Michael Ballack scored twice to blow the Premiership title challenge wide open and give Chelsea a priceless 2-1 victory over Manchester United on Saturday. Ballack's opener was cancelled out by Wayne Rooney, but the German restored his side's lead with a late penalty. Chelsea are now level on 81 points with holders United, with only two games to go. Against all odds, Sir Alex Ferguson opted to rest Owen Hargreaves, Patrice Evra, Carlos Tevez, Paul Scholes and most importantly Cristiano Ronaldo. Apart from that, United received an early blow when Nemanja Vidic was stretchered off in the opening ten minutes after receiving an accidental kick to the face by Didier Drogba. The Serbian left an obvious gap at the heart of United's defense as Chelsea seemed to dictate most of the first half. In the first of four additional minutes, the Blues' efforts paid off when Ballack headed in his first of the evening. Drogba showed great stamina against three United players, before picking up the Germany captain, who dispatched an unstoppable header past Edwin Van der Sar.
Ronaldo was preserved for the Barcelona game Dramatic Twist United fans were desperate to see star man Ronaldo saving the day for their team after the break, but the equalizer was gifted by another Portuguese. In the 56th minute, Ricardo Carvalho made a disastrous back pass, only to find Rooney, who steered home a precious equalizer. Matters went worse for Avram Grant's team as Drogba and Ballack were involved in a shameful dispute over a close set piece. However, the Blues were given a chance to win the game when Alan Wiley awarded an 87th minute penalty, penalizing Michael Carrick for a handball. This time there was no dispute, and no mistake from Ballack. Ashley Cole and Andrei Shevchenko superbly cleared two certain United goals off the line in the dying moments of the game, making sure Chelsea have the three points.
