Manchester United and Chelsea have sat at the top end of the Premier League for the past two decades and their clashes carry a lot of appeal, even if there is no local element to the rivalry.
There have been many seasons in recent memory where matches between these two sides have had a direct bearing on the Premier League title race, while they have also met in a number of important FA Cup games.
As well as that, a Champions League final was contested between the two English giants in 2008 which went the way of the Red Devils after a penalty shoot-out.
Here is Man Utd and Chelsea's complete head-to-head record as well as a recap on six of their most entertaining matches over the years.
Memorable Games
- Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (6-5p) - May 2008
- Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United - February 2012
- Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United - October 2012
- Chelsea 5-4 Manchester United (AET) - October 2012
- Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United - October 2016
- Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea - August 2019
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (6-5p) - May 2008
Man Utd's third and most recent Champions League crown came in 2008 as they bested Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.
The Red Devils had retained their Premier League title two weeks earlier and put themselves on course to complete the double when Cristiano Ronaldo headed them in front. However, Frank Lampard equalised just before half-time and there were no further flashpoints until Didier Drogba was sent off minutes before the end of extra time.
John Terry slipped in his chance to score the winner in the shootout and skewed his penalty off the post before Edwin van der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka to seal victory for the Red Devils.
Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United - February 2012
2012 was an incredibly strong year for matches between Man Utd and Chelsea and this was the one that kicked it all off. The fourth-place Blues took on the second-ranked Red Devils approaching the business end of the season.
A Jonny Evans own goal, an incredible strike from Juan Mata and a header from David Luiz had Chelsea 3-0 up after 50 minutes. However, Man Utd conjured up some of their feared comeback magic under Sir Alex Ferguson and levelled proceedings as Wayne Rooney scored two penalties before Javier Hernandez headed in the equaliser in the 84th minute.
Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United - October 2012
Later that year in a new season, Ferguson's side were back at Stamford Bridge and this time enjoyed a much better start. Chelsea were top and Man Utd second before the game, but a Luiz own goal and Robin van Persie's strike meant it was 2-0 in 12 minutes.
Mata's free-kick just before the break got Chelsea back in the game and Ramires grabbed the equaliser early in the second half. Branislav Ivanovic was then sent off for fouling Ashley Young as the last man. Things got even worse as Fernando Torres was adjudged to have dived, earning a second yellow card and reducing the Blues to nine players.
Man Utd took advantage of their greater numbers and, predictably, it was Hernandez who scored with an inventive effort as the Mexican flicked Rafael's pass into the net, albeit from an offside position.
The goal would not have counted in the VAR era, but nonetheless, Ferguson's side had laid down a marker.
Chelsea 5-4 Manchester United (AET) - October 2012
The two sides were squaring off again a mere three days later, this time in a last 16 League Cup tie.
Chelsea were plotting revenge but instead Man Utd had the lead at half-time as Ryan Giggs and Hernandez netted either side of Luiz's penalty.
Gary Cahill equalised in the second half before Nani put the away team back in front with a wonderful chip after a great interchange with Anderson. United looked set for another Stamford Bridge victory until the 94th minute when Scott Wootton bundled Ramires over in the box. Eden Hazard stepped up to score, making it 3-3.
Extra-time started with another mistake from Wootton, this time heading the ball into the path of Daniel Sturridge who calmly scored. Countering from a Man Utd corner, Hazard produced a trademark skilful run to feed Ramires in the box who rounded Anders Lindegaard and made it 5-3.
There was time for Giggs to score a late penalty but with only 30 seconds left, there was no time for an equaliser and Chelsea had some revenge for what happened three days earlier.
Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United - October 2016
Fast forward to 2016 and a game remembered by Man Utd fans as one of the real low points of the post-Ferguson era.
Despite boasting the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Red Devils were completely outclassed by the eventual Premier League champions that season.
The opening goal came from Pedro after a defensive mix-up and Cahill made it 2-0 before the break. Hazard netted a third in the second half as Chelsea passed through Man Utd like they weren't there and Jose Mourinho's embarrassment was crowned when N'Golo Kante wandered through the defence and rolled the ball past David de Gea.
Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea - August 2019
Three years later, the two sides would begin the 2019/20 Premier League season against one another at Old Trafford. It was the start of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first full season in charge of Man Utd, while Frank Lampard was presiding over Chelsea for the first time ever.
Tammy Abraham hit the post early on for Chelsea, but it would only go downhill from there. Kurt Zouma felled Rashford and the Englishman scored the resulting penalty. Chelsea still had some good openings, but Anthony Martial made it 2-0 in the second half. Pogba then played a sumptuous pass over the Chelsea defence which Rashford took down and finished.
The game ended with a debut goal for Dan James, whose emotional celebration capped off a pretty special start to the season at Old Trafford. It was a harsh lesson for Lampard to take.
Manchester United vs Chelsea - Complete H2H record
- Games played: 159
- Manchester United wins: 64
- Draws: 46
- Chelsea wins: 49
Manchester United vs Chelsea - Premier League H2H record
- Games played: 60
- Manchester United wins: 17
- Draws: 25
- Chelsea wins: 18
Manchester United vs Chelsea - FA Cup H2H record
- Games played: 16
- Manchester United wins: 8
- Draws: 2
- Chelsea wins: 6
Top scorers in Manchester United vs Chelsea fixtures
Player | Team represented | Goals |
|---|---|---|
Mark Hughes | Man Utd and Chelsea | 11 |
Denis Law | Man Utd | 9 |
Sir Bobby Charlton | Man Utd | 9 |
Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | 9 |
Javier Hernandez | Man Utd | 8 |
