DAVID LUIZ' first goal for Chelsea and a penalty from Frank Lampard may just have re-invigorated a season that appeared in danger of slowly unravelling.

Fourth place suddenly does not look as if it needs to be the sole ambition for the Blues just yet when great victories like these are still possible.

The mop-haired Luiz (pictured), always tidy in his defensive duties, ventured forward on 54 minutes to crash in a low drive at the far post after Branislav Ivanovic had managed to head on a Michael Essien cross from the left.

It transformed the night for Chelsea and maybe even their season as United, their lead gone, began to look more vulnerable and the tempo rose both on and off the pitch.

With 11 minutes remaining, Lampard fired home from the spot after Chris Smalling had knocked Yuri Zhirkov off the ball when the Russian nipped in to collect a touch from Lampard himself. After so many spot-kick misses of late, it was re-assuring to have the master back to his unerring best.

It is only the leaders' second defeat of the campaign and even if the title will still look a distant prospect when the league tables are surveyed, the well-being the win should generate will be enormous.

Luiz' cathartic goal cancelled out a 30 th minute strike from Wayne Rooney that had sucked some of the early hope from the Blues during a spell the visitors dominated.

Rooney collected the ball from Javier Hernandez 25 yards out and was given room to turn and bury a low shot past Petr Cech – three defenders failing to close down the striker.

Ivanovic was glad of the chance to atone for a miss at the end of the first half when he somehow failed to connect properly with a ball bouncing off Edwin Van der Sar following a Frank Lampard free-kick and had his effort chested off the line by Vidic.

Carlo Ancelotti was true to his word about trying his luck with two up front rather than the usual one, but it was Nicolas Anelka rather than Didier Drogba who partnered Fernando Torres at first. Eventually Drogba came on in place of Anelka to have his say.

Luiz's goal injected the game with a pace that had been lacking up to that point and goals appeared possible at either end – but somehow the momentum always seemed more with Chelsea.

Torres may have failed to claim his first goal for the Blues, but he is looking sharper now and getting one over Vidic yet again as he often did while at Liverpool will have done him no harm at all.

The Serb was sent off for a second yellow at the death, which is not the first time it has happened to him in a game against Torres.

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