Van Persie leaves it late to poach point for Manchester United

Robin van Persie’s relief and passion were palpable as he celebrated his stoppage time leveller, capitalising on the chaos caused by a last-gasp Angel Di Maria free-kick, to rifle through the mass of bodies and finally beat an imperious Thibaut Courtois.

Old Trafford erupted and, although they stay marooned in 8th place in the Premier League, Manchester United (outsiders at 25/1 to win the Premier League) needed a result before facing bitter rivals Manchester City next time out. Van Persie himself was visibly boosted, after toiling away for 90 minutes in what looked set to be another lacklustre performance from the Dutchman.

The decision had seemed dubious by Louis van Gaal to leave Van Persie on the pitch, and instead trade Juan Mata for James Wilson, but his persistence with his compatriot paid off in sensational style.

It was a day to celebrate the sharpness of veteran strikers, with Samuel Eto’o also bagging a smart brace for Everton against Burnley. For Chelsea, meanwhile, Didier Drogba turned back time to be the Blues’ goal hero once more.

Diego Costa’s absence dominated the build-up to this eagerly anticipated clash, but 36-year-old Drogba emphatically blasted his way back into the limelight and illustrated that he can still be Jose Mourinho’s leading man.

United made a fatal and perplexing mistake in allowing Rafael to mark renowned set piece danger Drogba for Cesc Fabregas’ corner, and the Ivorian attacker duly left David de Gea no chance with a powerful and precise header to fire his team ahead.

In an enthralling and feisty game littered with bookings, the strikers had their say, but super stoppers Courtois and De Gea also made a significant contribution to save their sides.

The battle between Courtois and Van Persie was a particularly intriguing subplot, but the Belgian keeper appeared to have the misfiring forward’s measure, making three crucial stops, before finally coming undone in extra time after Branislav Ivanovic saw red from a second booking.

De Gea was also once again in fine form, cleverly foiling crafty Eden Hazard’s excellent work, although his save resulted in the subsequent corner for Drogba’s goal. Tricky wing wizard Hazard may have been thwarted in his attempts to find the net, but he did win the battle of the widemen, with Di Maria noticeably off-colour by his standards.