Chelsea players applaud Manchester United players as they walk on to the pitch before their English Premier League match at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Manchester United had already won the Premier League title. The game ended 0-0. - ReutersLONDON (Reuters):
CHELSEA AND Manchester United, league champions old and new, produced a strictly mid-table performance yesterday in a goalless showdown that came a month too late.
The game, which should have been one of the highlights of the season, was downgraded to dead rubber status when United secured the title on Sunday by virtue of Chelsea only drawing 1-1 at Arsenal.
It would have been very different if the fixture had been played when originally scheduled for FA Cup semi-final weekend in April, when United were just three points ahead, but with the teams due to meet again in the Cup final on May 19, it became a more of a damage-limitation exercise.
Alex Ferguson put out a virtual second-string team. China forward Fangzhuo Dong donned the red shirt competitively for the first time more than three years after joining the club, full-back Kieran Lee made his first league appearance and Chris Eagles his first start. Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick were on the bench and Cristiano Ronaldo not involved at all.
Chelsea were much more recognisable, though they too gave a first start to 18-year-old forward Scott Sinclair in the continuing absence of 31-goal striker Didier Drogba and for once were without Frank Lampard, missing for only the second time in 62 games.
