Legendary Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson absolutely destroys Chelsea midfield after dire display at Old Trafford

An embattled United side picked up a huge win on Wednesday night, flying out of the blocks to dominate a game that was never as close a contest as the 2-1 scoreline suggested. One area of concern for Chelsea fans would be their expensively-assembled midfield. Up against a side that has struggled to pick a coherent combination in the middle of the park all season, the Blues would have liked their match-up. Instead they were blown away in a manner which apparently drew a scathing appraisal from Ferguson.

Ferguson's verdict was revealed by a Chelsea fan who spent time post-match in the legendary manager's private box. Magnanimously praising United's performance and Sofyan Amrabat's contribution in particular, Ferguson reportedly shot back with an acerbic reply: "That's all very well but he was against nothing".

Chelsea were predicted by many to take a result away from Old Trafford with their opponents seemingly on the brink of a full-blown crisis. But the nature of the defeat meant it was Chelsea who were left with doubts resurfacing around the construction of their squad and their direction under owner Todd Boehly. While manager Mauricio Pochettino may not be overly concerned, the Blues will need to achieve some level of consistency if they are to avoid a sizeable gap opening up between themselves and the European qualification spots.

A trip to in-form Everton at an angry Goodison Park on Sunday promises to offer little respite for Chelsea but with a five-point gap already between themselves and ninth-placed West Ham, the Blues really need to start stringing some results together soon.