Ed Chamberlin: Derby day looms

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Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlin looks ahead to Super Sunday's Manchester derby in his latest column.

After 93 minutes at Old Trafford the title race was almost over.

That may sound ridiculous at the end of October but Chelsea would have been six points clear at the top of the table, eight points clear of Manchester City and 13 ahead of Manchester United. They don't look like a side that would give up an advantage that big.

Robin van Persie's late strike gave the chasing pack some hope and it could be the goal that ignites United's season. Despite the late setback, Chelsea were still ominously good on Super Sunday and it was no surprise to see Sky Bet shorten them to 2/5 from 1/2 to win the title.
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Gary Neville was fascinating on Monday Night Football when he talked about Manchester United being there for the taking after they went 1-0 down. However, Chelsea failed to go for the jugular and were made to pay.

Ed Chamberlin on Man City "It's the start of a season-defining few days for Manuel Pellegrini and his team with the derby followed by a must-win game in the Champions League. The fitness of David Silva and Yaya Toure will be crucial."
Ed Chamberlin on Man City

In the 2004-05 season they scored first 28 times and dropped only two points in those games. That is sensational. The following season was nearly as impressive again as Jose's team scored the first goal on 27 occasions and dropped just four points. Seven times it's happened already this time around and Chelsea have already dropped four points - all in Manchester. They undoubtedly have the potential to be one of the great Chelsea sides. That killer instinct might be the one missing ingredient.

It was Manchester United's best performance of the season by a distance. Now they face their next test in the Manchester derby, which is live on Super Sunday from 12.30pm.