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With only three matches left to decide the Premiership it appears the reds from Manchester finally have the decisive advantage from their counterparts in the South.
Saturday’s results mean United are five points clear and with a superior goal difference it theirs to lose.
Chelsea will be ruing their home form this year as three times against Reading, Fulham and now Bolton have they slipped up and drawn a game 2-2 that they should have won.
It is these six points dropped that on the surface is the difference between winning and losing the title but in reality there have been a lot more variations than just this.
After two seasons of disappointment United have approached this one with a flair and attitude not seen from a Ferguson side for some time.
On the other hand Moriniho has set up his Chelsea side as a power one, very difficult to beat but lacking the imagination and daring to win the hearts of any neutral fan.
It is the goals for and against columns that give testament to this. United have scored 82 compared to Chelsea only 62. It would be fitting end to the season if both sides finished level on points and the title went to Manchester just because of this statistic. It would hopefully send a message out to all teams that the attacking option can make the vital difference.
Having said all this though, the last three games of the season are to be intriguing ones. Next weekend Chelsea visit Arsenal and United go their rivals across the city. It is distinctly possible that these could change the face of the title race.
Chelsea are perfectly capable of going to the Emirates and getting a win against an inconsistent Arsenal side and nothing would give City players greater satisfaction of denting their neighbours hopes. Should these matches go Chelsea’s way then the fixture the following Wednesday between them both will be an incredible spectacle.
The last day of the season would probably see a comfortable victory for the Blues at home to Everton but United have a trickier game at home to West Ham who may have survival hopes of their own resting on that game.
The relegation battle is in itself an intriguing end to the season. With Charlton and West Ham swapping managers and Wigan and Sheffield United being drawn into the fight this will almost certainly go down to the last weekend.
On Friday, West Ham were handed a £5.5-million fine over the Carlo Tevez and Javier Mascherano transfer affair but missed out on any point deduction.
Time will tell whether this decision was fortunate or detrimental. If the Hammers get relegated anyway without the deduction they will still have the fine to pay but should they stay up the fine will look like a great result for them. Nonetheless, this fine has sent a clear message out to all clubs that there are teeth within the authorities and future digression by any club will have to take this into account when the punishment is dished out.
However, the implications of this might not be over as it was Wigan’s chairman Dave Whelan who led the most outspoken campaign for the Hammers to be investigated.
It would therefore be no surprise that if West Ham stay up and Wigan are relegated then this matter might still end up in the courts.
Whelan will probably with some justification argue that if the matter was serious enough to warrant a substantial fine such as this then surely a point deduction would have been more appropriate.
He would back this up by outlining how Burnley were kicked out of the FA Cup when fielding an ineligible player and what is clear now is both the Argentineans should not have been playing for West Ham. It is certainly one to watch as the remaining games unfold.
It is now typical that as much time is spent talking about football off the pitch as it is on it. The media is currently as fascinated by player transfers, club ownership and financial irregularities as it is with the Rooney and Ronaldo partnership or the title run in.
It is important that any sport, particularly one with such a high profile as football, has a transparent nature and any irregularities should be uncovered but ultimately it will be the fantastic games or incredible individual performances that are remembered not the digressions off the field.
If on Wednesday (May 9) Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-2 in a thriller no one in 20 years will be talking about the Moriniho and Ambromovich issue or the Glaziers impact on Old Trafford. They will only remember a classic game of football between what were the two best sides in the country and that of course is how it should be. Only then can football continue to hold the mantle throughout the world as the ‘beautiful game’.
By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk
