Chelsea vs Manchester United: Their Top 5 Greatest Premier League Fixtures of All Time

Chelsea vs Manchester United: Their Top 5 Greatest Premier League Fixtures of All Time

Joel Reyes
April 4, 2024 at 2:55 PM
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  • Chelsea and Manchester United will square off in the Premier League tonight
  • They have waged great battles in the Premier League since its inception in 1992
  • Five matches have been identified as their greatest league fixtures of all time

The stage is set for a blockbuster showdown at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea and Manchester United renew their storied rivalry later tonight when they lock horns for the final time in the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Sports Brief looks at the top 5 greatest fixtures between the two powerhouse teams in Premier League history.

Javier Hernandez, Manchester United, Chelsea, Premier League, Petr Cech, Gary Cahill.
Manchester United's Javier Hernandez celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Chelsea in their Premier League clash on October 28, 2012. Image: Shaun Botterill.
Source: Getty Images

Chelsea vs. Man United: Top 5 fixtures

1. Chelsea vs. Manchester United (3-3, February 2012)

The greatest Premier League showdown between the two sides happened on February 5, 2012.

The Blues looked like they were on their way to an easy victory after building a three-goal lead at the start of the second half.

Chelsea grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute through a Jonny Evans own goal before Juan Mata and David Luiz added goals for the Blues in the 46th and 50th minutes.

There's no quit with Manchester United, who launched a furious fightback in the second half to salvage a draw, per The Guardian.

A pair of penalties from Wayne Rooney whittled down Chelsea's lead to a single goal just after the hour mark. Javier Hernandez then completed the comeback with a header six minutes from time.

It was an important result for the Red Devils, who trailed leaders Manchester City by two points following that draw.

2. Manchester United vs. Chelsea (3-3, September 2000)

Claudio Ranieri's first match as Chelsea manager will forever be remembered by Blues fans. They held Manchester United to a 3-3 draw on September 23, 2000, with Tore Andre Flo inspiring their comeback.

Both sides didn't waste time finding the back of the net, combining for five goals in the first half. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gave Ranieri a dream start to his Chelsea tenure, scoring for the Blues in the eighth minute.

Manchester United responded immediately, though, scoring three unanswered goals in the first half courtesy of Paul Scholes, Teddy Sheringham, and David Beckham.

Flo pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time, with his header slipping through Van Der Gouw's hands and into the back of the net.

He doubled his tally in the 69th minute, blasting the equaliser off a pass from Gianfranco Zola. Both sides looked for the match-winner in the final 20 minutes, but no more goals were scored as the game finished 3-3.

3. Chelsea vs. Man Utd (2-3, October 2012)

Javier Hernandez loves playing against Chelsea. He netted the match-winner against the Blues on October 28, 2012, eight months after he scored the late equaliser that earned United a 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United got off to a dream start, building a 2-0 lead after just 12 minutes. David Luiz scored an own goal in the fourth minute to give United a 1-0 advantage before Robin van Persie doubled the Red Devils' lead with a strike in the 12th minute.

Juan Mata pulled a goal back for Chelsea just before half-time. Ramires then equalised for the Blues in the 53rd minute, scoring off a pass from Oscar.

The match swung in United's favour in the 63rd minute when Branislav Ivanovic received a red card. Chelsea were reduced to nine men six minutes later when Fernando Torres received his second yellow card, per the BBC.

United took full advantage of those dismissals, with Hernandez scoring the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute. The match finished 3-2 in favour of the Red Devils.

4. Manchester United vs Chelsea (1-3, May 2005)

Chelsea made history in their game against Manchester United on May 10, 2005. The champions-elect set a new points record in the Premiership following their 3-1 win at Old Trafford.

The Blues stretched their point tally for the 2004-05 season to 94, breaking United's previous record of 92, which they set in the 1993-94 season (42 games).

5. Chelsea vs Manchester United (2-3, December 1994)

The Boxing Day showdown between Chelsea and Manchester United in 1994 lived up to the hype, with the Red Devils pulling off a thrilling 3-2 victory.

Brian McClair starred for United in the win, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute. His match-winner came just seconds after Eddie Newton equalised for the Blues.

Man United's green away kit shelved

Sports Brief recently reported on Manchester United's controversial green away kit.

The Red Devils will not wear that uniform anymore this season.

The shirt has been unpopular with the club's supporters.

Authors
Joel Reyes photo
Joel Reyes
Joel Reyes is a sports editor at Sportsbrief.com with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. He has eight years of work experience in sports writing.