henning Berg scoring an own goal. Chris Sutton scored his first-ever Chelsea goal, with Poyet again and Jody Morris completing the rout. Unsurprisingly, Taibi never played for United again.
Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1 – Champions League final, May 2008
Back in the days when English teams reached the Champions League final, these two could not be separated after 120 minutes on a rainy night in Moscow. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard took the game into extra time when Didier Drogba was sent off. A shootout ensued with John Terry and Nicolas Anelka missing their kicks. Nine years on, Terry says the horror of his slip on approach still wakes him at night.
Chelsea 2 Manchester United 3 - Premier league, Oct 2012
This was the game that took Blues supporters on an unwanted rollercoaster with a comeback from two down followed by two Chelsea sendings off and an offside winner for United. David Luiz had begun the fun with an own goal before Robin van Persie showed why United had just signed him. Chelsea's Juan Mata and Ramires levelled before the referee got his cards out, first sending off Branislav Ivanovic for a second yellow and then Fernando Torres for diving even though Jonny Evans had kicked him. By the time Javier Hernandez converted United's winner from an offside position, Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo was apoplectic. "It was a good game of football with two good teams and the officials ruined it," he moaned. (Reporting by Neil Robinson; editing by Mark Heinrich)