Power Games

Jose Mourinho must have been delighted when his calculated denigration of Graham Poll assured the assignment of a younger, less experienced and infinitely more impressionable referee for the crucial encounter with high flying Manchester United at Old Trafford.
,br>And it wasn’t long before Howard Webb’s appointment began to pay dividends. In the first minute Ballack elbowed Ronaldo. No card. Emboldened by this licence, in the third minute Ballack elbowed Vidic. Again no card. So within three minutes of kick off, Ballack might have been sent off – and probably would have been by a more experienced official. Graham Poll for instance.

And so it went on. In the 11th minute, Ashley Cole fouled Ronaldo with a tackle from behind. No card. Nine minutes later, Makelele handled and deliberately kicked the ball away to prevent Manchester United gaining the immediate advantage the free kick was intended to give them. Result – a reluctant yellow. And 10 minutes or so before half time, Drogba’s direct, blatant and dangerous elbow on Vidic rated a yellow card, not a red.

Leniency towards Chelsea continued to flourish after half time. In the 54th minute, Michael Carrick was booked for a foul on Ballack – and the irony of that decision was not lost on the United faithful. Two minutes later, Carvalho kicked Gary Neville. No card. In the 82nd minute, Ashley Cole produced his second tackle on Ronaldo from behind. No card. And in a particularly exciting 83rd minute, Chelsea players fouled Ronaldo and were rewarded with a free kick, then Ashley Cole fouled the Portuguese again and was mortified when at last a yellow card was produced.

And throughout the game, Chelsea players reserved the right to question every decision against them, to crowd the referee whenever they thought it might prove profitable and in Didier Drogba’s case, to go down easily – even though he’s built like a block of flats.

Cynics might be forgiven for thinking that, not content with having nearly all the money, Chelsea want the referees as well