Chelsea vs. Manchester United: 5 Things We Learned About the Blues

Chelsea drew 3-3 to Manchester United on Sunday, and we learned plenty about both teams.

The match included controversy, spectacular goals and an incredible comeback.

At the end of the day, each team will leave with one point, and that's probably the fairest result for each club. It wasn't the sharpest of matches, but it was definitely an entertaining one.

The home fans left Stamford Bridge with a stale taste in their mouth, as the Blues only moved one point clear of Newcastle United for fourth place. It's not the best position, but with goal differential on their side, Chelsea can't complain too much.

We learned plenty of things in this match, so let's get to the list.

John Terry Needs to Play in the Centre of Defence

Without John Terry, Chelsea's defence did not look good.

Simply put, Chelsea's defence has been subpar since they won the double in 2010.

The stats look good, but the goals they concede are cheap.

Against Manchester United, Chelsea did not concede a well-earned goal.

The centre-backs were disorganized and desperate, leading to three goals for the Red Devils. Without Terry, they looked lost.

Terry is not the elite player he once was, but he can definitely hold his own. He's not ready to turn the defence over to Gary Cahill and David Luiz. While those two may be the corner-backs of the future (Lord help us), Terry is necessary for the near future.

Terry can still play, but his organization and leadership are the most important things he brings to the table. With him playing, Chelsea would not have conceded three goals.

Without him, the Blues probably should've conceded five or six goals. Moving forward, Andre Villas-Boas needs to keep Terry in the starting XI for as long as possible.

Juan Mata Is Magical

We already knew this, but it should still be mentioned.

Juan Mata had a spectacular match against Manchester United, and he nearly willed Chelsea to three points.

His volley was incredible, and his free kick in stoppage time forced David de Gea to make (arguably) the greatest save of the season.

Without Mata, Chelsea could be in the bottom half of the league. He's been incredible this year, and he has seemingly been an intricate part of every Chelsea goal this season.

While that's probably not true, his presence on the field is always known. Mata doesn't disappear easily, and his creativity keeps EPL defences on their heels.

If Mata continues this type of form, Chelsea will have no problem staying in the top four.

Sir Alex Ferguson Is a Scary, Evil Genius

I have nothing but respect for Sir Alex Ferguson.

With that said, he is the epitome of evil.

Even down 0-3, he was nothing but calm and collected.

At 2-3, he was simply tapping his watch to get Chelsea to play quicker. Once the game was level, he returned to his seat and enjoyed his Sunday evening.

I'm not saying he was able to use mind-control on Howard Webb, but I wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be true. Webb seemed a little odd today, and maybe Ferguson was behind it.

Ferguson is a cool character. He showed that on Sunday. He never seemed to doubt his team, and they were able to pull level with him behind them 100 percent.

As a Chelsea fan, this man strikes the utmost fear in me. Even on television, I feel like he's staring into my soul.

Ferguson may be one of the greatest coaches in football history, but that doesn't mean he isn't an incredibly evil genius.

Petr Cech Can Still Make Big-Time Saves

A lot of people have been down on Petr Cech for about a year now, but he proved those naysayers wrong.

For someone giving up three goals, Cech had a brilliant game.

Wayne Rooney put away two penalties, and Javier Hernandez finished an easy header from five yards out. None of those goals can be put on Cech.

Those fouls shouldn't have happened (yeah they were soft, oh well), and Chicharito simply can't be left unmarked.

Cech make a few cracking saves, including a full-length save on a curling Ashley Young shot, which Cech parried away from a salivating Rooney.

Cech may not be the elite keeper he once was, but he is still one of the best in the Premier League. He can still make big-time saves, and he will always keep Chelsea in a match.

Going forward, that definitely feels pretty good.

Chelsea Just Aren't a Top Team

If Chelsea were one of the elite teams in the EPL, they would've buried Manchester United.

They would've taken that 3-0 lead and possessed the ball for the last 30 minutes.

They wouldn't have let United have a single quality chance, and the match would've finished without a hiccup.

Since Chelsea aren't elite, they couldn't do it that easily. United got their chances, and they made the most of them.

Chelsea are good. Make no mistake about that. The Manchester clubs are the elite teams, with Tottenham Hotspur a close second. Then Chelsea lead a group of four teams fighting for a single Champions League spot.

That's not the company Chelsea want to be in.

Chelsea have been spoiled with trophies over the last few years, and a step back isn't the worst thing. However, Chelsea seemed to be posing as an elite English team.

With this draw, however, it is clear that Chelsea aren't elite. United dominated for most of the match, and they abused Chelsea, even though they were down by three goals.

Say what you want about the soft penalties. Those didn't cost Chelsea the match.

Chelsea's inferiority cost them the match.