The Premiership clash between Chelsea and Manchester United did not go as planned for United in more ways than one.

Other than losing the match and the three-point lead to rivals Chelsea, they also look to have picked a couple of injuries. Vidic and Rooney both were substituted for picking up knocks. While Vidic got a nasty elbow in his jaw, Rooney's problem was his Hip injury that he picked up against Blackburn last weekend.

Most probably (though not officially confirmed), Rooney was on painkilling injections for the Barcelona match. This might be the reason why Sir Alex opted to play him in a right wing position so he could be spared of the lone striker role.

But the recurrence of Rooney's injury casts serious doubts on United's think tank and Sir Alex himself. Of late, Sir Alex has baffled us with his first teams and tactics, as he did against Chelsea itself.

If Rooney was carrying the aftereffects of the knock he picked up at Blackburn, why was he not rested like Ronaldo and Tevez? Moreover, resting Tevez in itself is baffling, because he has hardly started many games of late.

It takes no rocket scientist to predict the repercussion this injury is going to have on United's season. Just a piece of information: today United lost their First match  in which Rooney has started, so his importance to the side cannot be understated.

Whether he will be fit for the Barcelona match remains to be seen, but if he does not make it, it may well be the Chelsea vs. United match where United's season was derailed.