just how valuable can a five-point lead be when it's still only early November?
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti made no attempt to crow afterward, merely stating that a 30-point haul represents a useful start to a season that still has a long way to go.
Sir Alex Ferguson had only berating match referee Martin Atkinson on his mind, insisting that not only had the official erred by awarding the fateful free kick in the first place, but also that he had failed to spot a crucial infringement when the ball came into the box, namely Didier Drogba's hauling out of the way of Wes Brown to make a convenient channel for the Terry-Anelka joint enterprise to find the net.
But if there is one man who knows how to hunt down a pace-setting rival after Christmas, it is the Scot. Ask Kevin Keegan. The former England captain was on the brink of glory with an exciting Newcastle team more than a decade ago, but saw a once-healthy lead overhauled by United's players on the pitch and his own sanity undermined by Ferguson's mind games off it.
Many have since tried the same, and many have suffered the same fate, with Liverpool's Rafa Benitez the prime example last season. Ancelotti, however, is unlikely to succumb.
Chelsea fans know they have more cause for optimism. Injuries robbed United of Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov, while Nemanja Vidic's own lack of fitness meant he watched the entire game from the bench.
Those three are key to the Old Trafford cause and though Wayne Rooney worked like a bear on his own up front, their absence merely highlighted a burgeoning impression that Chelsea's squad will prove stronger in the end.
Of course, replacing a talent as stellar as Cristiano Ronaldo was always going to be difficult, though Antonio Valencia might have had a penalty early on -- Terry appeared to bundle him over -- the former Wigan man has yet to give much indication that he can become a United legend in his own right. Michael Owen was given just six minutes of normal time to justify his much-debated current worth and Anderson continued to flit in-and-out of the game unconvincingly.
Only midfielder Darren Fletcher, who came through the Old Trafford youth system, enhanced his reputation with a performance that was both robust and creative and once again it was left to wily old campaigner Ryan Giggs to give Rooney the support he needed in Berbatov's absence.
That Giggs can still cut it at the top level -- he made his debut in 1991 -- is testament to the Welshman's talent and natural fitness, yet must also be a source of worry for the Old Trafford faithful, for almost all of Chelsea's key men are aged between 26 and 30 and therefore can be regarded as being at the peak of their powers. No wonder, then, that Ancelotti seems unconcerned about the lifting of the transfer ban imposed earlier in the season for the alleged poaching of a French teenager who had yet to be involved at first-team level.
Ferguson has never been afraid to give youngsters a go and had Fabio, Darron Gibson and Gabriel Oberton on his bench (the latter came on with Owen at the end), but Ancelotti simply doesn't have to right now, and that could prove crucial come May.
Of course, Arsenal are in the mix too despite having been written off at the start of the season but Arsene Wenger's obsession with potential means they too are far behind Chelsea when it comes to experience.
This is Ancelotti's first season in English football and Ferguson's 23rd but the Scot knows that counts for little once the referee blows his whistle. Only time will tell whether it has told already.
Jon West is a London-based football journalist and guest columnist for GlobalSoccerCenter.com.
