On a bruising night of typically English football played out by a host of foreign names, Manchester United needed a late goal to salvage a point and respectability.
With barely three minutes left the substitute, Ole Solskjaer, swept a magnificent rising drive just inside a post to add some lustre to what had been an uncompromising evening. Even so, Chelsea did enough, just, to lend credence to the belief that they may not have to rely on cup football for success this season.
Chelsea's arrival had been prefaced by the sort of scene-setting speech from Alex Ferguson that has become an irritating trademark of the United manager. The ploy is simple - heap praise on the opposition and hope that they become complacent.
Perhaps Ferguson had a point, though. Chelsea's record at Old Trafford since he took charge more than a decade ago is nothing short of miraculous, just two defeats in nine previous games, constituting the best return of any Premiership club.
Enticing though the prospect of pitting United's astute sense of organisation against Chelsea's flair was, this was a game with a most pronounced competitive streak. The season may still be in its infancy but already the stakes are high.
Paul Scholes almost headed United in front inside the opening minute, but once the game eased into a sensible rhythm, Chelsea found their opponents' more methodical approach very much to their liking.
Returning to his most treasured hunting ground, Mark Hughes seemed likely to underline Chelsea's marginal supremacy after running on to Dan Petrescu's well-flighted pass but his shot from an unsympathetic angle barely troubled Peter Schmeichel.
The game had become becalmed in a bout of shadow boxing when, unexpectedly, Chelsea's patient and determined prodding at United's soft underbelly was rewarded midway through the opening half. It was a freak goal.
As the United defence retreated, Graeme Le Saux ignored the claims of better placed team-mates and shot. Schmeichel dropped down to his left but could not hold a raking drive and, as he started to get back up, the ball struck Henning Berg on the knee and looped over his goalkeeper.
Then with one contentious decision, the match officials applied a spark to the tinderbox. Ten minutes before the interval, Cole set off in pursuit of Gary Pallister's huge clearance. He had appeared to be offside but, as Chelsea raised a collective arm in protest, play was waved on.
Cole ran to the byline before pulling back a square pass which Scholes sidefooted home - and all hell broke lose. As the linesmen and referee were surrounded by furious players, Chelsea's manager Ruud Gullit, who was one of the substitutes, made his own touchline protest.
It was all to no avail and as Chelsea's sense of injustice got the better of their reason, United almost scored again, Pallister striking the crossbar with a fine header.
But slowly Gianfranco Zola emerged as a pivotal figure and after 68 minutes Chelsea moved back in front when Mark Hughes turned in a Dan Petrescu cross after Schmeichel had failed to intercept.
Manchester Utd: Schmeichel, Neville (Giggs 80), Irwin, Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole, Poborsky (Solskjaer 66), Keane, Scholes (Sheringham 66), Berg. Subs Not Used: Johnsen, Van Der Gouw. Booked: Keane, Scholes, Irwin. Goals: Scholes 36, Solskjaer 86.
Chelsea: De Goey, Petrescu, Leboeuf, Lambourde, Poyet, M. Hughes, Wise, Le Saux, Myers, P. Hughes, Zola (Flo 89). Subs Not Used: Gullit, Vialli, Hitchcock, Nicholls. Booked: Lambourde, Zola, Wise, P. Hughes, M. Hughes. Goals: Berg 25 og, M. Hughes 68. Att: 55,163.
Referee: G S Willard (Worthing).
