Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes Chelsea has thrown away any chance of winning the Premier League title by firing Luiz Felipe Scolari, and has singled out Liverpool as the main rivals for his team's third consecutive title.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich lost patience with the Brazilian World Cup winner last week after just seven months following the club's slide to fourth in the league standings.
Guus Hiddink (photo) has replaced Scolari until the end of the season in an attempt to halt the decline and close the gap on leader Manchester United.
The defending champions were looking to open up a five-point lead over Liverpool - and 10 over Chelsea - later yesterday when they hosted Fulham at Old Trafford.
"I think they have played into our hands and that the title race now is going to be between ourselves and Liverpool," Ferguson said in the matchday magazine. "However, I shall be keeping a wary eye on Aston Villa, who seem to have picked up the baton from Arsenal."
Scolari was given just 36 games to prove himself in his first club job in Europe despite being a proven winner in Brazil. He guided the country to its fifth World Cup title in 2002, and won the Copa Libertadores with both Gremio and Palmeiras.
"I was shocked that Chelsea should part so soon with a manager of such great experience and proven success as 'Phil' Scolari," Ferguson said. "Their haste is a reflection of the sad way the game is going, with everyone from owners, the board members, the supporters and the media demanding instant success and showing absolutely no patience in the pursuit of their ambition."
As he closes in on an 11th English championship in his 22 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson's longevity shows what can be achieved with a stable management structure. Chelsea, meanwhile, have had 12 managers in the same period.
Jose Mourinho, who delivered Chelsea's last title in 2005, was fired in September 2007, while Avram Grant went the following May, making way for Scolari.
"I would have thought it self-evident that winning prizes comes with stability and long-term planning," the 67-year-old Ferguson said. "Yet so often, when a club is faced with a few problems, wisdom flies out of the window in the hope that a new man can bring about a quick fix.
"Chelsea have called in a very experienced manager in Guus Hiddink and I am sure he will make an impact. At the same time, he has to start from scratch, perhaps putting together his own staff and gathering round him players of his choice which may take him some time."
Chelsea captain John Terry, though, is convinced that Hiddink has already made an impact since taking charge of the players on Monday.
"There are new styles and new methods," Terry said yesterday. "He has come in and changed it and we have looked sharp the last couple of days. He's changed the pace of it."
Hiddink takes Chelsea to third-placed Aston Villa on Saturday looking to close the two-point gap on Martin O'Neill's high-flying side.
"He wants us to apply pressure more, play higher up the pitch," Terry said. "He is not saying we were playing badly before, he just wants to change a few things and do it his way.
"When a new manager comes, they have to do it their way, they can't listen to (how it was done) before, they have to think about now."
Combative midfielder Michael Essien, who missed virtually the whole of Scolari's reign, hopes to return to action next month after making encouraging progress in his recovery from a knee-ligament injury.
It was initially feared the powerful Ghana international would miss the entire season after sustaining the injury in September while on international duty.
"According to rehabilitation physio Thierry Laurent, it should not take more than one month for me to play actively again," Essien said. "He has assured me that once we go through a few other exercises for two or three weeks, I should be fit enough to return to the pitch."