Much of the pre-match emphasis surrounded deposed England captain John Terry and the Chelsea defender was barracked at the start by a large section of the 80, 000 crowd.
He will have been concerned by England's defensive vulnerability, but he was able to see injury-plagued Tottenham defender King complete 90 minutes and his worries will be placed in context by the knowledge he has Chelsea duo John Terry and Ashley Cole to recall.
John Terry and Wayne Bridge played together at Chelsea until Wayne Bridge moved to Manchester City in 2008.
He ruled himself out of England duty after allegations of an affair between his former girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel and Chelsea captain John Terry.
Of the other players who are missing, Spurs keeper Paul Robinson is out with a knee injury and Chelsea pair John Terry and Frank Lampard both need minor operations.
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Over the last year English football has had to grapple with the fall out of racism cases involving Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Chelsea defender John Terry, with English FA punishing both players.
The charge is the latest twist in an ongoing saga that began last October, when England and Chelsea defender John Terry was accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Rio's brother, during a Premier League game.
Contracts involving Chelsea defenders John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, as well as Liverpool midfielders Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia and Arsenal's Brazilian Gilberto Silva, will cease to be 'protected' in June, even though they run to 2009.
Gerrard saw an effort blocked by Chelsea captain John Terry and Torres shot wide from the rebound as Liverpool pressed for an equalizer before Malouda's late strike signaled a third league defeat of the season for Rafa Benitez's men, who stay fifth.
Chelsea's John Terry and Liverpool's Luis Suarez were fined and received lengthy bans for two separate offenses which occurred in 2011.
You could make a strong case for John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech at Chelsea, but I would go with that United trio.
What is for sure is that the likes of Chelsea's John Terry and Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand will be happy to play with Davies rather than against him.
Chelsea and England captain John Terry and Everton defender Joleon Lescott also remain high on the club's wish-list.
The incident comes in the wake of the furore over reports surrounding Chelsea and England defender John Terry's private life.
Chelsea and England captain John Terry was charged by UK police after allegedly making racist remarks to Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in October 2011.
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Bridge announced he did not wish to be picked for international duty, stating that his position in the squad could be "untenable and potentially divisive" following allegations that his ex-girlfriend had an affair with Chelsea and England defender John Terry.
As they were progressing to the Serie B title under Didier Deschamps last season, they were linked with several England stars, including Chelsea pair Lampard and John Terry and Liverpool midfielder Gerrard, who agreed a new Anfield deal this month.
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Chelsea trio John Terry, Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele won places in the World XI line-up, which was voted for by their fellow professionals.
Following the tackle Chelsea players Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard all surrounded Riley appearing to bully him out of handing out a straight red for the tackle.
Anelka poked in from point-blank range to make it 3-0 after John Terry had headed a Malouda corner against the crossbar and Chelsea were threatening to run riot against the Slovakian league leaders.
Liverpool briefly threatened when Torres fired over the bar from an acute angle and Chelsea suffered a blow when captain John Terry received a yellow card for a late challenge on Reina, meaning he will be suspended for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
Scolari also made it clear that he wants striker Didier Drogba to stay "200 per cent" and confirmed that England central defender John Terry will remain the Chelsea captain.
Chelsea and England stars Ashley Cole and John Terry were there, alongside Olympian Denise Lewis and EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, whose brother Ben was stabbed and killed in London this June.
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Right from the start, Chelsea looked off key and when skipper John Terry failed to head away Paul Konchesky's cross, Gera was on hand to hook the ball in after Bobby Zamora had nodded it his way.
Edin Dzeko leveled two minutes before halftime with his 10th league goal this season, with the Bosnia striker cutting inside defender Anton Ferdinand -- who is at the center of the racism allegations aimed at Chelsea's England captain John Terry -- and slotted in a low shot.
But the agony was shortlived, as Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka adds to John Terry's miss and United claim the title.
The arrivals of Torres and Luiz will serve to bolster a Chelsea squad which captain John Terry has suggested was lacking in depth.
Frank Lampard's took the resulting set piece and his inswinging delivery was glanced into the net by Chelsea captain John Terry.
Chelsea managed only to trouble the referee, who booked John Terry, Lampard and Ashley Cole in the first half.
Blues captain John Terry, who also strongly remonstrated with Ovrebo, defended the reactions of the Chelsea players and Drogba in particular.
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