United were the better team in the goalless draw against Chelsea on 26 August 2013. I thought United dominated most of the time, albeit without creating many chances. Chelsea had a rather defensive strategy, which made things difficult. Rooney's strong performance was the most positive surprise.
It seems like a tradition that referee decisions - more than anything else - decide the outcome of the matches between United and Chelsea, and this match was no different. To me, to looked like a clear penalty when Lampard handled the ball. That said, I admit that if Carrick had done the same on the opposite end of the pitch, I would probably have felt that t was no penalty. Such is the twisted reality of football fans...
I was happy to see the United line-up, and I believe Moyes made the right picks. However, his decision to bring on Giggs as a substitute when United were chasing the winner, was odd. Why not Kagawa, who is much more creative than Giggs? Perhaps Kagawa was not yet fit, as he has lost most of the pre-season. But then, if Kagawa was not fit, what was he doing on the bench?
I hope United will start with the same 11 players against Liverpool. I know that Sir Alex used to always change the team from one match to the next, but believe that United at teh moment would benefit from some stability, in this regard. The performances of players like Cleverley and Valencia against Chelsea suggest that these players perform better now that they have been allowed to start a few games in a row. Either way: against Liverpool, we will go for the 3 points!
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