Sam Allardyce knows what it is like to face the fury of the fans but for Chelsea boss Avram Grant it was a whole new feeling.

Allardyce has only been in charge at Newcastle for seven months but he has suffered the inevitable calls for him to be sacked as the Magpies languish in mid-table in the Barclays Premier League.

But his United side would have come away from Stamford Bridge with a well-earned point if assistant referee Mike Cairns had raised his flag and prevented Salomon Kalou's 87th-winner from counting.

Kalou was clearly offside when he tucked the ball home to spare the blushes of Grant who had found himself on the receiving end of the Chelsea boo-boys for the first time since taking over from Jose Mourinho in September.

Chelsea had gone ahead through Michael Essien but Nicky Butt's scrambled equalised in the 55th minute was just reward for United's second-half performance.

But before Kalou struck, Grant was taunted with chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' as he made two substitutions - replacing captain Michael Ballack and Joe Cole with Scott Sinclair and Claudio Pizarro respectively.

Grant refused to condemn the fans for their outbursts but Allardyce is well aware of the price managers have had to pay in what he terms as the most 'volatile' Premier League season ever and added that abuse from the fans is something they have to live with in the modern game.

Allardyce said: "It is typical of the expectation that surrounds the game today. That is something we all have to accept and live with.

"Before the season started, with that amount of money spent, you knew it was going to be the most volatile season and it has proven to be that already. We are just half way through it and seven managers have gone already.

"It is a hugely competitive league and bigger than ever before. More people have entered into the transfer market than ever before, spent more money - £530million this summer - it means that clubs like Sunderland, who got promoted, are into the £30-odd millions, which has never been seen before.

"Other clubs who staved off relegation going into the £20millions. We are all competing with everybody's funding of new players and trying to stay in and be successful in the Premier League.

"It is the only league to play in. Rome can't be built overnight. That has always been the expectation here so our focus is to make sure that pressure does not come on us by continuing to get results and that's what we have got to do. We can then grow slowly but surely to hopefully sustain more and more success as the years go by."

Allardyce could not hide his displeasure with assistant Cairns. His failure to flag Kalou offside cost his side a valuable point but the United boss was determined not to let it affect his players ahead of their clash with Manchester City.

He added: "You have got to take the positives out of a good performance even though you have not got a result. We need to reproduce that sort of form on a consistent basis.

"But we got dealt a massive blow with the offside decision that was blatantly offside. You have to stay focused and make sure you continue to get your team to perform and not let it affect the confidence.

"That can be the down side. We have got to work very hard at making sure the players put it behind them and have no comebacks in terms of going into the game against Manchester City."

Chelsea made it 73 games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge following Kalou's controversial winner.

But even though the fans got on his back, Grant insists they are still behind the team and he remains satisfied that Chelsea are in the hunt for the title after Manchester United's defeat at West Ham.

Grant added: "The supporters are behind us, and know that we are not in easy times with all the problems we have.

"It's not easy, I think everybody remembers what happens last year with two or three injured, but today with 10 injuries this is the time to speak about the players that played.

"I think we are in the picture with the race to be champions, I never give up. The situation sometimes is not easy, and if Manchester United didn't lose today we would continue to fight.

"You saw the spirit of the team, they showed great spirit."

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