Manchester United against Chelsea

...but Forlan's control lets him down and the chance is gone

Giggs crosses from the rigth and Beckham wins the header. The ball falls to Forlan on the six yard box...

Zola whips the ball across the face of goal but only Zenden is in the box

Three minutes of injury time to be added

Lampard tries a shot from 30 yards but fires well wide

Beckham is late on Zenden. Free-kick in centre field

Beckham swings the free-kick in from the right, Keane wins it but Ferdinand is penalised for a foul on Cudicini as he tries to win the loose ball

A change for United as Juan Sebastian Veron comes on for Mickael Silvestre

Desailly sends Solskjaer tumbling on the right flank

Zola failed to control the ball - all he had to do was get decent contact with his shot - and it's a goal kick. A fine chance goes begging

Zenden whips a ball across from the left and Zola's completely unmarked eight yards out...

Both sides know they really need to win this game, a draw plays directly into the hands of Arsenal

A final change for Chelsea as Boudewijn Zenden comes on for Eidur Gudjohnsen

...but Keane gets is horribly wrong with the goal at his mercy. Goal-kick

Roy Keane breaks forward from midfield, shifts round Melchiot and breaks into the box, a great chance to net the winner...

Lampard plays a long bal over the top for Gudjohnsen, but the Chelsea forward is way offside

Solskjaer pulls back Babayaro as he attempted to clear his lines. Free-kick once again

Melchiot is late on Silvestre, free-kick but no cards yet in the game

...Lampard just fails to get any contact with his header, that was a real chance for Chelsea

Zola twists and turns on the right and lifts the ball to the edge of the six-yard box and Lampard rises...

...again Cudicini does well, dealing with a wicked bounce right in front of him to palm the ball behind. Great save, Forlan denied

United come forward again. Forlan has the chance to shoot from the edge of the box with real power...

Silvestre crosses early from the left - it's a wrong decision and a poor effort, straight into the hands of Cudicini

Both sides ar desperate for all three points to catch leaders Arsenal, there's sure to be more chances in this game

A change for United as Diego Forlan comes on in place of Ruud van Nistelrooy - who so nearly left the field with a goal to his name

...a world class save as Cudicini gets down to his right to push Van Nistelrooy's header round the post. The ball was destined for the back of the net, but the Italian stopper knew different

Beckham recieves the ball from Scholes and delivers another fine cross from the right to the head of Van Nistelrooy...

Chelsea playing much better now and look the more likely team to find a second goal right now

Melchiot breaks forward on the right and crosses in, the ball falls to Lampard on the edge of the box but his shot hits Ferdinand

...a fine powerful effort which Barthez blocks well and Unitde clear. Close to a second for the visitors

De Lucas taps the ball to Gudjohnsen. He rides three challenges and opens up some space just inside the D and goes for the shot...

De Lucas tries a shot from 20 yards... and it just misses the corner flag!

Beckham tries an ambitious chip shot from the edge of the centre circle, but it never has the height to trouble Cudicini

Zola runs on to the pass from De Lucas but is penalised for a push on Ferdinand

Much better stuff from United, causing Chelsea real problems now

Neat play from United and Beckham eventually crosses from the right, straight into the chest of Cudicini

...Van Nistelrooy attempts to lift the ball over the top of Cudicini, but he also puts it over the bar

Scholes and Van Nistelrooy link up brilliantly and it's the Dutchman who finds himself with space in the box. Cudicini comes out to close down the angle...

A second change for Chelsea as Enrique De Lucas is introduced in place of Jesper Gronkjaer

Chelsea break straight away and Zola finds himself through on goal. He takes the shot from the edge of the box but drags his effort well wide

...Silvestre hooks the ball towards goal and the ball hits Desailly. United want a penalty again but this time the ball hit the chest of the French star

United win a string of corners in succession. Beckham swings in the fourth which Cudicini flaps and and Silvestre has the chance...

...Gronkjaer gets back brilliantly to make the block and thwart Scholes. Fine defening from the wing man

United playing well now and they come forward again. Scholes again finds space just inside the box and has a great chance...

...but Solskjaer's shot comes crashing back off the left-hand post with Cudicini beaten and Lampard clears

Giggs shows some drive to win United's first corner of the game. Chelsea got to sleep and Giggs takes it short to Beckham who crosses quickly, finding Solskjaer eight yards out...

Chelsea on top again, as in the first half. United struggling to get into their stride

Le Saux delivers from the right only for Barthez to punch well clear

Gronkjaer plays the ball through the legs of Silvestre but Giggs gets back but concedes the corner

Gudjohnsen tries to get a cross in under pressure from Neville and Brown in the left corner, but gives away the goal kick

Very scrappy in the opening exchanges

A change for United at the break as Ryan Giggs comes on for Phil Neville. That means Solskjaer will probably go up front with Van Nistelrooy with Giggs on the left flank

Manchester United get us underway in the second period

Chelsea dominated for much of the opening period and will be disappointed not to hold the advantage.

United go in level at half time thanks to their only effort on goal - a bullet header from Paul Scholes

And there goes the half-time whistle

One minute of injury time to be added

Zola takes from the left but Gudjohnsen pushes Barthez

Le Saux delivers and Barthez pushes the ball behind for a corner

Gronkjaer looks to take the ball past Silvestre right in the corner on the left and wins a free-kick for obstruction

Gary Neville almost gifts the ball to Le Saux on the edge of his own box and is grateful the rebound falls straight back to him

Both sides seem to be playing out time until the break now

Gary Neville brings down Le Saux - free-kick

Scholes has now scored in each of United's last five games, all Chelsea's hard work in this first half now counts for nothing

United are level with their first effort on goal, but it was Cudicini's appalling clearance - a basic pass to Beckham - which gave him the chance to place the ball onto the head of Scholes who headed home from six yards.

GOAL!!!!!

Cudicini's poor clearance goes straight to Beckham on the right flank. Beckham looks up and produces a superb cross straight onto the head of Scholes....

Neat play from United and Gary Neville looks to find space on the right, Babayaro gets back to make the challenge and even wins the goal kick off the shin of the United man

Gronkjaer looks for Melchiot down the right flank but the flag is up once more

Ryan Giggs is warming up on the sidelines, United need to change things here

United have not had one shot on goal yet, a remarkable statistic for Sir Alex Ferguson's side at Old Trafford

United coming on strong now, eager for the quick leveller

It's a sublime finish from Gudjohnsen, clipping the ball over the top of the onrushing Barthez and Chelsea get the goal they probably deserve. 1-0

GOAL!!!!!

Phil Neville loses out in the middle and Chelsea break forward. Petit waits for the run of Gudjohnsen and this time he's onside...

Babayaro fires a ball through the centre for Gudjohnsen and again the flag is up for offside

Chelsea move forward and Petit finds himself in space for the shot from 25 yards, but it's always going wide to the right of the goal

Scholes is penalised for hand-ball just outside the centre circle

Zola feeds the ball through to Gudjohnsen on the right but the Icelandic star is clearly offside

...but Barthez gets down well low to his right to save

Gronkjaer skips past Silvestre and cuts the ball back for Le Saux on the edge of the box. Le Saux cuts back inside and goes for the shot...

It's been an interesting game - if devoid of goalmouth opportunities

But both referee and linesman wave play on, the ball struck Babayro's arm but it's deemed to be accidental. Beckham is furious

Barthez's huge clearance is missed by Babayaro and that gives Beckham some space on the right. Beckham crosses low and it smacks into Babayaro - United want a penalty!

Phil Neville feeds a fine ball through the centre to put Van Nistelrooy through - but the flag rightly goes up for offside

Petit is penalised for a push on Silvestre just outside the box. Free-kick to United

The game is very tight right now, although Chelsea must be pleased at the way they've stopped United from playing on their own turf

Solskjaer is just clipped by Zola and that's a free-kick in centre field

Hasselbaink is unable to carry on and veteran star Gianfranco Zola - this week voted as Chelsea's best ever player - enters the fray

Phil Neville puts in another strong challenge to win the ball after mis-control by Gronkjaer

Le Saux plays in into the box and as Barthez punches clear the referee spots an infringement

Gudjohnsen breaks into the box on the right and tries to square the ball only to hit the heels of Silvestre - corner

Hasselbaink has treatment on his ankle off the field following the earlier challenge from Phil Neville

Patient build up rom Chelsea, plenty of possession without any attacking thrust

Hasselbaink goes down under a strong challenge from Phil Neville, but the United midfielder won the ball

Solskjaer delivers a cross from the right but Van Nistelrooy is adjudged to have pushed Desailly

Good stuff in the opening exchanges for Chelsea. The visitors have the upper hand

Gronkjaer tries a shot from the edge of the box, but it's a tame effort and the ball runs harmlessly for a goal kick

This time it's Hasselbaink from the left, the ball eventually falls to Lampard but he heads weakly into the hands of Barthez

Le Saux takes from the right and Lampard flicks on at the near post. Desailly tries to get there with his head but Ferdinand wins it and heads behind

Gronkjaer fires a ball across to Le Saux on the left flank. He tries to clip the ball into the box and Gary Neville concedes the corner

The corner comes in from Le Saux and Barthez comes out to claim. He doesn't get a firm grasp on the ball but referee Paul Durkin blows for a push

Le Saux plays a fine ball over the top for Gudjohnsen, but Ferdinand reads it well and heads behind

The United pitch is looking far from its best - but it will still be a great surface for Chelsea!

Lampard tries to slide the ball through the centre to Hasselbaink, only for the Dutchman to be making the move back from an offside position

Chelsea get the game underway

Diego Forlan is on the bench today, joined by Ryan Giggs and Juan Sebastian Veron as Ferguson stuck with the side which defeated West Brom last Saturday.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was named in the Chelsea side for possibly the final time. Ranieri's decision meant there was no place in the starting line-up for veteran Italian Gianfranco Zola.

All the action from the early game, here. Kicking off at 12.30 GMT

Lampard plays a long bal over the top for Gudjohnsen, but the Chelsea forward is way offside

Solskjaer pulls back Babayaro as he attempted to clear his lines. Free-kick once again

Melchiot is late on Silvestre, free-kick but no cards yet in the game

...Lampard just fails to get any contact with his header, that was a real chance for Chelsea

Zola twists and turns on the right and lifts the ball to the edge of the six-yard box and Lampard rises...

...again Cudicini does well, dealing with a wicked bounce right in front of him to palm the ball behind. Great save, Forlan denied

United come forward again. Forlan has the chance to shoot from the edge of the box with real power...

Silvestre crosses early from the left - it's a wrong decision and a poor effort, straight into the hands of Cudicini

Both sides ar desperate for all three points to catch leaders Arsenal, there's sure to be more chances in this game

A change for United as Diego Forlan comes on in place of Ruud van Nistelrooy - who so nearly left the field with a goal to his name

...a world class save as Cudicini gets down to his right to push Van Nistelrooy's header round the post. The ball was destined for the back of the net, but the Italian stopper knew different

Beckham recieves the ball from Scholes and delivers another fine cross from the right to the head of Van Nistelrooy...

Chelsea playing much better now and look the more likely team to find a second goal right now

Melchiot breaks forward on the right and crosses in, the ball falls to Lampard on the edge of the box but his shot hits Ferdinand

...a fine powerful effort which Barthez blocks well and Unitde clear. Close to a second for the visitors

De Lucas taps the ball to Gudjohnsen. He rides three challenges and opens up some space just inside the D and goes for the shot...

De Lucas tries a shot from 20 yards... and it just misses the corner flag!

Beckham tries an ambitious chip shot from the edge of the centre circle, but it never has the height to trouble Cudicini

Zola runs on to the pass from De Lucas but is penalised for a push on Ferdinand

Much better stuff from United, causing Chelsea real problems now

Neat play from United and Beckham eventually crosses from the right, straight into the chest of Cudicini

...Van Nistelrooy attempts to lift the ball over the top of Cudicini, but he also puts it over the bar

Scholes and Van Nistelrooy link up brilliantly and it's the Dutchman who finds himself with space in the box. Cudicini comes out to close down the angle...

A second change for Chelsea as Enrique De Lucas is introduced in place of Jesper Gronkjaer

Chelsea break straight away and Zola finds himself through on goal. He takes the shot from the edge of the box but drags his effort well wide

...Silvestre hooks the ball towards goal and the ball hits Desailly. United want a penalty again but this time the ball hit the chest of the French star

United win a string of corners in succession. Beckham swings in the fourth which Cudicini flaps and and Silvestre has the chance...

...Gronkjaer gets back brilliantly to make the block and thwart Scholes. Fine defening from the wing man

United playing well now and they come forward again. Scholes again finds space just inside the box and has a great chance...

...but Solskjaer's shot comes crashing back off the left-hand post with Cudicini beaten and Lampard clears

Giggs shows some drive to win United's first corner of the game. Chelsea got to sleep and Giggs takes it short to Beckham who crosses quickly, finding Solskjaer eight yards out...

Chelsea on top again, as in the first half. United struggling to get into their stride

Le Saux delivers from the right only for Barthez to punch well clear

Gronkjaer plays the ball through the legs of Silvestre but Giggs gets back but concedes the corner

Gudjohnsen tries to get a cross in under pressure from Neville and Brown in the left corner, but gives away the goal kick

Very scrappy in the opening exchanges

A change for United at the break as Ryan Giggs comes on for Phil Neville. That means Solskjaer will probably go up front with Van Nistelrooy with Giggs on the left flank

Manchester United get us underway in the second period

Chelsea dominated for much of the opening period and will be disappointed not to hold the advantage.

United go in level at half time thanks to their only effort on goal - a bullet header from Paul Scholes

And there goes the half-time whistle

One minute of injury time to be added

Zola takes from the left but Gudjohnsen pushes Barthez

Le Saux delivers and Barthez pushes the ball behind for a corner

Gronkjaer looks to take the ball past Silvestre right in the corner on the left and wins a free-kick for obstruction

Gary Neville almost gifts the ball to Le Saux on the edge of his own box and is grateful the rebound falls straight back to him

Both sides seem to be playing out time until the break now

Gary Neville brings down Le Saux - free-kick

Scholes has now scored in each of United's last five games, all Chelsea's hard work in this first half now counts for nothing

United are level with their first effort on goal, but it was Cudicini's appalling clearance - a basic pass to Beckham - which gave him the chance to place the ball onto the head of Scholes who headed home from six yards.

GOAL!!!!!

Cudicini's poor clearance goes straight to Beckham on the right flank. Beckham looks up and produces a superb cross straight onto the head of Scholes....

Neat play from United and Gary Neville looks to find space on the right, Babayaro gets back to make the challenge and even wins the goal kick off the shin of the United man

Gronkjaer looks for Melchiot down the right flank but the flag is up once more

Ryan Giggs is warming up on the sidelines, United need to change things here

United have not had one shot on goal yet, a remarkable statistic for Sir Alex Ferguson's side at Old Trafford

United coming on strong now, eager for the quick leveller

It's a sublime finish from Gudjohnsen, clipping the ball over the top of the onrushing Barthez and Chelsea get the goal they probably deserve. 1-0

GOAL!!!!!

Phil Neville loses out in the middle and Chelsea break forward. Petit waits for the run of Gudjohnsen and this time he's onside...

Babayaro fires a ball through the centre for Gudjohnsen and again the flag is up for offside

Chelsea move forward and Petit finds himself in space for the shot from 25 yards, but it's always going wide to the right of the goal

Scholes is penalised for hand-ball just outside the centre circle

Zola feeds the ball through to Gudjohnsen on the right but the Icelandic star is clearly offside

...but Barthez gets down well low to his right to save

Gronkjaer skips past Silvestre and cuts the ball back for Le Saux on the edge of the box. Le Saux cuts back inside and goes for the shot...

It's been an interesting game - if devoid of goalmouth opportunities

But both referee and linesman wave play on, the ball struck Babayro's arm but it's deemed to be accidental. Beckham is furious

Barthez's huge clearance is missed by Babayaro and that gives Beckham some space on the right. Beckham crosses low and it smacks into Babayaro - United want a penalty!

Phil Neville feeds a fine ball through the centre to put Van Nistelrooy through - but the flag rightly goes up for offside

Petit is penalised for a push on Silvestre just outside the box. Free-kick to United

The game is very tight right now, although Chelsea must be pleased at the way they've stopped United from playing on their own turf

Solskjaer is just clipped by Zola and that's a free-kick in centre field

Hasselbaink is unable to carry on and veteran star Gianfranco Zola - this week voted as Chelsea's best ever player - enters the fray

Phil Neville puts in another strong challenge to win the ball after mis-control by Gronkjaer

Le Saux plays in into the box and as Barthez punches clear the referee spots an infringement

Gudjohnsen breaks into the box on the right and tries to square the ball only to hit the heels of Silvestre - corner

Hasselbaink has treatment on his ankle off the field following the earlier challenge from Phil Neville

Patient build up rom Chelsea, plenty of possession without any attacking thrust

Hasselbaink goes down under a strong challenge from Phil Neville, but the United midfielder won the ball

Solskjaer delivers a cross from the right but Van Nistelrooy is adjudged to have pushed Desailly

Good stuff in the opening exchanges for Chelsea. The visitors have the upper hand

Gronkjaer tries a shot from the edge of the box, but it's a tame effort and the ball runs harmlessly for a goal kick

This time it's Hasselbaink from the left, the ball eventually falls to Lampard but he heads weakly into the hands of Barthez

Le Saux takes from the right and Lampard flicks on at the near post. Desailly tries to get there with his head but Ferdinand wins it and heads behind

Gronkjaer fires a ball across to Le Saux on the left flank. He tries to clip the ball into the box and Gary Neville concedes the corner

The corner comes in from Le Saux and Barthez comes out to claim. He doesn't get a firm grasp on the ball but referee Paul Durkin blows for a push

Le Saux plays a fine ball over the top for Gudjohnsen, but Ferdinand reads it well and heads behind

The United pitch is looking far from its best - but it will still be a great surface for Chelsea!

Lampard tries to slide the ball through the centre to Hasselbaink, only for the Dutchman to be making the move back from an offside position

Chelsea get the game underway

Diego Forlan is on the bench today, joined by Ryan Giggs and Juan Sebastian Veron as Ferguson stuck with the side which defeated West Brom last Saturday.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was named in the Chelsea side for possibly the final time. Ranieri's decision meant there was no place in the starting line-up for veteran Italian Gianfranco Zola.

All the action from the early game, here. Kicking off at 12.30 GMT