Just when everything looked so rosy, the Chelsea players who had quietly sneaked up on Manchester United ran out of puff.

The Old Trafford crunch game, on which the Premier League title effectively hinged, proved hideously one-sided.

At half-time, with Chelsea trailing by two goals, it was impossible to say a good word about any player in a blue shirt.

Possibly John Terry? Not even him. Although centre-back David Luiz copped the blame for United scoring in 37 seconds, the Chelsea skipper must share responsibility for letting Javier Hernandez breeze through the defence.

To be fair, the pocket-sized Mexican may have benefited from divine assistance, having been on his knees in prayer just a minute earlier.

It leaves Chelsea with a rather empty feeling going into the last two games, though most fans are relieved that everything didn’t hang on getting maximum points at Goodison Park on the last day of the season.

Newcastle visit Stamford Bridge this weekend – a game the Blues ought to win to cement second place.

A long, difficult summer looms, with Carlo Ancelotti tipped to be paid off and likely to take over at Roma, while Guus Hiddink (who has already managed 13 different sides) is ushered back in, with fans’ favourite Gianfranco Zola making a return as assistant.

The pressure is now off Chelsea. The weight of hope at Old Trafford turned a team of high-flyers into a flat-footed, ragtag band of soporific lightweights.

Now pure pride is at stake. Fans will see an end-of-season lap of honour on Sunday, but it is going to seem more like a parade of pain.

Shaking up the Chelsea side and getting more out of Fernando Torres are among the tasks ahead.

One vacancy is for a sharp, quick, dependable midfielder with bags of staying power and superb vision. Isn’t Ryan Giggs out of contract this summer?