A case of men against boys for the majority of this FA Cup third round tie as Manchester United ruthlessly dismissed the defending champions.
Ruud Gullit's tactical naivety under- mined Chelsea before they set foot on the Stamford Bridge pitch: compounding the original frailty was the performance of several players on the day. The scoreline should in no way detract from the ease with which Manchester United accomplished this task.
Chelsea would be foolish to ascribe anything other than an honest appraisal to their performance. Scoring three goals in the dying embers of a game should offer little consolation. United won this match convincingly when it mattered and while Alex Ferguson will be annoyed at some sloppy defending he should rejoice in his team's performance for the first 75 minutes.
In contrast Gullit must shoulder some of the blame for his team's insipid display. His decision to offer Mark Hughes a withdrawn midfield role was high- lighted for the folly that it was.
The incompatability of Tore Andre Flo, Gianfranco Zola and Hughes as an attacking fulcrum was also exposed. It proved that a team can not be changed week in, week out and hope to retain the same level of performance. Gianluca Vialli's contribution should not be over- stated. While he took his chances clinically, United's thoughts have long since become focused on the journey home.
Mark Nicholls and Dan Petrescu were only on the periphery of the game, a lightweight presence, which left Roberto Di Matteo exposed in midfield. He was forced to compete with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes; standing up to one of the two United players would be enough for anyone.
Gullit's team selection basically con- ceded midfield to the strongest quartet in the Premiership the result being that United simply swamped the home side, picking up loose balls and applying continuous pressure. David Beckham and Ryan Giggs gave United width and penetration on the wings, something which Chelsea failed to redress until it was too late.
Frank Leboeuf and Michael Duberry were pulled all over the place to devastating effect. Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole simply ran in opposite directions, creating huge holes in the Chelsea de- fence and into these poured United's midfield. The match confirmed the belief that Chelsea are defensively limited and that includes Leboeuf and Duberry. There has been a clamour in some sections of the media that Duberry should be included in Glenn Hoddle's squad for the World Cup in France during the Summer: those who advance his cause would do well to look at the video. He is simply not good enough.
Ed de Goey proved what an extremely average, at best, goalkeeper he is, particularly for the Beckham free kick, where he stayed rooted to the spot, and also for Cole's first goal.
Chelsea were poor but this was as good an away performance as I have seen in a long time. It would be invidious to single out individuals but if pressed I thought that Nicky Butt summed up his team's commitment and application on the day.
When all the tackles were flying in, from Hughes, Di Matteo and Steve Clarke, Butt never allowed them to distract him from his primary task - helping United to win the match. No matter what the tackle was like, Butt simply hauled himself to his feet and got on with the game.
His industry was matched by those around him. Even in the last five minutes Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer were making tackles in their own penalty area. United's success is not just about ability, it encompasses desire, work-rate and a commitment to working towards a common goal.
The majority of top clubs in the Premiership watching this game at Stamford Bridge would have been hoping for a Chelsea victory, simply because they would believe that they could go to Stamford Bridge and win: the same could not be said for a journey to Old Trafford.
Elsewhere the weekend highlighted the problems that are currently being ex- perienced by the two other Premiership aspirants, Liverpool and Arsenal. Conventry's victory over Liverpool at Anfield confirmed the Reds demise.
They can offer no consistency, winning three or four games and then losing a couple: that illustrates a lack of strength in depth and Liverpool suffer that com- plaint at the moment.
Arsenal's scoring problems continue and unless Arsene Wenger can find a remedy, it is going to be another frustrating season for Gunners supporters.
But undoubtedly the most chilling message came from Stamford Bridge where United once again asserted their superiority for all to see as they march irresistably closer to silverware on several fronts.
