Man Utd 1
Saha 29
Chelsea 1
Ricardo Carvalho 69
Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1 November 26 2006
Ricardo Carvalho headed home a precious equaliser as Premiership champions Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw away to leaders Manchester United.
A clinical finish from Louis Saha had given United a 29th-minute lead at Old Trafford, but Carvalho levelled it up on 69 when he towered above the United defence to thump in Frank Lampard's corner.
The visitors enjoyed much the better of the second half but failed to seriously test Edwin van der Sar in the closing stages.
Saha put his midweek Champions League misery behind him as United opened the scoring.
Guilty of a last-minute penalty miss at Celtic on Tuesday night, the Frenchman showed no ill-effects from his trauma as he stroked home a magnificent first-half strike.
Wayne Rooney delivered a wonderful through-ball for Saha to run onto at the top of the box, and with Carvalho standing off, the Frenchman sent a low shot inside the left-hand post from 20 yards.
Chelsea, who knew defeat would leave them six points adrift in this season's title race, created few first-half opportunities despite enjoying plenty of possession - and Didier Drogba could easily have been given a red, rather than yellow card, when he swung an elbow into Nemanja Vidic's face.
But the champions were to come back into the game strongly in the second half.
Van der Sar was the busier goalkeeper and he got down low to keep out a Lampard shot at his near post on 63 minutes.
But when Michael Essien won a corner soon after, Lampard swung over a delivery which Carvalho connected with superbly, the ball hitting Saha's head on the line and going in off the bar.
The champions continued to pour forward, although United looked like they might nick a winner on the break with Cristiano Ronaldo particularly effective - until he was clattered by Ashley Cole and was forced to limp out of the action.
Carlo Cudicini punched clear from a Ryan Giggs free-kick towards the end but neither side could claim a winner.
So after 14 games of the season, United remain in front on 35 points, three ahead of their nearest title rivals.