Can Chelsea capitalise on Man Utd's slip-up to inspired Sunderland?

If anyone predicted a draw between Man Utd and Sunderland at Old Trafford they have my admiration. Man Utd, on an impressive run of nine Premiership wins in a row and gunning for a Chelsea side that has been slightly inconsistent in the last two months, were massive favourites to beat the Premiership's bottom side who had accumulated only 11 points all season. If ever there was a 'lock-on' victory in the Premiership, this was it.

But football being football you know that anything's possible. And when Man Utd hadn't broken the deadlock after twenty minutes there were already signs of anxiousness as they implored the referee to ensure he added injury time for some perceived time-wasting by the Sunderland team.

The creeping pressure of getting a goal affected Man Utd's rhythm and attacking cohesion. This, combined with facing a resolute and energetic Sunderland team that visibly grew in confidence with every minute that passed by without a goal conceded, plus an inspired performance by the Sunderland keeper, Kelvin Davis, who looked unbeatable on the night, were the key elements that produced the most shocking scoreline of the season to date.

Chelsea were already in pole position to win the title before last night's match. But with Man Utd unable to pick up all three points last night, I imagine that the Blues can approach today's match with Bolton in a more relaxed and positive mood than expected.

My own prediction for this match is a significant away win for Chelsea. Travelling to the Reebok has been a very tough task for most Premiership teams this season- with only Everton and Man Utd gaining wins. That said, I like Chelsea's chances for three reasons.

First, I remember this time last season they went to the Reebok and comprehensively beat Allardyce's team. I'm sure Mourinho will be telling his players to recall this experience as evidence that they are well capable of a win today. Second, travelling to Bolton at midday in April is a better prospect than making the same trip to the elemental Reebok stadium in the wind and rain of dark mid-winter. Finally, Bolton have suffered four defeats in a row which means they are likely to enter the game with low morale, while Chelsea will be high-on-confidence after an excellent home performance last week against West Ham. Man Utd's unexpected failing last night can only help this confidence factor.

Predicted scoreline: Bolton 1 - 2 Chelsea