Chelsea, with John Terry a titan in defence and later, in front of the media as the current “Voice of Chelsea”, as commanding as he had been when confronted by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole, played well but were too rarely stretched.The visitors were hardly, after all, a form side. Until that midweek Worthington Cup eclipse of Leeds, Chelsea had not prevailed on their travels since 16 September and had recorded only one victory in eight games before yesterday. Last Saturday, they had been booed from the pitch at Stamford Bridge after the goalless draw with Blackburn. Indeed, in the opinion of club chairman, Ken Bates, at Friday’s lively annual meeting, some of his men were “lemons”.If they were, United were unable to squeeze them in a first half during which Chelsea took a merited lead through Mario Melchiot. By the end, even Bates would have had to accept that his men were a peach of a side. “This was our best performance of the season and, if we can keep our form, we have a chance of winning the championship,” said Terry, who has forged an impressive centre-back partnership with Frenchman William Gallas.At times, the manner in which the Blues strutted and paraded their skills was almost embarrassing. In midfield, Slavisa Jokanovic and Sam Dalla Bona were often allowed to stroke the ball about with impunity, while strikers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen, who completed Chelsea’s scoring, were at their irrepressible best.On this occasion, Fabien Barthez could not be cast as the scapegoat, although he will not have been too satisfied with the manner in which Hasselbaink’s drive for Chelsea’s second goal found its way past him in the 64th minute.Ferguson’s bold response to what he had described in his programme notes as “the Highbury collapse” was to drop Gary Neville and deploy Roy Keane at centre-back alongside Laurent Blanc, with Brown at right-back and Phil Neville on the left.

Cole returned alongside Van Nistelrooy as United reverted to a 4-4-2 system.Both sides’ attacking was bedevilled by a swirling wind, but Chelsea dealt with it far more assuredly in the first half Yet United had begun with a vengeance. After Paul Scholes had been cautioned almost immediately after the kick-off for an over-zealous challenge on Le Saux, Cole fashioned a chance for Van Nistelrooy, heading Beckham’s ball into his path, but the Dutchman’s shot was diverted by Carlo Cudicini’s boot.However, that was the sum of United’s scoring potential until approaching half-time when Van Nistelrooy and Juan Veron struck efforts wide. In defence, Keane’s tackling was sharp, but United, without his presence in midfield, lacked his driving urgency going forward.Brown was at fault in failing to pick up Melchiot in the sixth minute, when the Dutchman headed home powerfully from a Hasselbaink corner. Ten minutes later, Hasselbaink scorched the crossbar with a ferocious attempt after Gudjohnsen had crossed into his path.

Le Saux went even closer soon afterwards when an audacious effort struck the bar. Frustration crept into United’s game and Van Nistelrooy was booked for a foul. He was soon followed by Celestine Babayaro for bringing down the Dutchman.A regalvanised United emerged after the interval. Jokanovic and Le Saux were both booked as they struggled, initially, to hold their lead. When Scholes powered towards goal and shot just wide, it gave the faithful cause for optimism.But the game was effectively placed beyond them just after the hour, when, following Veron’s initial error, Hasselbaink swapped passes with Gudjohnsen before beating Barthez with a fearsome drive.United were not quite finished, though. Cudicini dashed to clear from Van Nistelrooy and Scholes, following up, was foiled only by Gallas heading off the line. When Gary Neville appeared from the bench, Keane switched to midfield, but to no avail.

Neither did the emergence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bring salvation.A splendid challenge by Brown on Hasselbaink thwarted the Dutchman after Jokanovic had put him through. But with four minutes remaining, it was deservedly the industrious Gudjohnsen who capitalised again from poor defending when he beat Barthez from an angle after from receiving the ball from substitute Mario Stanic. It was the moment which had many beginning to write United’s epitaph. But history should warn us that it is still highly premature to do so.Manchester United 0 Chelsea 3 Melchiot 6, Hasselbaink 64, Gudjohnsen 86Half-time: 0-1 Attendance: 67,544. On the day when England, in Ars? Wenger’s words, drew “a nightmare group” for the World Cup finals, it was the efforts of a Swede and a Nigerian, among so many strolling Frenchmen, that illuminated his Arsenal team’s easy victory over spirited, if struggling, Ipswich at Portman Road. The only surprise was that Arsenal lacked an Argentine finisher to rub salt in the Suffolk club’s gaping wounds.”We all watched the World Cup draw together,” said a relaxed Wenger last night. “There were a lot of jokes and the players were telling Freddie to book his holidays early But he is a very good player and Sweden are a tough team.