It feels like the same old story, a tale as old as time – a game spoiled, ruined even, by the hands, eyes, and whistle of one man. That poor soul in the middle, the hapless arbiter, the English referee. My father once decreed that being an umpire was possibly the finest way to lose friends, and as the dust settles from Chelsea and Manchester United’s bruising encounter, Mark Clattenburg may well be inclined to agree.

The referee was at the heart of many of Sunday’s flash points, regrettably so, as I have always felt that umpires, like good songwriters, ought to be almost invisible in their influence. Clattenburg, sadly, was not, and the commute’s discussion of the Sabbath’s beautiful game can’t help but bear his name. Indeed, Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo left no doubt as to his opinion of Clattenburg’s officiating, stating bluntly that he thought the game had been ‘ruined’ by poor decision making.

Where to begin? Chelsea have their reputation – the snarling, smug, superior powerhouse of West London, the Roman Empire, the Prem’s pantomime villains; never afraid to ruffle a few feathers, to assert themselves, or to employ the dark arts. On Sunday, the Pensioners were stunned by a five minute period in which they received two red cards – even by their standards this was bad.

First, Branislav Ivanovic was dismissed for a cynical foul on Ashley Young as the midfielder broke through on goal, and minutes later, Fernando Torres was sent packing for a second yellow – received after Clattenburg had identified a Torres tumble as simulation. Whilst Ivanovic’s straight red is hard to contest, opinion has been split as to whether the Spaniard deserved his second caution. It was a bold, brave decision to make, and Clattenburg made it.

As Di Matteo stated afterwards, to make that choice, the ref needed to have been 100% sure – could he have been, truly, sincerely, 100%?

It was only a matter of time before Chelsea’s nine succumbed to United’s eleven, but to add insult to very serious injury, the winner had more than an ounce of dubiousness about it. Another close call from the refereeing team, and another error – Chicharito ghosting in from an off-side position to slip the ball past the despairing clutches of Petr Cech.