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Sixth-placed Manchester United welcomed third-placed Chelsea to Old Trafford in their penultimate Premier League home game of the season on Thursday night (28 April).
Coming into the match on the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal, the Red Devils started as underdogs. Yet, against all odds, they managed to hold the Blues to a 1-1 draw, courtesy of a fine Cristiano Ronaldo equalizer in the second half.
Having been on the back foot since the start, Manchester United got their first chance in the ninth minute. Unfortunately, Bruno Fernandes’ effort was tame and did not trouble Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy.
Four minutes later, Ronaldo went for goal with an acrobatic effort but it lacked the accuracy it needed to trouble the Senegalese stopper. United custodian David de Gea, meanwhile, was by far his side's busiest player of the half, making some fine stops to deny Kai Havertz, Reece James, and N’Golo Kante.
United improved markedly in the second half but Chelsea took the wind out of their sails with a goal at the hour mark. Marcos Alonso made no mistake volleying home Havertz's headed pass from close range.
Thankfully for United, Ronaldo was at hand to brilliantly equalize from Nemanja Matic’s through ball just a couple of minutes later.
In the 80th minute, James’ rasping effort was unluckily denied by the far post. With no more goals scored, both teams had to be content with a point.
On that note, here are three Manchester United players who performed and two who cut a frustrating figure in Thursday night’s fixture at Old Trafford:
Performed: David de Gea
Before Ronaldo equalized for Manchester United with a clinical strike in the second half, it was David de Gea who kept them in the game.
Thanks to Chelsea’s inventive attacking play, De Gea was forced to make five saves by half-time. Four of those efforts came from inside his own box.
He also rushed off his line once in the first half to deny Kai Havertz. Had the Spaniard not been on his toes, the German would have had a clearer chance to convert.
In Thursday night’s fixture, the Spaniard made a total of five saves, completed 14 passes, and delivered six long balls.
His distribution could have been a lot better, but there were no complaints about his shot-stopping.
Underperformed: Scott McTominay
Having been on the fringes for a long time, Scott McTominay is finally getting the gametime he has always craved. Unfortunately, the Scotland international is not quite making the most of the opportunities coming his way.
Following a forgettable performance at Arsenal, McTominay had the perfect chance to make amends with a sure-footed display against Chelsea.
Sadly, he allowed the game to pass him by, rarely doing anything of note. He was easily outmuscled by the opposition midfielders, did not create goalscoring chances, and was easily swept aside by dribblers.
On Thursday, the 25-year-old played zero key passes, lost six ground duels, ceded possession 11 times, and was dribbled past twice.
Performed: Nemanja Matic
While Scott McTominay found himself all over the place, Nemanja Matic did his best to keep things nice and tidy at the back.
The former Chelsea midfielder was comfortably in possession, carried the ball well, and held his ground in one-on-one situations. He was stretched by the Blues attackers from time to time, but the shift he put in was commendable.
The Serbian was also directly responsible for saving Manchester United’s blushes. Just a couple of minutes after Chelsea's goal, Matic popped up in a dangerous area.
His initial lobbed ball was blocked by N’Golo Kante, but the Frenchman could not do anything about the rebound. The defensive midfielder’s chipped through ball was perfect and fell nicely for Ronaldo inside the box. The star forward, of course, made no mistake turning it in.
Against his old club, Matic played two key passes, accurately delivered three long balls, completed two dribbles, and won four ground duels.
He also had two clearances, made two interceptions, and attempted two tackles.
Underperformed: Marcus Rashford
From being the club’s poster boy to struggling to get his shots away, Marcus Rashford’s fall from grace has been spectacular.
The Englishman has lost his graceful touch in front of goal and lacks the confidence to take on defenders. Things did not take a turn for the better in the mouth-watering clash against Chelsea on Thursday.
The England international rarely got on the ball and fluffed his lines when he did. He neither attempted a single shot nor did he make a key pass. The 24-year-old lost four of his five duels and gave away possession 10 times.
Another subpar performance from one of the United academy’s crowned jewels.
Performed: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, has been Manchester United’s knight in shining armor this season. Even in the twilight of his career, he has been their sharpest marksman, making the most of the few chances that have fallen his way.
Last night was another instance of the Portuguese ace coming good for the Red Devils, salvaging something against all odds.
Two minutes after seeing his team concede, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner found himself in the opposition box. Ronaldo exquisitely brought down Matic’s lobbed through ball in front of Mendy and dispatched an unstoppable drive, which almost tore through the roof.
The former Real Madrid man also went for an ambitious overhead kick early in the first half, which unfortunately flew over the crossbar.
Against Chelsea, completed both his attempted dribbles, won six duels, and even completed two clearances.
By far, he was United’s most influential player on the pitch against the Blues.
