PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: MANCHESTER UNITED V CHELSEA

On Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford will be played the most significant Barclays Premier League game since…the corresponding fixture last season. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton certainly aren't tiring of such occasions…

TALKING POINTS
Like three mountain climbers aiming to be first to scale an icy peak, progress has been slow and often painful over the final metres for Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Trailing at the end of the rope two months ago, the Pensioner has dug in and clawed his way back, clawing past the Gunner and clambering up to neck-and-neck with a tiring Red Devil.

Effectively, an 18-point deficit has been overturned since half-time at Stamford Bridge on 1 March. At that stage, with Man United leading 1-0, Chelsea were also five points behind Manchester City, and 11 behind Arsenal.

Now the Blues are three points ahead of the Gunners, City trailing by eight. That truly remarkable comeback began in the second half at the Bridge when United were put to the ice-pick.

Including that match, the Blues have won eight of the last nine matches, with Stoke the only side to salvage points. That's 25 from a possible 27 - the kind of momentum that wins titles.

In contrast, over the same period United have won four in eight, lost three and drawn one.

That sequence makes them seventh best in terms of form in the Barclays Premier League, behind the likes of Fulham and West Bromwich Albion.

Every winter we hear about United's traditional kick-on in the second half of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson instigated such talk in early January by announcing 'history tells you we play better in the second half and that big games are not an issue for us.'

Well, that has not been the case this season. United have been worse in the second half of the season so far than in the first. Their yield from the opening 19 matches was 41 points, or 2.16 per game. In the 16 matches since, they have gathered 32 points, down to a straight 2 per game.

They have actually lost momentum during the run-in, not gained it, losing 'big games' to Liverpool, Arsenal and City as well as Chelsea since the turn of the year.

United's traveling form is correctly cited as the main problem. They would be fourth on an away league table, having drawn nine times. Their home form is virtually perfect, with a surprising home draw with West Brom the only blemish.

The champions arrive in the north-west as the tightest defence in the league travels to square up to the highest scorers.

Any win would put Chelsea top on Sunday. In two of our three Premier League-winning seasons we have won at Old Trafford. Reaching the summit with two games to go would represent one of the most remarkable displays of tenacity in our club's long history.

The closest we have been to this sort of race to the very wire before was in May 2008. Chelsea and Manchester United were neck-and-neck on 84 points going into the final day, with a Champions League final between the two sides in Moscow still to come.

United's superior goal difference - 17 better - meant that Chelsea had to outstrip our rivals' result to be crowned champions again.

United were away at Wigan, managed by Old Trafford old boy Steve Bruce. The home side showed plenty of pluck, and United nervously twiddled their way through for half an hour before winning a penalty, converted by Ronaldo.

The visitors were fortunate that Rio Ferdinand's obvious handball in the box from Jason Koumas's drive was not spotted. They were also lucky not to have Paul Scholes - who else? - dismissed for a second bookable offence with the game finely poised

Avram Grant's Blues, meanwhile, at home to Bolton, pressed the visitors all game, despite John Terry going off early with a damaged elbow, but only broke the deadlock midway through the half through substitute Andriy Shevchenko - his last for Chelsea.

With both games poised at 1-0 until the latter stages, mobile phones at the Bridge were soon buzzing with the news that United had gone two up against the Latics. In the dying moments Bolton took advantage of laxness to equalise. Chelsea finished on 85 points, two points behind the title winners.

This year's battle might well be decided on goals. The two sides are matched on a goal difference of +38, United, though, having netted 71 to the Blues' 66. It's highly unlikely but not out of the question that the two could finish the campaign level on goal difference and goals.

In which instance, Premier League rules state, one or more play-offs would be staged at a neutral venue.

On four occasions the title has been decided on goal average (number of goals scored divided by the number of goals conceded) 1923/24, 1949/50, 1952/53 and 1964/65.

From 1976/77 goal difference replaced goal average and the one occasion since then the top two finished on the same points was in 1988/89, when Arsenal famously won 2-0 at Anfield on the last day. The two clubs were then level on points and goal difference: Arsenal won the league on goals scored.

Stoke could do Chelsea big favour by taking points off Arsenal at the Britannia Stadium.

Saturday
Aston Villa v Wigan 3pm
Bolton v Sunderland 3pm
Everton v Man City 3pm
Newcastle v Birmingham 3pm
West Ham v Blackburn 3pm
Tottenham v Blackpool 5.30pm - ESPN
Sunday
Wolverhampton v West Brom 12pm - Sky Sports
Stoke v Arsenal 2.05pm - Sky Sports
Man Utd v Chelsea 4.10pm - Sky Sports
Monday
Fulham v Liverpool 8pm - Sky Sports
Tuesday
Man City v Tottenham 7.45pm - Sky Sports

Chelsea and Man Utd's remaining fixtures
Sat 14 May - Blackburn v Man Utd
Sun 15 May- Chelsea v Newcastle
Sun 22 May - Everton v Chelsea, Man Utd v Blackpool

Barclays Premier League table

            Pld           Gd       Pts

1 Man Utd        35       +38       73

2 Chelsea        35       +38       70

3 Arsenal         35       +32       67

4 Man City       34       +22       62

5 Liverpool     33         +8       55

6 Tottenham   34         +7       55

Barclays Premier League race for the Golden Boot
Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) 21
Carlos Tevez (Man City) 19
Darren Bent (Aston Villa) 15
Robin van Persie (Arsenal) 15
Peter Odemwingie (West Brom) 14
Florent Malouda 13
Andy Carroll (Liverpool) 13

Barclays Premier League race for the Golden Glove (clean sheets)
Petr Cech 15
Joe Hart (Man City) 15
Pepe Reina (Liverpool) 14
Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd) 14