The Premier League leaders had no problem in a 3-0 home win over Aston Villa, as Chelsea enjoyed goals from Oscar, Diego Costa and Willian to walk away victorious while Manchester United, as always, barely scrape through a 2-1 win after leading through Wayne Rooney (sent off later on) and Robin van Persie, before Diafra Sakho made things interesting.
For Chelsea, this was probably their easiest match of the season. Willian set up his fellow Brazilian Oscar to make it an easy 1-0 lead after only seven minutes. Aston Villa’s counter attacking style didn’t mean much when they’re behind.
Diego Costa reached eight goals this season in the second half, left uncovered in the middle of the box to connect with a Eden Hazard cross. Chelsea kept on pushing to score a third, eventually getting it in the 79th minute, with Willian scoring off a rebound from close range.
Things were a bit more complicated for Manchester United, once again leaving Juan Mata on the bench, giving Luke Shaw his debut and playing with every other attacking player they have.
The lead came early, as Wayne Rooney needed one touch to score off of a Rafael cross, in the fifth minute. In the 22nd minute, Falcao was again the assist man for Robin van Persie, just like in the previous match, to make it an easy two goal lead. For some reason, things keep getting complicated for Manchester United from that point.
Crossing to the Manchester United box always yields excellent results, and Diafra Sakho found the net just before half time. After Wayne Rooney was sent off early in the second half for a brutal kick, West Ham equalized but their goal was disallowed for offside (rightly so). A few more chances created havoc in the United box, but weren’t enough to take away the win from the Red Devils.
