Cup finalists Chelsea really were a class below United. Paul Scholes opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute with a trademark cleanly struck shot from thirty yards. At the end of the day it was only because of the brilliance of Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini that the score was only 3-0. But he had no chance with Scholes effort. Giggs squared it for Scholes who from thirty yards fired through a crowd of players and with the aid of a slight deflection it nestled in the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was guilty of missing a great chance minutes later, he was fed through by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and all on his own inside the Chelsea half he sped into the area and shot but Cudicini made a good save to his right to deny the Premier League's top marksman.
Chelsea pressed forward in an attempt to find a route back into the game but it was all in vain. Frank Lampard's long range effort was as close as the home side came and that was comfortably saved by Barthez. Four minutes before the interval Ruud van Nistelrooy doubled United's advantage with his first goal since his strike against Deportivo.
A good ball through from Solskjaer, who was making a rare start, let in Ruud who made no mistake rounding Cudicini brilliantly and slotting the ball home.
Mid way through the second half Cudicinimade an excellent double stop, first denying Giggs before stopping van Nistelrooy's follow up.
But United would have a third and it came four minutes from time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring his 99th United goal. Van Nistelrooy attacked down the left and played a clever ball into Giggs who could have shot but chose instead to lay the ball off for Solskjaer who slotted the ball into an empty net from twelve yards out.
Despite having lost so many games United are still very much in the Championship hunt. Chelsea is a difficult place to go but United came away with the points, putting yet more pressure on Arsenal. But United will have to win all their games and hope that both the Gunners and Liverpool slip up if they are to win a fourth successive title.