Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1

9 games in and we're already 10pts behind a very, very strong Chelsea. So to be honest, I was quite convinced that they would beat us even on our own patch. So much so and that I layed $5 on them. Who would've thought RVP would pop up at the last minute, which made me so damn happy.

1) Fellaini The Revelation
He was definitely my MOTM today. Much has been said of how lousy he's been since his overpriced transfer in the David Moyes era. And it was only until the last game against West Brom that he started showing up. Last night he was in spectacular form, winning alot of tackles and tracking back to help out in D time and again. It was also his goalbound header that was saved before RVP swept into goal. It is almost as though he's becoming that box-to-box midfielder we all thought he wasn't! Glad that he's picking up form and I hope he has a successful career with us.

2) Strong Attack On Paper Only
Even without Falcao and Rooney, you would think that an attacking lineup comprising RVP, Mata, Januzaj and ADM would strike fear in any opponent. Yet throughout the game, we kept falling short. ADM was definitely not himself for the 2nd consecutive game. RVP was slated by me all game. He really seems to have lost alot since the 12-13 season and the just-ended World Cup. Mata was the most ineffective, and he was rightly taken off on 68". Januzaj is still too young and his inexperience showed against stronger opposition (last night was against Ivanovic or Luis Felipe). That said, there is something new to the team compared to last season when we continued to attack all the way into Fergie time. And that was well rewarded but RVP's 94th min goal.

3) Defence Still Could Be Better
Last night's Smalling-Rojo CB combo is yet another new CB pairing combo this season and it shows how bad the situation is for us in defence. With Rafael and Shaw showing much better form now, the leaky defence is just shy of a very good CB pairing that can stay off the injury list for at least two weekends. We have improved, but we still have a long way to go. Daley Blind is the one unsung hero who has been helping the back four shore up and mop up so many threats. I find it amazing that he doesn't receive more credit for the work he has done. DDG was at his usual best as well. When #davesaves, we are very difficult to beat.

4) Chelski Deserve Credit
Well they haven't lost a single game in 9 outings and are currently 4pts ahead of the closest 2nd-placed team. That really says something. Without Diego Costa up front, they were still a scary threat with Drogba, William, Oscar and Hazard up front. Yet the trully scary part was their indomitable (almost) defensive four of Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry and Luis. they really can close out a game. Well, almost. In midfield they have Fabregas and Matic who're one of the best out there. And in goal they have Cortois who's almost as good as DDG. So a draw really isn't so bad.

5) A Draw That Feels Like A Win
Weird isn't it? I was elated when we equalized and some haters have been saying that that's the level we MU fans have dropped down to when we're celebrating a draw at home. Here's the thing: we've come off a season where we've ended 7th, got beaten senseless but the entire top-6 last season, and worst of all, played with zero conviction, tactical acumen, drive nor solidarity. It was a season which just got worse and worse as it wore on. Now we have one of the master tacticians of the modern game, we have our team spirit back, we have a philosophy that is exciting to watch, and we have a team that's willing to fight till the end. This one game last night probably summed up our revival away from the David Moyes era. We are not completely revived yet, but LVG has us all believing we will get there, and winning trophies again. And that, feels like a total win for me.

GGMU!!!