• United come from 0-30 to draw 3-3 at Stamford Bridge
• ‘We fought hard and that point could win us the league’

Wayne Rooney claimed Manchester United’s stunning late comeback here could have yielded the unlikely point that wins them the Premier League title after the visitors recovered from three goals down to deflate Chelsea.

United, already behind to Jonny Evans’s own-goal, shipped twice in the opening five minutes of the second half only to recover courtesy of a brace of Rooney penalties – the second controversially awarded against Branislav Ivanovic – and a Javier Hernández header. The draw leaves them two points behind Manchester City at the top, though the boos that rang out on the final whistle reflected local frustration at the champions’ staggering fightback.

“We fought well and that point could win us the league,” said Rooney. “A lot of teams would find it easy to put their heads down and accept defeat but we carried on, worked hard and, thankfully, got something out of the game. We knew if we got one goal back there was enough time to gain something out of the game, so we dug in.

“Of course you can also see it as two points lost – we understand that – but after being 3-0 down all the City players sitting there at home won’t have enjoyed watching us [recover], the way we fought back and the spirit of the team. They know it will be a long fight to the end of the season and we’ll be there right to the end.”

Rio Ferdinand, whose every touch had been booed by the home support, claimed the abuse directed at him served to inspire. The centre-half was also the subject of chants relating to John Terry’s ongoing court case for allegedly racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother, Anton, at Queens Park Rangers in October. “I got booed by the cfc fans today,” the United defender tweeted. “Well done guys thanks for inspiring me & the lads! That’s like fuel to me! £TeamSpirit”. The Chelsea manager, André Villas-Boas, suggested the booing was “a normal situation in the Premiership” but added he would condemn any “discriminatory, aggressive behaviour”.

There was satisfaction from Sir Alex Ferguson at the comeback, for all that the United manager could not disguise irritation that his charges could not prevail here against a Chelsea team severely weakened by injury, suspension and international commitments. “It’s not easy to come back like that from three goals down,” said Ferguson. “We are a far better team than what you saw today but it’s still a massive effort from our players.

“You have to admire the courage and the character of our team because those are the qualities that will definitely give us a fantastic chance in this league. At 3-0 down you say to yourself: ‘Damage limitation, let’s go home and start again.’ But no. They never gave in, kept going and deserved everything they got.”

Chelsea had never previously failed to win after enjoying a three-goal advantage in the Premier League and Villas-Boas pointed accusingly at Howard Webb for the award of Rooney’s second penalty as key to surrendering the victory. Ivanovic did not appear to make contact with Danny Welbeck with his initial challenge, only for the England forward to hook his leg around the Serb and tumble to the turf.

Villas-Boas remains aggrieved at two goals awarded by Phil Dowd to United in their 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford in September. “In both games against United we’ve had top, top refs, so you expect it to be perfect in terms of refereeing,” said the Portuguese. “But in these two [matches] they have had a direct influence on the result. The second today was very dubious. Too soft … Welbeck’s legs collide with Ivanovic.

“I’m not sure if Howard was compensating for anything from the first half but it was the wrong decision. For them to get from 3-1 to 3-2 was immense. There’s big disappointment, generally, with the way it all happened. In top games you expect top refs and, at the moment, it hasn’t been happening for us. It didn’t happen at Old Trafford with two offside goals and there was a dubious decision today that, in the end, shifted the running of the game.”

The Chelsea manager suggested the incident for which Webb might have been “compensating” was a foul by the home debutant, Gary Cahill, on Welbeck when the forward appeared to be wriggling through on goal. Ferguson believed the linesman Darren Cann should have waved for a foul, which might have seen the centre-back dismissed, and was just as aggrieved at the non-award of a spot‑kick for José Bosingwa’s perceived foul on Ashley Young.

“They should’ve had a man sent off,” said Ferguson. “Danny Welbeck’s clear through, brought down, but nothing, no decision. That linesman, by the way, has given two penalty kicks against us at Old Trafford – from 40 yards away last year against Liverpool and this year against Arsenal – and he can’t see that? I don’t blame Howard Webb. He needed help in that situation and didn’t get it. That assistant referee, who’s all too happy to flag at Old Trafford for penalty kicks, didn’t give them.”

Premier League 2011-12Wayne RooneyAndré Villas-BoasSir Alex FergusonChelseaManchester UnitedPremier LeagueDominic Fifield
guardian.co.uk

The Manchester City manager laments the departure of a talented striker who may come back to haunt his side

Manchester City’s next two games are against Chelsea and Arsenal, which will not only be testing but slightly galling given London’s present advantage in Champions League representation. At least City travel to Stamford Bridge on Monday top of the Premier League table and aiming to stay there, though Roberto Mancini has not only a resurgent Didier Drogba and an in-form Juan Mata to worry about but a former City player in Daniel Sturridge.

The young striker has finally managed to show his true worth for Chelsea this season and, even if his finishing remains erratic, his pace and ability to beat players will pose problems for the best defences. Last week Sturridge cut Newcastle United wide open so many times it was embarrassing. He could have scored at least a hat-trick but, though he was one on one with the goalkeeper several times, a combination of Tim Krul’s reflexes and a slight lack of composure in front of goal meant he got on to the scoresheet only in the 89th minute.

Mancini has no doubt that composure will arrive with experience. Sturridge moved south on Mark Hughes’s watch, before Mancini arrived in Manchester, but the City manager still cannot believe the club let such a valuable asset leave almost for free.

“I know Sturridge well, I have watched him many times,” Mancini says. “It was strange because he started out in Manchester and someone let him out of the club for nothing. Given the chance I think I would have liked to have kept him, but now he is at Chelsea we can do nothing. I know for sure he was one of the best young players that was here. I asked him last year when he played for Bolton why he left Manchester City and he said he didn’t know.”

The usual suspects, money and restricted first-team opportunities, were partly to blame, though once at Chelsea the now 22-year-old Sturridge had to come back north on loan to pick up playing time with Bolton. Mancini would have preferred to send him out on loan from City and have him back as a first-team player by now. “It was not difficult to see that Sturridge was going to be a good player,” Mancini says diplomatically.

There is nothing to be gained from picking a row with the previous manager over something that now belongs in the past, but since Sturridge’s quality began to emerge at Bolton and Chelsea many City supporters have questioned the logic of the club paying over the odds to sign Roque Santa Cruz, then hardly ever playing him, while simultaneously letting a home-grown talent with an exciting career ahead of him join a rival club relatively cheaply. Sturridge is not Manchester born and bred – he hails from Birmingham and is related to the former Wolves player Dean Sturridge – but he came through the City academy after spells at Aston Villa and Coventry and his potential was quickly spotted.

“If Sturridge was here today he would be playing in our first team,” Mancini says. “This season he can arrive in the national team too. I understand the situation with young players, it is difficult for them to improve if they don’t get the games they need, but it is better to send them on loan rather than lose them altogether.” In fact City did make a modest amount of money on Sturridge. As he was both under 24 and out of contract in 2009 a tribunal awarded City £3.5m, rising to £5.5m depending on appearances, and Chelsea will have to forfeit 15% of any future sell-on fee.

Sturridge and Drogba both scored in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Newcastle last weekend, though Mata was named man of the match, then the 33-year-old Ivorian rolled back the years to confound some of his doubters with two goals in the victory over Valencia to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stage.

“Drogba is still a strong striker,” Mancini says. “Chelsea have a good mix of young and old, and that’s what you need. Mata is a young player but he played for Valencia for many years in the Champions League, Sturridge is just starting out. I think every team needs young players because you cannot play with just old players, senior players. But at the same time you often need experience. If young players play with senior players they can improve every day.”

Manchester CityRoberto ManciniChelseaPaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk