PRESS BOX VIEW – GUARDIAN

‘Make that seven wins in a row for Chelsea at the start of a Premiership season. This was the weekend bonus victory for the reigning champions, leaving them two points further ahead of both Liverpool and Manchester United. The two sides at Anfield denied themselves and one another. The undeniable talent never came to fruition and so these clubs provided more evidence of their joint inferiority to Chelsea.

For the time being it is only Jose Mourinho's team that knows exactly what it is doing on the pitch. The Stamford Bridge manager has tailored its approach to perfection but when Liverpool and Manchester United don a similar style they are an eyesore. Though each of them knew how to pack the midfield, neither could make the flowing transition into attack that distinguishes Chelsea.

Each side was held fast in the other's grip. The obvious technique of these players saved the deadlock from being completely ugly but it is obvious that Rafael Benítez and Sir Alex Ferguson do not possess a battleplan to win the Premiership. For the time being their prospects are better in the Champions League, where there is a greater prize for mere patience.

LIverpool and United were the precise equals of one another in the dullness of their attacking.’