PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: MANCHESTER UNITED V CHELSEA

Ahead of this, the biggest match of the season so far, we bid a fond farewell to José Mourinho, the most successful and charismatic manager in Chelsea's 102-year history.

The Special One brought six trophies to Stamford Bridge in three years: two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and a Community Shield. The outstanding performance of his teams since August 2004 reads: played 185, won 124, drawn 40, lost 21, goals for 330, and against 119. We remained unbeaten in the league at home throughout.

However, results in the first six league games of this season were the second worst since 2000 (the worst being 2001), after which Gianluca Vialli was removed having managed one win, three draws and two defeats.

The irony is that Sunday 23 September will be the anniversary of the day seven years ago when Vialli's successor - and Mourinho's predecessor - Claudio Ranieri took charge of his first match. That too was at Old Trafford, meaning that our three most recent bosses will all have made their bows against Manchester Utd.

Little-known Ranieri wasn't the most obvious or popular choice to succeed the well-liked Vialli, whose name rang out around the Bridge long after he moved on. Upset as people were, hindsight showed that it might have been better to give the new man a chance and see what he could do.

Following sixth, sixth and fourth-place finishes, the Italian eventually managed the second-best league ranking in our history - runner-up in 2004 - and a return to the Champions League. He laid the foundations for the Special One's immense success.

Avram Grant will need strong support because José Mourinho is such a tough act to follow.

The Portuguese departed the club having lost against Sir Alex Ferguson just once in 12 matches (two for Porto, 10 for Chelsea), plus the drawn Community Shield match, lost on penalties in August.

When we won stylishly in the Carling Cup at Old Trafford in January 2005, José became the first manager to outwit Ferguson in a domestic cup semi-final over the Scot's long career.

But Chelsea rarely has a nightmare at the Theatre of Dreams: no Premier League team has won more times than our four there. That ability extends way back beyond 1993/4.

Between September 1965 and April 1986, for example, we were unbeaten in 13 consecutive league matches there. We just seem to enjoy ourselves at Old Trafford - and we won our first ever FA Cup there in 1970.

The baton on Chelsea's record-breaking unbeaten home league run now passes to Grant, but we can say that José's Premier League record in his time at the Bridge just shades that of Ferguson at Old Trafford over the same period. Where José's teams have played 60, won 46, drew 14, lost none, 123 goals, 28 against, making 152 points, Ferguson's have played 60, won 42, drew 14, lost four, goals 116, against 32, and gained 140 points.

There are hearts and minds to be won on Sunday, of course, because the team and its spirit are so closely identified with the departed manager. Managers and players come and go, but the club and its fans are bonded forever.

José and his backroom staff will always be immortal figures in our story, but there are hugely valuable points to be fought for to get our season back on track. Football goes on.

United has endured a similarly stuttering start in terms of performance but, as we have had to do sometimes in recent years, edged their last four games with a single goal. They have yet to score more than once this season, and their last three league goals have all come in the last 25 minutes. In contrast, and especially to last season's last-gasp heroics, Chelsea has yet to score in the last 25 minutes of any game this season.

Analysis of United's problem with goals has focused on the unavailability of their strikers. Ole Gunnar Solkskjaer has retired, while Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha have been injured - both of whom featured in the win at Sporting Lisbon in midweek.

Yet the absence through suspension of their star player last season, Cristiano Ronaldo, has robbed them of much ammunition. Poor Carlos Tevez has started the campaign as fitfully as he did for West Ham last time out.

Chelsea's scattergun shooting in recent games missed by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard could be eased by the return of the slick, tall Peruvian Claudio Pizarro after injury.

Of course, we have no idea what Avram Grant has noted while observing the team in his few months with Chelsea. He may decide upon a different system and personnel.

Of the two previous managerial debutants playing United, Ranieri drew a seesaw game 3-3 and Mourinho won a tight encounter 1-0. Will goal-shyness and tactics produce a deadlock, or will the players put on a show as a mark of respect? There's always an extra charge in the air when our sides meet, and this Sunday will be no different.

MAN UNITED V CHELSEA - Paul Dutton with the Old Trafford-related facts and figures.

Manchester United have played 46 Barclays Premier League matches since losing by more than one goal. Stamford Bridge was the venue for their last time, when we secured our back-to-back title in April 2006 with a resounding 3-0 win.

The Red Devils have won their last four games by the odd goal since the defeat by the same score at the City of Manchester stadium in August.

In 15 Premier League matches at Old Trafford both Chelsea and United have won four each and there have been seven draws scoring 21 and conceding 20.

Our last victory there was in May 2005 10 days after securing the Premier League title at Bolton. Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring, Tiago equalised with an outstanding 30 yarder followed by an Eidur Gudjohnsen chip and a Joe Cole tap-in for a comfortable three points.

United last beat us at Old Trafford in November the same year when a looped header from Darren Fletcher ended our club record 40 league match unbeaten run.

Our Premier League record at Old Trafford in full is as follows:
1992/93 Man Utd won 3-0
1993/94 Chelsea won 1-0
1994/95 Drew 0-0
1995/96 Drew 1-1
1996/97 Chelsea won 2-1
1997/98 Drew 2-2
1998/99 Drew 1-1
1999/00 Man Utd won 3-2
2000/01 Drew 3-3
2001/02 Chelsea won 3-0
2002/03 Man Utd won 2-1
2003/04 Drew 1-1
2004/05 Chelsea won 3-1
2005/06 Man Utd won 1-0
2006/07 Drew 1-1

It is nine matches since Utd scored, or conceded, more than one goal in a game - the 4-2 victory at Goodison Park against Everton in April.