test2wa

Premier League

Kelvin Leong's report card on the Big One. Which players came out tops and who crumbled under the pressure?

Based on a scale of 1 to 10.

Manchester United

Edwin Van der Sar - 7

The giant Dutch stopper did not have much to do but when called upon, did a neat and tidy job.

Gary Neville - 6

Captain Gary was probably picked ahead of Rafael Da Silva for his experience and big match knowledge. Had a decent game but his marauding runs on the overlap have disappeared.

Nemanja Vidic - 9

A big game player who marshaled the backline superbly. Popped up to give United the lead with an excellent downward header and also marked Didier Drogba out of the game.

Jonny Evans - 7

Called upon due to the absence of Rio Ferdinand. Sound defending with Vidic guiding him along the way.

Patrice Evra - 8

Put in a pinpoint cross to set up the second goal for Rooney. Had a field day down the left in support of Park and Giggs due to Chelsea's narrow route in attack.

Darren Fletcher - 7

Played the role of a mop by ensuring his back four were protected at all times while providing some telling passes to set off his team's attacks.

Ryan Giggs - 8

Put into the middle alongside Fletcher and used his experience to the fullest. His role as the linkman from defence to attack was played to perfection. Like wine, Giggs gets better with age.

Park Ji-Sung - 9

Ferguson almost always puts the Korean dynamo in the starting eleven for big games because of his tireless running. Made Bosingwa stay back and defend while also cutting into the middle to cause confusion in the Chelsea ranks.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7

Not his best performance in a United shirt but even a second-rate Ronaldo was enough to trouble the Blues. Created the third goal and kept Ashley Cole busy most of the night.

Dimitar Berbatov - 8

Looking more and more like the Berbatov we saw at Spurs. Linked up well with Rooney and was a constant pest to Terry and Carvalho. Capped off a wonderful night for the Old Trafford faithful with the third goal.

Wayne Rooney - 8

Rooney was ready to rumble from the first whistle with some early tackles to rally the troops. Worked himself to the ground in attack and defence before putting the final nail in the coffin with a well-taken goal to put United two up.

John O'Shea - 6 Michael Carrick - 6

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 6

Three goals flew past him but the Czech keeper made some crucial saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

Bosingwa - 4

Park gave him a torrid time and the Portuguese right-back never managed to get himself into the game. Usual overlapping runs were missing.

Ricardo Carvalho - 5

Back from injury but was too eager to impress. Got himself involved in a tangle with compatriot Ronaldo and looked out of sorts throughout the game.

John Terry - 6

The England captain was supposed to have calmed the waters on his return to the side but with Carvalho's gung-ho antics, Terry's one-man show was never enough to stop the Red tide.

Ashley Cole - 5

Was his usual self joining the attack from his left position but failed to shackle Ronaldo and was often caught out by the Portuguese winger. Was at fault partially for the second goal.

Jon Obi Mikel - 5

His job was to protect his back four but could not handle the excellent movement between Fletcher and Giggs.

Michael Ballack - 5

Has to take partial blame for two of the three goals and was ineffective going forward. Looked uncomfortable playing alongside Deco and Lampard.

Frank Lampard - 6

Tried his best to launch some decent attacks for the Blues to no avail. Quiet game by his high standards.

Deco - 3

Seemed to have been given the responsibility of chief playmaker for Scolari's side but the former Barcelona midfielder looked slow and unsure when it mattered. One of his worse games in Chelsea colours.

Joe Cole - 4

Was he even on the field? With Chelsea determined to attack down the middle, Cole was often left scrapping for loose bits.

Didier Drogba - 5

Vidic marked him out of the game and was often isolated at the top of Scolari's Christmas tree formation. Could have played on for another 90 minutes and still would not have scored.

Nicolas Anelka - 5 Julio Belletti -5 Di Santo - 4

espnstar.com Man-of-the-match: Park Ji-Sung

Give us your take on the big match at streettalk@espnstar.com