Unlikely hero Phil Neville broke his goal duck to give Manchester United the
perfect Champions' League send-off and kill Chelsea's title tilt stone dead.
The England defender was handed an unfamiliar central midfield role as Alex
Ferguson made five changes from the side knocked out of the FA Cup in midweek.
Neville had never scored a senior goal in his career before today, snatching
at the few opportunities he had been presented with.
But when superb interplay involving Denis Irwin, Teddy Sheringham and Andy
Cole sent the 21-year-old through on Dmitri Kharine just after the half-hour of
a frantic and bad-tempered clash, he made no mistake to put his side 12 points
clear, for a few hours at least.
Keeping his head, Neville drilled right-footed into the bottom corner from 12
yards. Kharine was given no chance and Neville set off for the celebration
routine he perhaps felt would never get demonstrated in public.
Not surprisingly, he was mobbed by the corner flag, buried under a red-shirted
avalanche as United celebrated a moment that pared the championship field down
to a realistic three.
The only sour note for Ferguson was the sad sight of Gary Pallister forced off
after aggravating his long-term back problem, making the centre-half a real
doubt for the trip to Monaco.
But otherwise this was a highly effective and satisfactory morning for the
champions, always far too good for a Chelsea side which tried to beat the rapier
with the bludgeon, yet never struck a blow.
That seemed possible from the outset. Whatever Ferguson's protestations to the
contrary, this was a far more recognisable United side than the one which had
lost at Barnsley in midweek, more like the team which will play in France on
Wednesday.
It included the return of Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes - the latter having had
"no chance" on Wednesday evening - into the midfield, although the surprise
was that Butt was on the left, counteracting the threat of Dan Petrescu.
A measure that seemed important in the early stages as the Romanian made some
dangerous incursions down the right, Gary Neville clearing one low cross.
The biggest danger, however, was one of tempers exploding. Luca Vialli had
warned his side to be "mature" and at least Frank Leboeuf seemed to be obeying
that instruction.
But to describe Dennis Wise as a hothead would often be an understatement, and
the home skipper was the common denominator in most of the unsavoury
head-to-heads that were to break into more nasty conflagrations as the game went
on.
More worryingly for Ferguson was Pallister's back problem, apparent early on
as he was caught in possession by Roberto Di Matteo, although Scholes got him
out of trouble then.
Then Gianfranco Zola, starting on the left with licence to roam, ghosted past
the England man before firing into the crowd and as Pallister signalled to the
bench, Henning Berg was sent into action.
United had been far the crisper in their passing, and even if this was not the
one-sided FA Cup mauling of January, they looked the more likely.
Cole's persistence almost brought the opener, Kharine blocking, a wall of blue
shirts preventing Sheringham turning home the rebound, and Butt firing the loose
ball over.
But in the 31st minute, after the otherwise subdued Mark Hughes had headed
over at the other end, United went in front, although few other than the real
optimists would have put their money on the scorer.
It was a typical United goal however, swift interpassing finding the way
through, and Neville's assured low finish made a mockery of the fact that he had
never found the net before.
The goal saw the undercurrents boiling over, Wise and Butt continually
involved, and both of them - along with David Beckham - brought to heel by the
cards of Steve Dunn.
A Vialli shot - from a seated position - was deflected onto the bar before
Petrescu's run and shot brought the first save of the game from Peter
Schmeichel, although United still had something extra, Cole's explosive pace
almost creating something out of nothing on half-time.
The jet-heeled Cole nearly embarrassed Leboeuf soon afterwards - Zola of all
people had been booked for a foul on Irwin - and with Chelsea falling back on
hit and hope, it became increasing hit and hopeless.
Schmeichel was not being tested, Cole always on the point of making a decisive
contribution, and while the margin was just one, the gap seemed much wider.
Scholes volleyed over before a move of real class, Beckham clipping onto
Sheringham's head and Butt throwing himself at the ball but steering just too
high, summed up the quality chasm.
Off-target efforts from Hughes and Wise were symptomatic of Chelsea's malaise,
a lack of self-belief evident, and United were cruising.
Chelsea pushed forward in the later stages, Tore Andre Flo having replaced
player-boss Vialli, but never with any realistic hope of finding a way through,
Berg and Ronny Johnsen Norwegian rocks at the heart of the defence.
Ferguson's only gripe was with the officials, the United boss racing from his
dug-out to confront the linesman when he ruled one ball still in play.
It summed up United's superiority. Chelsea knew they had been well-beaten.
Teams
Chelsea: Kharine, Petrescu, Leboeuf, Clarke, Vialli (Flo 78),
Hughes, Wise, Duberry, Le Saux, Di Matteo, Zola.
Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Lambourde, Newton, Nicholls.
Booked: Wise, Zola, Leboeuf.
Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Johnsen,
Pallister (Berg 28), Beckham, Butt, Cole, Sheringham, P. Neville,
Scholes.
Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, McClair, Solskjaer, Thornley.
Booked: Butt, Beckham, Cole.
Goals: P. Neville 31.
Att: 34,511
Ref: S W Dunn (Bristol).
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