VIEWS FROM THE BROADSHEETS

The Guardian

An afternoon that left the top of the table undisturbed still carried portents of transformations to come. While Manchester United could have opened up a 2-0 lead, the life was gradually drained from them as the indomitable visitors showed why Martin O'Neill calls Chelsea the most powerful team in Europe. Physical strength allied to improved coordination after the interval threw a bellowing crowd into an introspective mood at the close.

Even if they are far from being the most cultivated of teams, this sort of vigour threatens to take Chelsea clear of all rivals in the long run. United, despite letting a lead slip, cannot even think of too many faults that they can fix in the near future. Sir Alex Ferguson's team must only lament the openings that tended to slip away from them.

Louis Saha, who had already put United in front, was unable to capitalise after Wayne Rooney had beaten Didier Drogba and pitched a cross into the centre after 49 minutes. And the ball would not quite fall to him in the 58th minute after a Gabriel Heinze cross had been chested down by Cristiano Ronaldo.

No matter where they stand at the end of the campaign, United will lead Chelsea in popularity charts. They delivered the entertainment, while Jose Mourinho's side made do with inspiring a sense of foreboding among their enemies. For a club of such intimidating means, the footballers, all the same, were scrappy.

Essien forced a corner in the 69th minute and when Lampard struck it deep Ricardo Carvalho leapt above Heinze to connect. The effort might have been blocked by the hands of Edwin van der Sar had not a slight touch from the head of Saha sent it against the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Carvalho is likely to be credited with the goal since his attempt was on target.

Saha will take no solace from that. That mishap cannot be overcome with a shrug by a man who had squandered a prime opportunity and missed a penalty during the 1-0 defeat by Celtic five days earlier. It will exasperate him as well that he could have been the player who separated the teams instead of the cursed individual who left them tied.

Ashley Cole, a nimble and gritty left-back, is a match for his wiles and pace, as was shown memorably in the Euro 2004 quarter-final between England and Portugal. Yesterday's often indifferent fixture bore no resemblance to that clash, but the duel between the men was absorbing. It was distasteful that the exchanges culminated in a bad tackle for which Cole was booked and the departure of Ronaldo with a hamstring problem. But he is expected to be fit for Wednesday's home game with Everton.

The Torygraph

This was a good point for Chelsea, one they are convinced will be a turning point in the title race. All draws are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Chelsea left Old Trafford last night with a smile and a belief that they can keep the title at the Bridge. In the noisy, self-regarding animal farm that is the Premiership, Manchester United are a creature of great beauty, but yesterday they ran into opponents whose hunger and stamina are astonishing.

"That's why we're champions," chanted the Shed amid the red, as Carvalho headed home a corner earned by Essien's dogged persistence. Although a fair outcome overall, it must have felt like rough justice to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Michael Carrick was named man of the match by Sky's studio guests, Steve McClaren and Jamie Redknapp, but as intelligently as Carrick played in front of United's back four, the sponsors' bubbly had more deserving causes. Like Essien, Ferdinand or Vidic.

Two superstars delivering distinctly non-vintage displays were Michael Ballack and particularly Andrei Shevchenko, who remains a shadow of his old AC Milan self. They may have been recruited with Europe in mind, but they could still deign to help out domestically. Essien and Ashley Cole put in prodigious shifts that put Ballack and Shevchenko to shame.

Intriguingly, McClaren revealed yesterday that England had misused Rooney during the World Cup, rushing him back from that metatarsal injury too soon. "In hindsight, we asked too much of him," admitted McClaren, Sven-Goran Eriksson's No 2 in Germany. "It was a big ask. He suffered at the start of the season because of it."

McClaren's honesty is to be welcomed. His words confirm the fear that many felt before and during the World Cup; that forcing a thoroughbred to race from the treatment table to the cauldron of international football bordered on the reckless. No wonder managers like Ferguson worry when they ship their precious cargoes off on England duty.

Now at optimum fitness, Rooney is far more effective. He and Cristiano Ronaldo were a constant menace as a compelling game unfolded. Ronaldo unleashed a magnificent free-kick that Carlo Cudicini tipped over. Rooney had a shot charged down by Claude Makelele. United fans were loving it, perhaps having read Ferguson's call that any Marcel Marceau impressions by supporters would lead to him dispatching ball boys to "kick their shins and wake them up". They had plenty to sing about, especially when United's superiority was confirmed after 28 minutes.

When Carrick nicked the ball off Frank Lampard, United slipped through the gears, cutting through the middle at speed. Ryan Giggs found Rooney, who in turn delivered a magnificent pass to Saha. For a man whose head had supposedly "gone" at Celtic Park according to Gary Neville, Saha kept his cool superbly. Pausing to assess the challenge, like a golfer working out yardage, Saha calmly bent the ball around Carvalho, using the centre-half to blind Cudicini of his intentions. Chelsea's keeper had no chance as the ball raced between him and his right-hand upright. Sensational.

The Times

After watching Chelsea come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, José Mourinho made a forceful point of his own, claiming that Manchester United had wasted a “big, big chance” to forge ahead at the top of the Barclays Premiership. The master of the mind games is at it again.

Ricardo Carvalho's second-half equaliser to Louis Saha's magnificent first-half strike for United keeps Chelsea three points behind the leaders, but Mourinho insists that his team have the psychological edge. The champions may need such mental toughness because, having run away with the league for the past two seasons, they face the unenviable task of having to come from behind.

As the sparring from a competitive contest continued off the pitch, Sir Alex Ferguson hit back by claiming that his team had played the better football, which was certainly true in an absorbing first half, but his players told a different story. The home team appeared to be settling for a point long before the end and Michael Carrick admitted that they ran out of steam.

“We're frustrated,” the England midfield player said. “Going ahead in a game like this, we should win the game, but we conceded the goal from a sloppy set-piece. We feel that has cost us.”

Ferguson conceded that Chelsea would be happier with the point after seeing United's run of seven successive Premiership wins come to an end, but he predicted that his team would bounce back and take the title race right to the end of the season. The United manager praised the contribution of Saha, who, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, should be fit for Wednesday's visit of Everton, despite being substituted before the end after suffering injuries.

“I'm satisfied with the performance,” Ferguson said. “It showed that when we hit the heights we play the best football in the country at the moment. Today we had a big opportunity to go six points clear and didn't manage it and Chelsea are delighted with that.

“But if we want to win the championship, we have to repeat the consistency we've shown so far. It looks like it's going to be nip and tuck, but the way we've played so far this season gives us lots of confidence. With the consistency both sides have shown it could go all the way.”

Mourinho agreed that the title race could go to the wire, but he insisted that his team are in a better position. For all his protestations to the contrary, he appears to be relishing the challenge.

“We know in the second half of the season Manchester United have to go to Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool,” he said. “They will have a very difficult time. For me, the surprise is what we did last season with a lead of ten or 15 points. A lead of three, four or six points is what we expect in the Premiership. We can go all the way and are ready, but it would excite me to have 20 points more.”

The Indie

Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho shared a point and a £200 bottle of Portuguese wine last night but it was an opinion shared on events at Old Trafford that told of a potential psychological blow being dealt in this season's title race. The respective managers of Manchester United and Chelsea were unanimous in the view the contenders had wasted a glorious chance to hurt the champions.

With United dominant and Louis Saha atoning for his penalty miss at Celtic by sweeping the Premiership leaders ahead on the half-hour, an eighth successive League victory and a healthy six-point lead over their greatest obstacle to a first League title in four years beckoned. They could not deliver. An interval gamble from Mourinho saw a right-back, Geremi, replaced by a left winger, Arjen Robben, and the tide changed with his tactics, Ricardo Carvalho equalising with a majestic header that took a deflection off the United goalscorer 21 minutes from time as Chelsea produced a response befitting champions.

By the indications from Mourinho, United will do well to take the contest that far. "This is more positive for us than United," he said. " This was first against second at the home of the first who had a big chance to open the gap. If I was in their position I would be very frustrated. Mentally, they faced this game knowing they had a big chance and they couldn't do it. At home. In the second half of the season Manchester United have to go to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. They have played all their big games at home so far. They will have a difficult time in the second half of the season but, as an independent, I thought this was a fantastic game and fantastic for the prestige of the Premiership around the world."

Michael Carrick, bizarrely named man of the match on an evening when Ashley Cole excelled, admitted: "We gave ourselves a great chance in a big game and gave away a sloppy goal at a set piece. We feel very frustrated."

Mourinho admitted he took his players to task at the interval following a subdued opening half. "Only two or three were performing at their high levels, Ashley Cole and Carvalho were unbelievable, and the rest were doing nothing to win," he revealed. "I told them to not be afraid of losing. I took a risk with the substitution and the second half was a completely different game."