Chelsea Win Levels Premier League Title Race - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

It was a far better advertisement for the Premier League than the tactical dross we saw from these clubs earlier in the week. Chelsea and Manchester United played attacking football, contentious football, at times dynamic football, and certainly highly intriguing football.

They did not, however, play mistake-free football. That was evident in the 56th minute, when Ricardo Carvalho aimlessly passed a stray ball back to nobody in particular, and a hobbling Wayne Rooney took it forward and scored an equalizer, negating Michael Ballack's header late in the first half. Rooney clutched his hip afterward and pushed away teammates looking to jump on him in celebration.

Alas, fortunes turn quickly in this game. In the 84th minute, Michael Carrick was called for a handball in the box, and Ballack left Edwin Van Der Sar wrong-footed on the penalty kick, giving Chelsea a 2-1 lead. The Red Devils pushed forward, but goal-line clearances by Ashley Cole and (of all people) Andriy Shevchenko saved the day for the Blues, who are now level with Man Utd on 81 points in the Premier League table.

While Man Utd players argued with the refs, Chelsea players argued with each other. Midway through the second half, Ballack and Didier Drogba bickered like an old married couple over who would take a penalty kick.This was in stark contrast to the first half where Drogba's cross (and Solomon Kalou's well-placed screen of Owen Hargreaves) set up Ballack's header to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead.

Drogba and Ballack continued bickering on the sidelines ten minutes later while trainers tended to Hargreaves, who took an inadvertent ball to the crotch. Chelsea manager Avram Grant was nowhere to be found. Drogba's petulance continues to remind the world that he cannot get to the San Siro fast enough.

In the end, though, he celebrated with Ballack while a red-faced Sir Alex Ferguson, who could afford to be introduced to sunscreen, had to pull his angry players away from the match officials. Their anger, however, was misplaced. Man Utd can only be angry at themselves today, for they've put themselves in a tight spot. They must win their last two matches against West Ham and Wigan to secure the Premier League title. Plus, they face a must-win Champions League match against Barcelona in Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Oh, and they may have to play that Champions League tie without Rooney, who appears to have a bum hip, and defender Nemanja Vidić, who took a Drogba knee to the jaw so ugly that Drogba actually stopped mid-dive to signal the referee that Vidić needed help.

Meanwhile, Chelsea can put all of Europe to sleep by playing catenaccio against Liverpool on Wednesday night. Thanks to John Arne Riise's late own goal last Tuesday, Chelsea can get to the Champions League final with a 0-0 draw. The Blues still must win their last two against Newcastle and Bolton and hope a worn-out Man Utd drops points, but give them credit today. Despite their infighting, they made the Premier League an honest, down-to-the-wire race today.