Total Victory

What a complete victory on all fronts, including the psychological one emerging between Sir Alex and Rafa Benetiz. Much, much more than three points were at stake here today and everyone knew it.

First, United ran circles around Chelsea, with Giggs in for Carrick, Evans in for Rio, and The Special One in for the occasion. Surly, Chelsea’s dropping form and Roman Abramovich’s absence at Old Trafford will only fuel speculation about Scolari’s job security, especially after his “we can forget the title playing like this” quip after the match. This disheartening loss leads directly into an impending FA Cup banana skin against Southend on Wednesday. An unnecessary fixture for sure, with a defeat likely to bring out the sack and effectively implode Chelsea’s title aspirations. Advantage United.

Second, United’s display against Chelsea feels like a club starting a blistering run of form. Rooney and Ronaldo look reborn. Park is everwhere. Evans was unflappable. Berbatov scored. And Giggs – yes, Giggsy – was arguably Man of the Match. Who knew he had such a top-shelf performance in him from the center of midfield for 80 impressive minutes?! Quietly many United fans questioned Sir Alex selecting Giggsy, but like with countless other key decisions, the gaffer was spot-on. Impressively, advantage United.

Last, this dominating performance comes on the heels of Ferguson-versus-Benitez psychological cage-match and Liverpool’s nil-nil draw with Stoke. It’s still hard to imagine that Rafa, aka “Mr. Facts”, actually fell for Sir Alex’s bait. First-year media relations majors would know better – every time you address claims of pressure, the more you keep the media focused on “the pressure”, with real possibility of it becoming a self-fulfilling psychological hurdle. The more Rafa talks trash, the better United’s chances. Clearly, advantage United here.

The impact of today's game will be far-reaching, especially since United have taken ten of sixteen Premiership titles. It doesn’t take much for a certain feeling of impending déjà vu to emerge and Fergie uses this to full-effect. That’s why every single one of us loves Sir Alex Ferguson. That's why we're Champions.