Home > Football > Manchester United v Chelsea - sipping wine on my patio was much more exciting than watching the 1-1 draw

Manchester United v Chelsea - sipping wine on my patio was much more exciting than watching the 1-1 draw

Much-awaited showdown between the Premier League's top two ends with honours shared and little to enthuse about for this neutral fan.

by Donna Gee on 27 November 2006

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It was all so predictable, really. Manchester United ruled the first half, Chelsea came back at them after the interval - and it all ended in stalemate.

As a neutral (well, almost neutral - my son-in-law is a United season-ticket holder) I couldn't get worked up about it all. In fact, I drifted in and out of the TV room; there was rarely enough going on to hold my attention for more than five minutes at a time - particularly with the action so much hotter out on my patio here in Spain.

Only when Cristiano Ronaldo started skinning Ashley Cole down the right as United sought a late winner did I develop any real enthusiasm for the action. Having said that, I have to admit I was out on the patio when both goals were scored.

For me, the most fascinating moments came from Jose Mourinho. ''Michael Carrick man of the match? I don't believe it,'' scoffed the Special One in his inimitable style. ''Riccardo Carvalho was man of the match and I'd like to dedicate the result to our medical team who got him fit for the game.''

Mourinho's summing up of the game was more a statement of the obvious. ''In the first half Manchester United was the best team, in the second half Chelsea was the best team. I think the result was fair.''

Nothing Special about all that. All a bit boring really...unlike sipping a glass of wine on my patio.

Comments (10)

by tony russell on November 26, 2006

as a chelsea fan i find your comments absurd ,it was a great game of football ,both teams going for it and ashley cole put ronaldo in his pocket ..... now come to the bridge

by scblue on November 26, 2006

what sort of idiot doesn't even bother to watch a game and then moans about it being boring. i watched it with a few neutrals who all thought it was an excellent, exciting, game. and ronaldo didn't start skinning cole - cole had the better of him for the entire match as anyone who'd actually watched it would know.

by Scott on November 26, 2006

The game was full of excitment. You have neglected to mention the hard fought tackles, Saha's wonderfully placed shot in off the post, Chelsea's equaliser in off the bar, Ronaldo's skills or Chelsea's Doggedness. Clearly Donna Gee spent too much time re-filling her glass and not enough enjoying the game. Maybe we should all refer to Mike Newells thought on females and football right about now.

by v o reason on November 27, 2006

I agree with you on one thing....Spanish wine is quite good. But other than that, I think you really are a bafoon who knows absolutely nothing about football.

by Knight on November 27, 2006

I read this article because it popped up on my word search news service which throws up articles on my team. I really can't understand why this person wrote the article. Why not write something about retiring in Spain and spending your days sipping Rioja. The person that wrote this sounds as if they have one sad and boring life.

by Mark on November 27, 2006

...at what point did 'Ronaldo start skinning Ashly Cole' it must have been fleeting for none even of the independent observers saw this occurence! To win the league you need to win your home games against the big teams, enough said....!

by Donna Gee on November 27, 2006

I did say I didn't see much of the game, so I have to accept what everyone says about all the action. It's just that every time I started watching it, nothing much seemed to be going on. Maybe it was the fact that I don't support either of the teams involved, but I certainly found my wine more interesting, hic hic. As for the Ronaldo situation, I saw him go past Cole several times and on each occasion he was fouled (or Cole missed his tackle and the ball completely) - leading to Cole being booked.

by Andy Gale on November 28, 2006

I thought it was a brilliant, exciting game of football and talking to my friends I've heard nothing other than that.

by Derek on November 29, 2006

I am a keen United fan, and apart from Saha's truly sublime goal I thought this 'giants of the Premiership' encounter was a real let down. Lot's of huff and puff but short on great skill. Might just be sour grapes on my part, but most of the red crowd looked pretty cheesed off. I also felt very detached from the game watching on TV.