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Manchester United haven’t won at Chelsea in the league since 20 April 2002. Ten years. A miserable record, especially as Chelsea have been managed by Avram Grant in that time. And to think people quibble about Tottenham’s record at Old Trafford. These are meant to be the champions of England, and they can’t even win at a ground where Chelsea didn’t lose for 86 matches, a run spanning four years and eight months. Oh.

Only four players, two on each side, remain from that match. United won 3-0, a victory that wasn’t enough to stop Arsenal finally sealing the league title at Old Trafford a couple of weeks later. No prizes for guessing which players we’re looking for here. For Chelsea, it’s former England captain John Terry and Frank Lampard. For United, it’s Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who gave Lampard a lesson that afternoon and may be about to give him another one today. Scholes got United on their way, scoring a trademark 25-yarder, a fine way to end a season which began with him being messed about following the arrival of Juan Sebastian Veron. There have been a few occasions heralded as the end of Scholes, but here he still is, running the show against Liverpool at last weekend and against Stoke on Tuesday, like a dad pulling the strings in a game with his kids down the park. “Och, he’s got feathers in his feet,” purred Sir Alex Ferguson after the 2-0 win over Tony Pulis’s side.

Still, the return of Scholes from retirement last month, as romantic as it is, does demonstrate the problems facing United, who decided the best way to replace Paul Scholes is with Paul Scholes. Accept no lesser imitations and all that, but the lack of care given to their midfield over the last few years is the major factor holding this side back from truly challenging the best in Europe. In that context, it is remarkable that they are still keeping up with Manchester City, a bit like when you chop garlic and the smell follows you around for days. Despite not playing that well against Stoke, there was never really any doubt that United would eventually find a way.

They haven’t had many better opportunities to end their dismal run at Stamford Bridge than this. There remains the possibility that Chelsea might suddenly rediscover their former swagger at some point this season, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely. If United need an example of the dangers of standing still, look no further. Where the blame lies for Chelsea’s slump isn’t immediately clear. On the one hand, we constantly hear of a squad full of difficult characters who need taking down a peg or two and who haven’t won nearly as much as their egos would suggest.

Add to that an inconsistent transfer policy – it’s hard to name too many obvious successful signings since 2006 – and constantly changing managers, and it would appear that Andre Villas-Boas needs time and support from above. Don’t hold your breath. On the other hand, even with some of the old guard sent off to the glue factory, Chelsea still don’t have any obvious style or philosophy on the pitch. With all this talk of former players, now wouldn’t be the worst time for the old Fernando Torres to come out of hiding.

Teams: Were any of the Chelsea substitutes alive the last time United won at Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bosingwa; Essien, Meireles, Malouda; Sturridge, Torres, Mata. Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bertrand, Hutchinson, Romeu, Piazon, Lukaku.

Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra: Valencia Giggs, Carrick, Young; Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: Amos, Fabio, Park, Berbatov, Pogba, Hernandez, Scholes.

Referee: Howard Webb.

Premier League 2011-12ChelseaManchester UnitedPremier LeagueJacob Steinberg
guardian.co.uk

• Chelsea will struggle to finish in top four, says United manager
• David de Gea set to return for Stamford Bridge showdown

Sir Alex Ferguson is used to new challenges. In Manchester United’s two decades at the top he has experienced intense title rivalry with Arsenal and then Chelsea, though now it appears Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are the greatest dangers. And, though United visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, a ground where they have not won in the league for a decade, Ferguson believes Spurs a month later could prove the tougher trip.

“We’ll certainly be glad to get the two games out of the way,” the United manager says. “Chelsea away followed by Spurs away is a tough spell for us and, if we can get through them both and still be in a good position, it gives us a chance. The league table suggests Tottenham might be the harder game because they have been playing well all season and they are challenging for the title.

“We have had some fierce battles with Chelsea over the years but this time they might not finish in the top four. I am certain Spurs will qualify for the Champions League this season, so if the two Manchester clubs stay in there as well, that only leaves one spare place. The way it looks at the moment, either Arsenal or Chelsea are going to miss out.”

That Arsenal and Chelsea have found it difficult to maintain momentum over the years while United have remained a constant in pushing for the title is a testament to the stability and sustainability of Ferguson’s long reign. “Arsenal used to have some very good sides and you knew you would be in for a tough, physical encounter,” he says.

“That has changed in recent years. Chelsea used to get off to terrific starts to the season under José Mourinho. They caught us cold at first until we started to make sure we could do the same. For the past seven years all our games with Chelsea have been battles, nip and tuck all the way, but you can see the new manager is trying to introduce a different style. Didier Drogba is getting a bit older and they have let Nicolas Anelka go but players like Ramires and Juan Mata have been brought in and Daniel Sturridge is a real threat.”

Chelsea were beaten 3-1 at Old Trafford in September, in a game so open Ferguson suggested the final score could have been 20-18, back at the stage of the season when United were still giddy with their 8-2 win over Arsenal and unaware that a 6-1 home defeat in the Manchester derby was around the corner. If you had told Ferguson after that result that he would go into February level on points with City at the top of the league he would have been extremely relieved, Chelsea and Arsenal have not proved quite as adept at reacting to a new set of circumstances.

“The landscape has changed in the Premier League this season,” Ferguson says. “All of a sudden Spurs and City have come along and they have both got genuine title aspirations. But that’s what makes the English league so great. If you look almost anywhere else around Europe – Spain, Germany, Portugal – it’s a two-horse race every time. France is the only country with a league that is anything like as competitive as ours, and the fact that there are two new title challengers in England this season is what makes this league really special. There used to be a top four, and some people used to complain about it being set in stone, but it isn’t any more. United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool always used to go into the Champions League, but now there are two new teams in the picture and two of the old ones could miss out.”

David de Gea, who came in for criticism when United went out of the FA Cup at Liverpool last weekend and replaced by Ben Amos for the win over Stoke City, is likely to return on Sunday, with Anders Lindegaard still injured. Ben Amos deputised in midweek and enjoyed a surprisingly quiet evening against Stoke, but Ferguson feels Stamford Bridge will be an intimidating arena for a player with only a single Premier League game under his belt. “You need experience in these situations,” he says.

“David has found it difficult to adapt to the English game and has made a few mistakes, but I don’t think we will be talking about those in a few years from now. It is always hard being the new Manchester United goalkeeper and it is a hard task to replace someone of the stature of Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar, but David has a great talent and the reason we went for someone young is so he could develop into the role. The problem we had with corners at Liverpool was really due to the centre-backs, not him. We had sorted it out by the second half and it shouldn’t happen again.”

Manchester UnitedSir Alex FergusonChelseaPremier League 2011-12Premier LeaguePaul Wilson
guardian.co.uk