• 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
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• 26-year-old joins Stamford Bridge club for around £7m
• André Villas-Boas praises player’s abilities and values

Gary Cahill has described the opportunity to move to Chelsea as too good to turn down, having finally completed a £7m move from Bolton Wanderers after two weeks haggling over personal terms.

The England centre-half is understood to have compromised on his original wage demands to accept a figure of around £80,000 a week to swap the Reebok Stadium for Stamford Bridge, and has signed a contract until the summer of 2017. The 26-year-old will train with his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday and is in contention to make his debut for the club at Norwich City on Saturday.

Cahill, who has seven England caps, will hope to cement his place in Fabio Capello’s squad with his performances over the remainder of the season before the summer’s European Championship, having already struck up a fine understanding alongside John Terry in the national team. “Chelsea is a massive club, a club that looks to win trophies season in, season out, and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that,” said the former Aston Villa defender, whose Bolton contract was due to expire in the summer. “Opportunities like this, you can’t turn down.

“This is the right move for me at the right time and I would like to thank everyone at Bolton because I’ve had a great four years at the football club. My spell with Wanderers has enabled me to break into the England squad, and I would particularly like to thank the fans for their support along the way.”

Cahill could prove to be the only permanent arrival at Stamford Bridge during the midwinter window, with André Villas-Boas having recognised the need to strengthen at the back, particularly after Chelsea accepted a transfer request from Alex. “Gary has good technical abilities, which is important in the way we want to play and to implement our philosophy, our passing philosophy in building from the back,” the manager said. “He has speed of anticipation, is an English international of course, and has values off the pitch.

“From what we know and when we met the player we can see what he represents as a person and that is also good for us. He adds to a very, very good back four and he competes with three of the world’s best [in David Luiz, Terry and Branislav Ivanovic at centre-back]. Competition will be tight for him but we brought him in to become better as a team.”

Alex could yet complete a move to Queens Park Rangers this week if a fee can be agreed and Mark Hughes can persuade the player to fling himself into a relegation battle at the wrong end of the Premier League rather than hold out for a return to his native Brazil. Chelsea have loaned their young players Josh McEachran and Patrick van Aanholt to Swansea City and Vitesse Arnhem, respectively, for the remainder of the season, the latter having failed to make an impression with Wigan over the first half of the campaign.

The Chelsea assistant first-team coach, Steve Holland, has revealed that Fernando Torres has been undertaking extra shooting drills in a bid to end a personal goal drought that stretches back to late September in the Premier League. Torres marks the first anniversary of his £50m move from Liverpool at the end of the month, and has been showing encouraging signs in the first team in recent weeks, form that was required with Didier Drogba absent at the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Fernando is working very hard at his finishing in training,” Holland said. “We do a lot of finishing as part of the sessions anyway, but he is doing extra at the end of every session during the week. His finishing is looking very good in training, the ball is flying in. I have personally spent some time with him on making sure [he's in the right position]. Sometimes when you’re trying hard to score, you end up in areas where you’re less likely to score. It’s not a bad crime, it’s only because he’s so determined.”

ChelseaBolton WanderersTransfer windowDominic Fifield
guardian.co.uk

Our award-winning photographer brings you all all the action from White Hart Lane, where the Premier League’s 3rd and 4th placed teams are battling it out, with both desperate for a win in order to keep in touch with the two Manchester teams

Tom JenkinsSteven Bloor