The question is, why?

True, the Scot’s team not only dominated proceedings at Stamford Bridge but was the victim of some injudicious officialdom along the way. Meanwhile at Anfield Ferguson can’t point to the failure to expel Jamie Carragher, whose professional foul on Michael Owen went unpunished. But in apportioning blame at officials – cathartic though it is – it is easy to miss a bigger picture.

In August, Rant argued that United need to score roughly 114 goals this campaign to match last season’s performance. This figure, mitigated by United’s non-involvement in the European Super Cup or World Club Cup, is challenging not least because the team lost 41 goals when Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo left the club.

Common logic – certainly among those who wrote to Rant back in August – said that Ferguson’s side would spread the goals around more evenly, with Anderson, Antonio Valencia and Nani all expected to chip in more goals from midfield than in earlier seasons.

Indeed of United’s 33 goals in 18 competitive games this season, 13 have come from outside United’s forwards of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Danny Welbeck. Moreover, United’s goals-per-game ratio of 1.83 compares favourably with last season’s 1.80 in all competitions.

Perhaps of greatest concern, though, is that almost one-third of United’s goals came in two games against Wigan and Manchester City. Add Tottenham Hotspur away into the equation and United’s goals-per-game ratio against all but those three sides is disastrously poor. In three games against the ‘top four’, for example, United’s has scored just twice – one a disputed penalty, the other an outrageous own goal.

The serious question now is whether United, without Ronaldo, has become a flat-track bully able to turn over the mediocre but likely to struggle against the top sides. Cast aside the Burnley defeat as a ‘blip’, but the defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool, together with indifferent victories over Arsenal and German champions Wolfsburg, support this theory.

The easy – almost clichéd – conclusion is that United miss Ronaldo and Tevez. Ronaldo, histrionics and media circus aside, is one of the most destructive talents ever to grace a United shirt. In big games with no clear tactical or technical advantage, Ronaldo dug United out of more than one hole.

But in Rooney, Berbatov and Owen, United possesses three strikers of proven international worth. Moreover, the performances of United’s talisman and his Bulgarian colleague have been of an exceptionally high standard this term. Owen, meanwhile, has scored four times from just six starts for the club.

Yesterday, new Ranter Dan bemoaned the loss of Paul Scholes’ midfield goalscoring . He’s right. But that only tells half the tale. Over recent seasons United has stocked up on wingers and deep-lying midfielders. With Anderson playing in front of the back-four, United has four defensive central players. That Scholes rarely makes it beyond the half-way line these days ups the quotient to five.

The easy solution, for most fans at least, is for United to spend and then spend some more. The talents of Franc Ribéry, David Villa and David Silva, mentioned recently in dispatches, would each add to Sir Alex’ attacking options.

But is the make-up of United’s squad or Ferguson’s prefered tactical formation to blame for the apparent dearth of goals? After all, in the summer Darren Fletcher spoke of a “more compact and rigid” United formation and there isn’t a single central midfielder player that gets ahead of the ball in United’s squad. For all the talk of Valencia upping his goal tally, there is compelling evidence that the player is a line hugger – by trade or design – of a very old-fashioned kind.

The compact tactical system also places greater emphasis on United’s defence. Yet this season the back-four that kept 14 Premier League clean sheets in a row is struggling for form and consistency amid growing long-term injury concerns over Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. In tight games against leading teams, one chance or one mistake is the difference between defeat and victory. Silverware or an empty cupboard.

In August Rant predicted that United would score 104 goals in all competitions this season. The team is just under a third of the way there. Whether it’ll be enough to bring home some silverware is another thing altogether.

—

United fans are big on facts. Scholes’ record alone speaks volume for how effective the former-England international was in his heyday. In 2002/2003 the midfielder managed a staggering 20. While in the proceeding two seasons Scholes’ tally still surpassed 10 in each campaign.

This is no longer the case, which is attributable to the decline to the player’s ever-diminishing physical ability. It’s an understandable part of the Scholes’ advancing years.

While United’s squad has a number of midfielders, and Scholes remains a great player for United on occasion, an heir has never been found.

The high expectations placed on Anderson, as a free-scoring player, have not been realised. Perhaps because of, not despite, his newfound defensive role.

Meanwhile, Fletcher, for all his guile and seemingly tireless running, cannot contribute 15 goals a season. The same is true of Carrick, who has never – and most likely will never – own the goal-scoring touch. It’s a deficiency that will cost the former-Tottenham midfielder a seat on the plane to South Africa this summer.

The same is true of Park Ji-Sung, while the sight of Owen Hargreaves on the football pitch is almost as elusive as a Liverpool Premier League title. Nani, meanwhile, has become a victim of his own ambition. The player’s move to United stifled his development and he is likely to leave.

Then there are other midfielders such as Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, who are improving with each fixture, but yet to unduly trouble the opposition net.

The same cannot be said of United’s closest rivals, each of whom possesses midfielders capable of scoring. Players who get ahead of the ball in support of the attack.

Liverpool has Steven Gerrard, while any one of Chelsea’s midfielders is capable of scoring. Arsenal has Cesc Fabregas, City boast Stephen Ireland and even Blackburn can call upon David Dunn.

United’s crunch match at Chelsea illustrated the shortcomings in the squad. Despite United’s performance, Petr Cech never looked troubled by the away side’s futile long-range attempts. Chelsea seemed happy to offer Ferguson’s side time and space.

What of the future though? A club boasting top-class facilities and a strong academy should have produced more players of Scholes’ ilk in recent years.

Darron Gibson is, perhaps, the closest that fans have seen, and the Irishman’s brief outings in the first team have not been impressive.

The best bet might be Tom Cleverley, on loan at Watford, who has impressed with six goals from midfield this season. Sir Alex Ferguson might not trust the England under-21 international just yet, but his time may come.

However, time waits for no man. Valencia, Obertan and Cleverley must soon realise the potential of their undoubted talent or, inevitably, United will nvest elsewhere.

—

• The defeat to Chelsea
• The draw with CSKA Moscow
• Barnsley in the Cup, Blackburn at home
• Fergie’s 23 years at Old Trafford

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The FA, long taking a harsh line with any implication of bias, issued the warning in the aftermath of United’s 1-0 defeat by Chelsea.

Atkinson awarded Chelsea a free-kick after Darren Fletcher challenged Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole. The award prompted an angry reaction from United’s players, who clearly felt the Scot had won the ball. Didier Drogba was then seen to foul Wes Brown as Terry rose to head into the net for Chelsea’s match-winning goal.

—

Ferguson complained that the referee was in the wrong place to award a free kick, for Darren Fletcher’s clean challenge on Ashley Cole, and that Didier Drogba fouled Wes Brown as Lampard swung the ball in. Moreover, Drogba was standing in an offside position – in front of Edwin van der Sar – as Terry’s header hit the net.

“The referee’s position to make the decision [for the goal] was absolutely ridiculous. He can’t see anything. It was a bad decision,” said Ferguson.

“You lose faith in refereeing, that’s the way the players see it.

“That goal should never have been allowed. We’ve dominated the game. We’ve had great chances to win the match and not taken them – and that’s our fault.

“We had great opportunities to get to the edge of the box and some really good chances in and around the box, but we should be finishing it off. We’ve only ourselves to blame in that respect. But you do need a break – and we never got the break we needed.”

United, now five points behind the Londoners in the title race, will feel hard done by after dominating for large periods of the game. With central defensive pairing Rio Ferdinand and Nemnja Vidic missing through injury, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans tempered the threat of in-form Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. The United pair were subject to criticism after the 3-3 draw with CSKA Moscow last week but Ferguson can take confidence from a brave performance by Brown and Evans.

“It’s very hard to take, we played really well,” Brown told MUTV after the match.

“I thought we played really well as a team and passed the ball brilliantly. We were the better team and had more chances. We should have done better with our chances, but we definitely didn’t deserve this result and it’s tough because we go home with no points.

“I don’t think the referee played well and we’ve been let down by that goal. The decision to award the free kick was harsh. Then Drogba was holding me and pulling me down, obstructing me from challenging for the ball when the free kick came in the box. The ref didn’t see that either – what can we do about it?”

Antonio Valencia, who caused Chelsea problems as he pushed up on the right-wing limiting Ashley Cole’s forward surges, was unlucky when denied a penalty during the first half after John Terry clearly tugged the Ecuadorian to the floor inside the box.

Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick also went close for United, with the former Tottenham Hotspur man finding space to shoot three times from outside the Chelsea box. Then Wayne Rooney almost found the net in the second half, first with a drive just inches wide from the edge of the box, and then with an effort that nearly curled into Cech’s top left corner.

United’s game-plan only came unstuck when Atkinson – out of position - failed to spot Drogba’s foul on Brown as Terry flicked in Lampard’s free-kick. United can also feel aggrieved by the decision to award the free-kick in the first place after the oustanding Fletcher’s tackle on Ashley Cole and the assistant’s failure of the to spot Drogba’s offside position.

“We didn’t think it was a foul in the first place [Fletcher on Cole] – Fletch went in and came out with the ball,” defender John O’Shea told ManUtd.com after the match.

“The ref’s angle of it and the Chelsea players’ reaction won them the free-kick. And then Wes was clearly fouled by Drogba as the ball came in. The referee’s position was terrible – he was stood right behind one of the Chelsea players and was too far away to see it.

“Lots of decisions seemed to go against us – I crossed the ball towards the end and Lampard clearly stuck his arm up [to block it].

“It was just outside the box, but the linesman was ten yards away and surely had to see it. The little things just didn’t go for us and we’re very disappointed in that sense.”

Despite the result United can take plenty positives from this game. Ferguson’s central defence looked strong against, arguably, the Premier League’s strongest attacking duo. And in midfield Fletcher and Anderson dominated against Lampard and Ballack.

Unfortunately the headlines will once again be dominated by a poor refereeing performance. While Atkinson’s fitness did not prevent the official from making the correct decision, his positioning certainly did.

—

The manner of defeat, coming after an impressive United display, is particularly galling but Sir Alex Ferguson’s men leave town in the knowledge that the home side was forced to rely on luck – and officialdom – for the win.

Ferguson, without injured central defensive pair Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, predictably selected Wayne Rooney to plough a lone furrow up-front. Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia offered support in wide areas with Dimitar Berbatov also absent through injury. Ferguson, often the gambler, chose to play safe and United produced a disciplined performance against a Chelsea side unbeaten at home.

United edged a tense first half that offered few chances from a solid midfield foundation. Indeed, Brown and Evans, so haphazard against CSKA Moscow in midweek, soaked up everything Diddier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka threw at them.

The officials were to have an early hand in Chelsea’s victory though. Prior to their involvement in the home side’s goal, Atkinson and co. twice denied United in the first half. Firstly when Anderson put Rooney through on goal, only for the assistant to incorrectly rule the striker offside and then Atkinson failed to blow when Terry hauled Valencia to the ground in the area.

Darren Fletcher, dominant in midfield, saw a shot blocked by Ricardo Carvlho while Giggs and Michael Carrick also tested the Chelsea ‘keeper in the opening period.

Rooney twice went close after the break as United continue to ask more questions than the home side. First the Scouser drove inches wide of Petr Cech’s post then the former-Everton striker forced a top class save from the ‘keeper with a curling shot.

But all United’s work was undone as the officials gifted Chelsea a late winner. Fletcher, winning the ball cleanly from Ashley Cole, was harshly judged to have fouled the former Arsenal left-back on United’s right. Frank Lampard swung over the free kick for Terry to head home.

The officials, perhaps blinded by their unity with an insulted colleague, ignored both Drogba’s foul on Wes Brown and the offside position of the Ivorian.

Ferguson sent on Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan to retrieve the situation but it was too late as United slipped to yet another away defeat to a ‘top four’ side.

Finally, Chelsea’s plastic fans – most of whom only discovered the club existed in 2003 – sprung into life. Meanwhile, United’s travelling army leave town beaten but proud that their team was worthy of much more.

Predictably Ferguson attacked the referee post match, blaming the Yorkshire-born official for failing to spot Fletcher’s clean challenge.

“The referee’s position to make the decision was absolutely ridiculous, he can’t see anything,” said the Scot.

“It was a bad decision. You lose faith in refereeing sometimes, that’s the way the players are talking in there.”

“That goal should never have been allowed,” added Ferguson.

“We’ve dominated the game; we’ve had great chances to win the match and not taken them – and that’s our fault.

“We had great opportunities to get to the edge of the box and some really good chances in and around the box, but we should be finishing it off.

“We’ve only ourselves to blame in that respect. But you do need a break – and we never got the break we needed.”

—

The Spanish club, current European Champions, believes that United’s massive £700 million debt means that the Glazer family is under increasing pressure to consider bids for all the club’s top players, according to the report.

However, Rooney is unlikely to agitate for a move, having recently stated that he would like to see out the rest of his career at United and even try to beat Ryan Giggs’ appearance record. Moreover, the player’s wife, Colleen, recently gave birth to the couple’s first child, Kai, and neither is thought to want to disrupt the family.

—

United travel to the capital without vice-Captain Rio Ferdinand who, back-injury permitting, will not play for the club until December. In the England-defender’s stead Jonny Evans will once again slot into the back four, alongside the returning Nemanja Vidic. It’s an area – United’s principal strength just a few short months ago – that Ferguson is justifiable concerned about.

But Ferguson is not yet ready to countenance the tie as a potential Premier League title decider, coming as it does just a third of the way into the season. Indeed, if the Scot’s team wins on Sunday, United will return to the top of the table. A feat that United has achieved just once in the last 10 visits to West London.

“Our players realise it’s a big game and that our performance at Chelsea is really important,” said Ferguson of Sunday’s match.

“We used to have a terrific record there up until a few years ago, but we’ve let that slip. There’s no point in looking back. We just have to look at our present squad and what they’re capable of.

“They’re capable of winning the game, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. It’s not going to be an easy game for either team.”

With United having narrowly beaten Arsenal at Old Trafford in August but lost at Anfield a fortnight ago, Ferguson is aware that the points spread among the leading contenders will decide the Premier League title.

“These games between the top four could be really important in the context of the title race,” Ferguson added

“It doesn’t come into my thinking that Sunday’s game is a league decider. But it could certainly be a really important one.

“Towards the end of the season you could be thinking ‘I’m glad we got a result at Chelsea’ in relation to where you are in the league.”

But United will need to perform better than in previous games against the so-called big-four if the team is to take the points Sunday.

Much will depend on the tactical system Ferguson chooses to deploy. The manager could throw the die and go for broke by deploying Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in a 4-4-2 formation.

However, the manager’s respect for his counterpart Ancelotti, who has beaten the Scot in three of their four previous meetings, dictates that the young Scouser is likely to plough a lonely furrow up front.

“Ancelotti was a great coach at AC Milan and he has brought a wealth of experience with him to Chelsea,” Ferguson said of the Italian.

“He’s won the European Cup twice and was also a great player. I thought he’d do well. He has a very experienced team and, when you have that, it’s maybe easier to adapt to new tactics or a new system.”

Sunday’s match will do much to show how far Ancelotti’s team has progressed this season. United, as always, might just have to risk all to come away with the points.

—

Have you missed me a lot this week?

Well I have been on holiday because Sir Alex told me with his hairdryer to “Give it a rest Berba!” during my thank you poem for my beautiful goal last game.

So obeying his order, I entered my hot air balloon and jet-setted my way to the playground of the rich and beautiful, Monte Carlo.

Here, I have been enjoying my most important habit for successful people like me, Habit #3: Pleasuring

Fans you are accustomed to seeing me pleasuring with the lads. But away from football, there is another side of me that brings great joy to people, and that is through my dedication to womanising.

Even in Bulgaria, my mother always said I could grow up to be a really good prostitute, not for the money, but because I wanted to give pleasure to so many people. It was a difficult career decision I had to take, but I decided to make football my business and pleasuring my hobby, although sometimes I still get them mixed up.

So after a week in the world’s most competitive prostitute market, I can report that I have once again made you proud. Yes fans, I have broken all the records set by Cristiano, and represented Manchester greatly with the amount of pleasuring I have completed.

Successful Habit: Womanising in Monte Carlo

The money I have raised has been donated to my ‘Womanising in the Community Programme’ which helps underprivileged people like you make it in places like Monaco and Bangkok.

Even if you do not make it as a professional pleasurer, this habit can still have many great benefits for everyday life.

For example it can help you meet new types of loose friends, pay your rent if you have no money, and most importantly, help you improve your football with its focus on ball juggling, tackle control and sticking it in the right place at the right time.

I believe that my achievements in womanising are showing you the way to a better future.

Now go! Follow it well and you too can finally be a true giver to the people around you.

Goodbye and Good Pleasuring