The Age of Efficiency

Old Trafford. 26th November 2006. The Chelsea machine duly recovered from the indignity of being outplayed by Manchester United in the first half to produce a typically powerful, relentless and uncompromising performance after the interval – and thanks to a Carvalho header from Lampard’s corner (not to mention the good fortune that for some reason Howard Webb did not penalise Drogba’s push on Ferdinand immediately before it) they left Old Trafford with an invaluable point.

What they did not do, unfortunately, was entertain, but that is nothing new because for all their riches Chelsea remain unattractive, uninteresting, unappetising and unlovable. Beyond their own fan base, they are arguably the most disliked (some would say despised) club in the country and the vast majority of genuine football supporters would far rather watch Manchester United or Arsenal – for reasons so obvious they don’t bear repeating.