Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar – 6/10

No blame could be apportioned to the goalkeeper for Joe Cole’s goal but his reactions were not brilliant when Didier Drogba beat him for the second, even if the shot was struck with ferocious power.

Gary Neville – 5

This is probably Neville’s best spell for two years but he found Florent Malouda a difficult opponent. Indebted to Mike Dean’s erratic refereeing for not giving away a first-half penalty for a barge on Nicolas Anelka.

Rio Ferdinand – 7

Returning to his best form after a difficult season and coped well with the threat of Anelka even if, in the sub-plot between England captains past and present, John Terry was marginally the better performer.

Nemanja Vidic – 6

Two early passes straight to blue shirts set the tone for United’s dishevelled first-half performance. He recovered thereafter but Drogba caused problems for him soon after coming off the bench.

Patrice Evra – 6

United are usually at their best when Evra is overlapping and playing almost as a secondary winger but these moments were only sporadic here and, defensively, his positioning was questionable.

Darren Fletcher – 6

He never stops running but he was unable to exert his usual influence on the match and will wince when he sees the replays of how Malouda lost him for Cole’s goal.

Paul Scholes – 7

Probably United’s best player in the first half, although he deteriorated after the interval. Some sublime long-range passing but more evidence of his inability to make clean tackles.

Ryan Giggs – 6

Initially deployed on the left wing, with instructions to get at Paulo Ferreira, he did not have any influence on the game until he started to drift inside in the second half.

Antonio Valencia – 6

The winger offered little width or penetration on the right side of attack, particularly in the opening half when he found Chelsea full-back Yuri Zhirkov a persistent opponent.

Park Ji-sung – 6

More involved in the game than he had been against Bayern Munich during the week, but still only on the edges for long spells and no meaningful contribution.

Dimitar Berbatov – 6

It’s stating the obvious, but United badly missed the menace of Wayne Rooney. Berbatov does not have the mobility to lead the line alone, although he could be forgiven for feeling he lacked service.

Substitutes

Federico Macheda (replaced Scholes 71), Nani (replaced Park 71), Darron Gibson (replaced Fletcher 86) Subs not used Tomasz Kuszczak, Michael Carrick, Ritchie De Laet, Rafael Da Silva

Chelsea

Petr Cech – 6

Chelsea’s goalkeeper must have been pleasantly surprised by how little he had to do – but his kicking let him down at times to invite second-half pressure and he was unconvincing for Federico Macheda’s goal.

Paulo Ferreira – 6

He can reflect on a largely satisfying afternoon in front of the watching Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz, coping admirably with the threat of Ryan Giggs, although he did lose Nani in the build-up to United’s goal.

John Terry – 8

One of the main beneficiaries of Wayne Rooney’s ankle injury, the captain was largely untroubled by Dimitar Berbatov in a generally imperious Chelsea defence.

Alex – 7

The usual quota of clearing headers and robust challenges. He and Terry formed an impenetrable barrier in the centre of defence.

Yuri Zhirkov – 6

The best compliment that can be paid to the Russian is that Chelsea are not badly missing Ashley Cole. Stuck manfully to the task of negating Antonio Valencia’s threat.

Mikel Jon Obi – 7

Neat and disciplined, patrolling the area between defence and midfield, and a significant reason why Chelsea dominated midfield for long spells.

Joe Cole – 7

Take note, Fabio Capello. This has been an erratic season for Cole but he was more like his old self here and it was an exquisite touch to beat Edwin van der Sar for the opening goal.

Frank Lampard – 7

He was not as eye-catching as normal, with fewer of those characteristic bursts into the opposition penalty area, but his was still an accomplished performance, full of hard running and energy.

Florent Malouda – 7

The Frenchman is currently the most dangerous left-sided attacker in the country and his fast, direct running frequently troubled United’s defence, particularly during the opening half.

Deco – 6

Some of the Portuguese’s touches were lovely, even if there were spells when he drifted to the periphery of the match.

Nicolas Anelka – 6

Playing a lone role in attack, Anelka was sometimes isolated, with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in close proximity, and eventually made way for the introduction of Didier Drogba.

Substitutes

Didier Drogba (replaced Anelka 69), Salomon Kalou (replaced Cole 73), Michael Ballack (replaced Deco 82). Subs not used Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge, Juliano Belletti, Jeffrey Bruma

Premier LeagueManchester UnitedChelseaDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk