Preview: MU vs Chelsea - statistics

• The two previous meetings between these sides at Old Trafford have essentially been Premier League title deciders, with Chelsea winning one and United the other.

• These two sides have met 19 times in the Premier League at Old Trafford, drawing seven times. Manchester United have won seven of those encounters and Chelsea a respectable five.

• Andre Villas-Boas (pictured right) has 95 games as a manager under his belt, a whopping 22 times fewer than the 2,053 of his counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.

• Manchester United have scored 18 goals in four games in the league so far this season, an average of 4.5 goals per game.

• Chelsea’s ‘goals for’ statistic looks meagre in comparison, yet they have matched the league-leaders defensively, conceding just three goals.

• Andre Villas-Boas’ grandmother settled in Portugal after moving from the Manchester borough of Cheadle Hulme.

• Sir Alex Ferguson received the Premier League manager of the month award for his side’s start to this season, the 26th time he has collected the honour.