Second-half substitute Salomon Kalou rose from the bench to rescue a point and maintain the proud home record after Ji-Sung Park had given the visitors an early lead.

Eighty-four games had passed since Chelsea last lost a league match on this ground but with a couple of gilted-edged chances missed and a lack of shots on-target, that run has rarely looked as in doubt as this.

There were 11 minutes remaining when the Ivorian planted a header past substitute keeper Tomasz Kusaczak to leave Chelsea in second place in the league table tonight while also keeping Man United at arm's length, outcomes not too disappointing in light of further injury problems for this game.

Felipe Scolari may not have been wholly satisfied with the performance against Bordeaux midweek but he initially resisted the temptation to make changes. Drogba was available again after suspension and was named on the bench.

However between the team line-up announcement and kick-off the Chelsea manager was forced into one change, Deco a late withdrawal to be replaced by Ballack.

Man United, who had chosen a forward line of Berbatov and Rooney with Tevez and Ronaldo on the bench, started the sharper, picking up the majority of the loose balls in a high tempo opening and on five minutes, they had the first genuine effort too, Fletcher turning a Hargreaves shot wide of Cech's right-hand post.

There was another nervous moment on eight minutes when Cech's dash and clearance didn't make touch, allowing Berbatov and then Rooney to hook the ball towards goal. A thankful keeper was able to watch it drop just past the post as he regained his ground.

Within seconds the ball was up the other end and Joe Cole was brushing off Evra for a clear run on goal. In that position so many times before Cole's finishing has been unerring but with the crowd already on their feet and primed to celebrate, he shot into the sidenettng. It was a big miss.

The pre-match plans were further torn up on 11 minutes when Carvalho was forced to give up on what looked a knee problem, first felt after a challenge some minutes earlier. Alex was the natural replacement.

The first piece of defending the Brazilian had to do was to hold up Rooney's run after a Berbatov ball had left Chelsea stretched. Rooney opted to play sideways to an advanced Ferdinand who would surely have scored had it not been for the brilliance of Cech, deflecting the ball over with his body. It was 0-0 on goals but 1-1 on great chances spurned.

Man United were still the side more on their game and it has to be said that when it came, the opening goal on 18 minutes was no big surprise.

Bosingwa allowed Evra to battle his way inside him down the left channel and square for Berbatov. Although Cech was up to the first shot, he was powerless to prevent Park's follow-up making it 1-0 to the visitors.

The fight back began with a long ball that Neville couldn't deal with. In the race between Van der Sar and Malouda for the loose ball, the keeper just won, his momentum taking him through the Chelsea winger. Referee Riley was unmoved by penalty appeals.

It was now Man United's turn to suffer a loss through injury. Van der Sar was feeling the lingering effects of his collision with Malouda and was replaced on 31 minutes by Kuszczak.

Scholes was the game's first booking on 34 minutes for his third mistimed tackle, this time on Ballack. He would not be the last!

Alex would up and shot from 25 yards on 39 minutes and the new keeper could only beat the ball out. From the follow-up scramble, Man United cleared their lines.

A minute later, Anelka was played away on then right and just onside but his hurried shot cleared the angle of bar and post. Ferdinand objected to the lack of offside and was the next booked.

The Blues has been improving but before the break, were on the back-foot again after Terry had been caught in possession. This time Park's shot was blocked. As first-halves against Man United go, this one fell short of the usual standard.

It all added up to the introduction of Didier Drogba at half-time although he was not on the pitch at the whistle, the Blues briefly down to 10 men as officials made sure the new man was properly taped up in all the right places.

Joe Cole miskicked a half chance early in the half and had another effort blocked on 52 minutes. The amount of work the keeper was asked to do was still too low. Mikel did find the target from the edge of the area but his shot was straight at Kuszczak.

Ronaldo was introduced for Scholes nine minutes into the half, his first showing coming eight minutes later - a shameless piece of simulation when Lampard challenged deep in the Man U half. The referee gave the free-kick.

Neville became Man United's third booking on 57 minutes for chopping down Anelka near the corner flag. Berbatov followed soon after for checking Ballack.

The German was sitting deep, Mikel, as good as anyone today,  just as likely to be seen joining the forward runners as Chelsea looked for penetration.

On 65 minutes came Joe Cole's second clear run on the goal, as Ballack's pass over the top found its target. This time, from more of angle than in the first-half, he drilled his left-foot effort into the keeper's chest.

Mikel was booked on 67 minutes for a late tackle on Ronaldo but the free-kick from the Portuguese was successfully blocked by the wall.

The unbeaten home record was now dangling by a thread and that thread looked even thinner when Anelka allowed a Joe Cole cross though his legs from just five yards out. Ballack then picked up the ball on the edge of the area and made good contact but curled his shot two-yards wide.

That was the German's last contribution, Kalou's introduction shifting the shape to 4-3-3.

Rooney, who had moments earlier put a chance into the sidenetting, gave away a free-kick midway inside the Chelsea half. There were now 11 minutes left on the clock. Mikel took the free-kick this time, Lampard deployed in the box and the ball in was lofted over. Escaping between Berbatov and Ferdinand, Kalou joyfully headed in from eight yards. Oh the relief!

Now Stamford Bridge was alive and demanding a winner. Chelsea were pressing for it too.

It took a diving block from Evans to prevent the super sub from scoring as Kalou's goalbound shot was deflected over. Alex bravely and painfully threw himself in the way of a Fletcher rocket to keep the scores level. The replacement centre-back had done well.

Evra and Ronaldo, the latter for wagging his finger at the ref, made it a mammoth seven bookings for the visitors.

In stoppage time, despite a corner won and Drogba felled on the edge of the area as the final whistle blew with some seconds left on the clock, the complete turnaround proved elusive. However few in blue leaving the stadium will complain about a point won from this game.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho (Alex 11), Terry (c); A Cole; Mikel; J Cole, Ballack (Kalou 73), Lampard, Malouda (Drogba 46); Anelka.
Scorer Kalou 79.
Booked Mikel 67.

Man United (4-4-2): Van der Sar (Kuszczak 31); Neville, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Hargreaves, Fletcher, Scholes (Ronaldo 54), Park (O'Shea 73); Rooney, Berbatov.
Scorer Park 18.
Booked Scholes 34, Ferdinand 40, Neville 57, Berbatov 58., Rooney 78, Evra 85, Ronaldo 91+1.