Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

Manchester United win the Champions League in a penalty shoot out. Terry misses a potentially winning penalty and Anelka misses the crucial one that handed the trophy to United.

United Goal

United took the lead on the 26th minute, courtesy of this years Champions League top goal scorer with eight goals, Cristiano Ronaldo. Scholes and Brown interchanged well on the right hand sideline before Brown crossed to the back post. Ronaldo peeled away from Essien, hung and headed sharply into the left hand side of the goal. He didn’t need his new Mercurial SL football boots to finish.

Chelsea went close to getting an equaliser on 33 minutes when they forced Edwin van der Sar to palm away a header from Rio Ferdinand as Ballack pressured from behind.

Then Manchester United almost doubled their lead when Petr Cech made two great saves in quick succession from Carlos Tevez and then an open shot from Michael Carrick, who should have done better.

Chelsea Goal

Just before half time Chelsea equalised. Essien had a speculative long range shot, it ricocheted off of Vidic and then Ferdinand before landing in the path of Lampard. Cool as you like, Lampard picked his spot and brought Chelsea level.

Half Time

Chelsea looked brighter in the second period with United looking lacklustre.

Essien has been posing a threat every time he went forward, a turn of events after Ronaldo had run him ragged in the opening 45 minutes.

Chelsea almost took the lead in the 78th minute when a thundering long range effort from Didier Drogba beat Edwin Van der Sar only to come back off the far post.

Giggs Record

Ryan Giggs came on for United on 87 minutes and broke Bobby Charlton’s all-time Manchester United club appearance record. It was his 759th appearance for United, surpassing Charlton’s mark of 758.

However the two Premier League sides were unable to convert any chances and the game went into extra-time.

Extra Time

Lampard almost got his second in the first period of extra time, turning in the box, but his shot hit the crossbar.

Giggs was next up for a clear chance on goal. Evra cut back from the byline into the path of Giggs but his stabbed shot was blocked by the Chelsea captain John Terry.

Red Card

With 5 minutes to go in the second period of extra time, Didier Drogba was sent off for a pointless flick at the face of Nemanja Vidic. Unhappy with a throw in by United, when Chelsea expected United to pass possession back, the Chelsea players surrounded the referee when the incident happened.

Penalties

With no goals in extra time, the game went to penalties.

Tevez took the first one for Manchester United, at the United end.

1. Tevez – scored – low right hand side of Cech.

1. Ballack – scored – right of Van der Sar

2. Carrick – scored – left hand side of Cech

2. Belletti – scored – low right hand side of Van der Sar

3. Roanldo – saved by Cech – run, stop, mid right of Cech who spread himself well

3. Lampard – scored – right hand side of Van der Sar who got his fingers to it

4. Hargreaves – scored – top left hand side

4. Ashley Cole – scored – right hand side Van der Sar nearly saved

5. Nani – scored – bottom right Cech got his fingers to it

5. Terry – missed – slips as he shoots and the ball goes wide of the right hand post

6. Anderson – scored – fires powerfully into the middle of the goal

6. Kalou – scored – high right of the goal

7. Giggs – scored – bottom left hand side

7. Anelka – saved – shoots wide left mid height and Van der Sar saves