The perception of Chelsea’s invincibility has been called into question just a little.
Their progress this season has been remorseless: seven wins out of eight on the English Premier League, three wins out of four in the Uefa Champions League.
The question as they head to Old Trafford on Sunday, though, is how they will do without their first and second-choice centre-forwards.
If they are without them, that is.
Jose Mourinho is such a master of dark arts that he could tell you both of Diego Costa’s legs had dropped off and you still would not be entirely certain that the Spain international would not manage an hour against Manchester United.
Costa, whose hamstrings have been plaguing him since April, aggravated the problem playing for Spain in their Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.
He has missed Chelsea’s games against Crystal Palace and Maribor since and his attempts at rehabilitation have been hindered by a spell in hospital with a virus.
"Diego has a little chance," Mourinho said. "I'm not saying he can [play]. I'm saying that we are trying.
“Everything happened to him. He was obviously injured and he had to go to the hospital with a viral situation that we didn’t manage to resolve without being in hospital over one night.
“The problem is that being ill obviously didn’t help his recovery process because we didn’t want him at Cobham. The medical staff were going to meet him at his house.”
Loic Remy, who started the Palace and Maribor games, is definitely out. He damaged a groin in the Champions League, which forced him off immediately after he scored the opener against Maribor.
Mourinho said it would be at least a week, and perhaps as many as three, before he will be back.
If Costa and Remy miss out, Mourinho has two options. He can play Andre Schurrle, who has also been struggling with illness this week, as a false nine – as he did at Old Trafford last season – or he can turn to Didier Drogba.
Drogba started the Champions League game against Schalke and he played almost 80 minutes against Maribor but, if he is to be used regularly, his form is a worry.
He is 36 and clanked around as though he was feeling every second of those years, the explosiveness that used to characterise his play gone.
He is still good at holding the ball up as he did very well in the final minutes against Crystal Palace after Fraizer Campbell had pulled one back and there was just a thought that a fightback may be possible.
But his finishing has been awry and his pace has gone; there was a moment against Maribor when he made a run in behind the defence, received the through-ball and then had to check back because he did not have the speed to get away from his centre-back.
He is a diminished figure – as he was when he played against Chelsea for Galatasaray last season – and the assumption must be that he has been brought back to Chelsea so he can move into an ambassadorial or coaching position.
Within limited parameters, though, he could still be effective against United.
Chelsea are likely to sit deeper on Sunday than they have for much of this season, and the potency of United’s attack is such that there are times when they will be under pressure.
Having Drogba as an outlet, winning long clearances and looking to lay the ball off to runners breaking from midfield, could be valuable, but that is not Remy’s strength.
Then there is the impact on United’s central defenders. Neither Marcos Rojo nor Jonny Evans is as commanding as, say, Nemanja Vidic. Drogba still has his bulk and can still take the ball on his chest with his back to goal.
He will not be running away from either of them, but he can still create space for Willian, Eden Hazard and Oscar.
Chelsea’s use of Schurrle in this game last year was part of a strategy that seemed overly cautious as the season went on and United’s deficiencies became clear.
This season, giving United’s obvious problems at the back, Chelsea will surely not be so content to kill the game. Drogba is not the player of old and Chelsea would be stronger with Costa, but he could still have an impact on Sunday.
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