Roberto Di Matteo and Sir Alex Ferguson had to be separated as Manchester United ended their 10-year wait for a Barclays Premier League win at Chelsea with a controversial 3-2 success.
The Blues finished with nine men and were beaten by an offside winner as United made up for all the bad luck they perceived they had suffered at Stamford Bridge in one fell swoop to cut their opponents' lead at the top to one point.

Referee Mark Clattenburg wrongly sent off Fernando Torres for diving after Chelsea had fought back from a David Luiz own goal and Robin van Persie's ninth of the season to equalise through Juan Mata and Ramires.

Branislav Ivanovic did rightly see red five minutes before Torres, whose second yellow card prompted furious exchanges between the rival managers, and that was before Javier Hernandez's winner.Ferguson did not need to bother with mind games against Chelsea last season, so far adrift were they of United in the league.

But he did not waste any time prior to this fixture, branding the side built by Jose Mourinho seven years ago as better than the current league leaders, in defiance of the plaudits earned by Di Matteo's men this season.

His opposite number refused to be drawn into the phoney war, knowing the worst thing to do ahead of the game was to stoke up any ill feeling. Rio Ferdinand thought so too, duly wearing his 'Kick It Out' T-shirt during the warm-up and shaking Ashley Cole's hand before kick-off.

Ashley Young - a surprise starter after more than two months out injured - was the only player on either side to snub the anti-racism initiative, while the home supporters jeered and taunted Ferdinand mercilessly. It had no effect on the defender, who was celebrating a two-goal lead after 12 minutes as

United became the latest top side to ruthlessly expose Chelsea's shortcomings. It took less than four minutes, the Blues losing possession and Van Persie crashing a shot against the post, the ball rebounding in off the luckless Luiz. Ivanovic was fortunate to escape a booking for clattering into Young before United struck again, Ferdinand this time the architect. The defender was predictably booed as he ambled out of defence and found Rafael, who fed Antonio Valencia, with the winger's low cross instantly swept home by Van Persie.

It was a goal of embarrassing ease against a Chelsea side Di Matteo had warned about the way they were starting games, but the European champions finally woke up midway through the half when Michael Carrick chopped down Ramires. He should have been booked but Luiz almost punished him anyway with a brutal free-kick which David De Gea inexplicably elected to save with his legs, the Spaniard deviating from the goalkeeping coaching manual again to keep out Gary Cahill's header.

Torres was having another shocker but his failure to react to a corner missed by everyone else was forgivable and his header was only kept out by a brilliant De Gea save. The goalkeeper could do nothing when Wayne Rooney needlessly upended Eden Hazard with a revenge tackle a minute from half-time - earning a booking - and Mata stepped up to curl a sumptuous free-kick into the corner.
Mata would have equalised moments later had De Gea not made amends for a horrendous clearance before Torres earned his first booking for a foul on Tom Cleverley.

But Chelsea needed only seven minutes of the second half to deservedly level as Mata took the game by the scruff of the neck. After scuffing a right-foot shot, he showed sublime control to keep Oscar's ball in play, allowing the Brazilian to cross again for Ramires to head home.

Hazard had two more sniffs before United got a grip. And they were given a golden opportunity to snatch all three points as disaster struck for Chelsea when Ivanovic and Torres were both sent off in the space of five minutes. Ivanovic could have no complaints, the right-back seeing red for bringing down Young, who had been played clean through by Van Persie. Rooney fired the resultant free-kick just over before United replaced the ineffective Cleverley with Javier Hernandez and Chelsea sent on Cesar Azpilicueta for Oscar.

They were about to bring on Daniel Sturridge for Torres but the striker joined Ivanovic in the dressing room when he was controversially shown a second yellow for diving when replays showed he had been caught by Evans. Torres was furious, trudging off and berating the fourth official, who was then forced to keep Di Matteo and Ferguson apart on the touchline.

Ryan Bertrand joined the fray instead of Sturridge but Chelsea faced an impossible task with nine men and Hernandez snatched what proved the winner 15 minutes from time from an offside position.
Petr Cech brilliantly tipped Van Persie's shot onto the post but Rafael followed up and Hernandez turned the ball home. Mikel was booked for his protest, Sturridge entered the fray and Valencia also saw yellow as well as wasting a chance to kill the contest.

Javier Hernandez was Manchester United's Champions League hero as the Red Devils hauled themselves back from two goals down to beat Braga at Old Trafford.

Approaching the 26th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's appointment as Red Devils manager, the comeback was a suitably fitting way to preserve his side's 100 per cent record and means, barring a complete collapse in their final three games, they will advance to next spring's knockout stage.

However, with two games against Chelsea and a home encounter with Arsenal to come before the return fixture in a fortnight, Ferguson must harbour serious concerns about United's fragile defence.

Incredibly, they have now fallen behind eight times in 12 games this season.

Tonight it took less than two minutes to surrender the initiative.

And they fell further behind before Hernandez struck, the Mexican capping a fine display by nodding home the winner from Tom Cleverley's cross 15 minutes from time.

It had been established in the five times United had gone behind since Michael Carrick had been eased out of central defence that he was not responsible for his side's repeated inability not to find themselves playing catch-up.

There had been evidence in the performances of Scott Wootton and Michael Keane in the Capital One Cup against Newcastle last month that there was an alternative should the need for an emergency central defender arise.

With Chris Smalling and Phil Jones still at least a fortnight away from full fitness and Rio Ferdinand rested to the bench, an assurance already received from Ferguson that it was solely to do with Sunday's visit to Chelsea and nothing to do with the weekend T-shirt spat, this was one such occasion.

Yet Ferguson again went for Carrick as Jonny Evans' partner, presumably on the basis Braga would not offer much of a physical threat.

Carrick lacks defensive nous though, and having shepherded Eder to the by-line, his failure to trap the Portugal international there was suicidal.

After turning sharply, Eder scampered towards the goal before cutting a cross back to provide Alan with an easy finish.

This would have been bad enough. The fact Braga were already in front raised serious concerns about United's ability to pull through.

Barely a minute had elapsed when Alan pulled to the far post and climbed above Alex Buttner, replacing Patrice Evra for the first European game of his entire career, and steered it past David de Gea.

It was the eighth time they had fallen behind this season, and the fourth occasion in the last five games, a quite shocking statistic that cannot continue if United are going to be serious challengers for silverware this term.

Predictably, a team skippered by Wayne Rooney and including Robin van Persie and a host of other stellar attacking talents, the hosts were a force at the other end.

A wise advantage by Serbian referee Milorad Mazic allowed Shinji Kagawa to profit from a foul on Van Persie, crossing for Hernandez, who nodded home.

The pair would have combined to haul United level had an offside flag not been raised against Kagawa as he darted on to Van Persie's through ball before rolling another cross into Hernandez's path.

Ferguson noted that mistake, and a few others, in his half-time assessment of proceedings.

However, in hauling off Kagawa and introducing Nani at the break, the Scot was also signalling the diamond he feels could revolutionise United needs a bit more polishing before it is ready for public display.

The transformation was immediate as United sped down the flanks, pinning their opponents back.

As the crosses fizzed across Braga's goal, the visitors' defending became increasingly desperate.

When Evans took a fresh air swipe at Van Persie's corner, the attempted clearance cannoned back off Elderson, allowing the Northern Ireland defender a second chance, which he duly prodded in.

It was Evans' second goal in three games, not a bad return considering he had only scored once in his previous 131 appearances for the Red Devils.

From that moment it was only a matter of time before United got their winner.

Tom Cleverley provided it with a superb, deep cross from the right touchline.

Hernandez, whose movement was akin to that he showed during his debut season, peeled away and headed home.