Louis Saha put United in front in the first half but Portuguese defender Carvalho headed home in the second period as both sides shared the spoils.

The draw kept the three-point gap between both teams, with United topping the league table with 35 points and Chelsea lie second.

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho deployed Michael Ballack as a playmaker to support Andriy Shevchenko and Didier Drogba upfront.

On the other hand, Manchester boss Alex Ferguson played with his usual frontline of Wayne Rooney and Saha, with Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo supporting from the flanks.

In the first-half, United dominated in terms of possession but their attempts on goal were denied several times by Chelsea defense.

The first threat came after two minutes when Rooney rose to head Giggs' cross over the bar.

In the 18th minute, Ronaldo stepped-up and fired a powerful free-kick that was saved by Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini.

French international Saha grabbed the lead in the 29th minute when he collected Rooney's pass and rounded Ricardo Carvalho on the edge of the area before hitting a left-footed low drive into the back of the net.

Cameroonian right-back Geremi raced down the right flank and sent a shot but it was parried by Dutch keeper Edwin Van der Sar in the 37th minute.

In the second period, Mourinho fielded Dutch winger Arjen Robben for Geremi to mount more pressure on the hosts.

Robben's introduction proved to be effective as Chelsea pushed forward and created several chances.

Frank Lampard was unfortunate after firing wide on several occasions and on the other hand, Ashley Cole was annoyed by Ronaldo's pace and class.

Carvalho salvaged the draw nine minutes past the hour mark when he towered above Gabriel Heinze to head Lampard's corner towards the net.

Saha made a late attempt to clear the ball but he hit it into the underneath of the bar before it crossed the line.