Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea: Two points dropped but United deserved the draw

Robin Van Persie scored a 93rd minute equaliser to earn Manchester United a point after Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead and it's two points dropped for Jose Mourinho's men.

On the plus side, we gained a point on Manchester City in the title race to take us six points clear but it still feels that we blew a chance to have extended the lead even further.

Chelsea suffered a blow before the game with the news that Diego Costa wouldn't be available and Chelsea's game had to change as a result. With Costa, you know you are going to get runs in behind, down the channels and off the ball throughout the ninety minutes.

Unfortunately, with Drogba, he isn't going to offer us those options but, he gives us a different target to aim towards. His goal was a perfect example of how he CAN still affect the game. His movement towards the ball was excellent, leaving his marker Rafael for dead and he headed home on his 350th appearance for the blues!

The problem is that he isn't as effective as he used to be in other areas and time and time again the ball wouldn't stick with him as often as it should have done and United came forward in waves.

Without question, Phil Dowd needs to be brought to task on his reasoning for ignoring TWO blatant penalty shouts in the same piece of action as Rojo and Smalling grabbed JT and Ivanovic around the neck to prevent them from making contact with a cross that was floated into the box! Both were 100% stonewall penalties and he didn't even acknowledge them!

As we all know Branislav Ivanovic was sent off for two bookable offences and despite the fact the second was NEVER a booking, he is to blame for putting himself into that situation!

We can blame the referee all we like but he should have kept his mouth shut when free kicks were being given against him, when it was obvious Dowd was making bad calls time and time again. He didn't, he kept on and on getting himself booked for back-chat for his first yellow.

Di Maria was always going to take advantage of any possible contact near the corner flag to get the free kick that United scored from. In the position he was in, he should have been forced wider by defenders standing up and not diving in.

It's disappointing to concede a late goal but if we are honest, looking at the game as a whole and on chances created, United deserved the point. They were the better side in the first half and they created numerous chances. Thibaut Courtois was called into action far too many times for my liking but the big man did well to deny Van Persie on more than one occasion.

Chelsea had their chances too as De Gea saved with his feet from Drogba after Oscar pulled the back from the byline in the first half, and once again from Eden Hazard after fantastic work from the Belgian and Drogba took him through the United defence and in on goal one on one with the Spanish Keeper. Unfortunately, Hazard chose the wrong side of the goal and the saved low to his right.

As I have said, I cannot help but feel disappointed in the way we conceded the goal late on after taking the lead. Despite the United pressure, we always looked more comfortable in the second half dealing with their attack.

Questions need to be asked as to why Felliani was allowed a free header from six yards in the first place before RVP fired in the rebound. He was their biggest threat from set pieces and should have NEVER been allowed the time and space to win it unchallenged.

So we take home a point and sit six points clear of Manchester City. I guess if we were offered a point before the game, we would have taken it but I still can't help feeling that we threw this one away!