Chelsea emerged from their slumber last night to come from behind and beat league leaders Manchester United.
A controversial Frank Lampard penalty after David Luiz had earlier equalised marked a pugnacious second half performance from the Blues.
United remain 4 points clear of second place Arsenal but their dismal record at Stamford Bridge continues. It is now nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson travelled north-bound after a win a the Bridge.
On this occasion Ferguson could feel aggrieved at the loss especially as his side could had been home and dry at half time and the home side reduced to ten men.
Luiz, already on a booking, clattered into Javier Hernandez and then later seemingly impeded Wayne Rooney's path towards goal.
Ferguson failed to recognise the irony that Rooney himself was fortunate to be on the field from the start following his flailing elbow against Wigan at the weekend.
Chelsea were to rue the FA's disciplinary dentures as it was, perhaps inevitably, Rooney who put the visitors ahead.
The striker was afforded time to turn, take aim and fire. The shot went fiercely beyond Petr Cech into the bottom corner.
It was no less than United deserved. Ferguson's preferred a more adventurous 4-4-2 formation rather than the flooding the midfield as he often prefers on the biggest stage. It enabled the midfield to keep possession, aided by a marauding Rooney who was deployed alongside Hernandez at the expense of Dimitar Berbatov.
But for all their possession United showed profligacy in the final third, thrice failing to deliver what would have been decisive blows to the contest and Chelsea's title credentials.
Patrice Evra neither shot or crossed when bearing down on Cech's goal and crosses dipped into the channel between keeper and defence but with no benefactor on the end.
Chelsea had escaped and were reinvigorated after the interval.
Lampard and Michael turned the screw on Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher allowing neither the time granted in the first period.
David Luiz, a defender of typical Brazilian flare, waltzed the ball from deep turning defence into attack in a matter of shimmies and passes.
Given United's defensive record, owed to Nemanja Vidic's resoluteness and, lately, Chris Smalling's emergence, Chelsea's equaliser came from an innocuous opportunity.
Essien hoisted a cross into the box that wasn't sufficiently dealt with by Smalling whose attempted clearance dropped to Luiz.
The centre half volleyed with precision and power or, in short, the traits of a goal you would expect Fernando Torres to score.
Rooney should have made it 2-1 moments later when he skewed wide from a tight angle but the deceive moment in the game, and perhaps both clubs' season, happened when Yuri Zhurkov, on as a substitute, tumbled over Smalling's stationery standing leg.
United were furious with Martin Atkinson's decision, more so after Lampard smashed the ball high above Edwin Van Der Sar.
There was still time for Vidic to receive his customary sending off against a side containing Torres, this time for two booking's the second of which a pull on Ramirez's shirt.
United will now be without their captain when they travel to the cauldron that is Anfield this Sunday.
And as the final whistle sounded and the Shed End shook to Madness, United now face the prospect of having to go to the home of their greatest rival's to re-establish their grip on a record 19th title.
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