When Chelsea hosted Manchester United on Wednesday night in the fourth round of England's Capital One Cup, it was predestined to be a cracker.
It didn't disappoint.
Chelsea erased three deficits before beating Manchester United 5-4 after extra time in a tense and exciting match at Stamford Bridge. The result, which came one day after Arsenal's wild 7-5 win at Reading in the same competition, sent Chelsea into the quarterfinals for the second straight season.
More than that, it served as a bit of revenge for the Blues, who just three days earlier lost 3-2 to United in a highly controversial match at the same venue. Chelsea had two players sent off in that match, and Javier Hernandez's winner was later shown to be offside.
Afterward, Chelsea accused referee Mark Clattenburg of using "inappropriate language" of a racial nature against two players (via The Daily Telegraph).
With that as the backdrop, Wednesday's match had plenty to live up to. It delivered with nine goals, nine bookings, 43 fouls and 50—fifty!—shots.
And to think, earlier this week some misguided B/R writer was wondering out loud whether anyone was watching.
United got the party started in the 22nd minute when captain Ryan Giggs took advantage of a defensive miscue to score the first goal. Chelsea responded nine minutes later through defender David Luiz, who converted from the penalty spot.
Chicharito (who was onside this time) put United back on top in the 43rd minute, but Gary Cahill leveled for Chelsea in the 52nd with a powerful header.
Nani's 59th-minute chip seemed to be the winner until Chelsea won a penalty deep in second-half stoppage time. Eden Hazard converted it coolly to make the score 3-3 and send the match to extra time.
Daniel Sturridge gave Chelsea a 4-3 lead in the 98th minute after a defensive error by United's Scott Wootton. Hazard's nifty footwork then set up Ramires to make it 5-3 and seemingly kill off United once and for all
United responded with Giggs' penalty in the 120th minute, but couldn't find a dramatic equalizer.
So, readers, was this better than Sunday's match? Was it better than Arsenal's 7-5 win over Reading? Let us know in the comments.
