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Thomas Tuchel’s spirited Chelsea side hosted Michael Carrick’s recovering Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday evening. Usually, the league leaders taking on a mid-table team has nothing to write home about. However, when these two Premier League giants go head to head, recent form and statistical predictions go out of the window.
Last weekend, Manchester United bid goodbye to their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after an embarrassing 4-1 Premier League defeat to Watford. Carrick has been brought in as caretaker manager until a more permanent option is appointed. Reportedly, Ralf Rangnick is set to take that job, starting next week.
Carrick, meanwhile, impressively led United to a 2-0 win against Villarreal in the Champions League. But replicating the result against Chelsea was always an optimistic ask.
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In the first half, chances were at a premium. Manchester United soaked up the pressure brilliantly and were happy to end the half without conceding.
Five minutes into the second half, Manchester United silenced Stamford Bridge. A mistake from Jorginho helped Jadon Sancho hit the back of the net. In the 67th minute, Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Thiago Silva in the United box to gift Chelsea a penalty. Jorginho calmly put it away.
The two teams came close on a couple of occasions over the next 30 minutes, but could not land the knockout punch.
Manchester United might not have been too disappointed with the 1-1 draw, but there were players who failed to live up to the billing. Here are the five Manchester United players who underperformed against Chelsea in the Premier League:
#5 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was not one of the worst players on the pitch against Chelsea. However, the penalty he conceded, which led to Chelsea’s only goal of the match, cannot be overlooked. Wan-Bissaka was impressive until the 67th minute penalty debacle. He was outdone by his opposite number Thiago Silva inside the Manchester United box.
Wan-Bissaka attempted to clear the ball after a corner but hit Silva’s outstretched leg instead. The referee pointed to the spot and Jorginho put it away to restore parity for Chelsea.
#4 Fred
Brazilian midfielder Fred endured another frustrating night in Manchester United colors. His passing was decent but none of his crosses or long balls reached their targets. Fred lost possession 14 times, was dribbled past twice and registered zero key passes.
Most importantly, Fred failed to win the game in the 87th minute when Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy recklessly gave the ball away. Fred’s lame attempt was caught easily by Mendy, much to the frustration of his Manchester United teammates.
#3 Marcus Rashford
Manchester United left-winger Marcus Rashford got his third Premier League start on Sunday evening at Stamford Bridge. With Cristiano Ronaldo left on the bench, the Englishman had the opportunity to lead the Manchester United attack. Unfortunately, he failed to do anything of note in front of a packed Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United took a conservative approach against Chelsea. Hence Rashford spent a lot of time in his own half, which took a toll on his game. The England international only had 28 touches in the match. He only completed 13 passes, failed to finish the only dribble he attempted, and had zero key passes.
Chelsea defenders subdued his attacking tendencies expertly and dispossessed him eight times in under 80 minutes. All in all, it was a forgettable night for Rashford. This performance would not have won him any brownie points with Manchester United supporters.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick made the bold decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. The decision came as a surprise to many. Especially after the Portuguese was on the scoresheet in the Champions League win over Villarreal and was subbed off at around 70 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo was eventually introduced in place of United’s goalscorer Jadon Sancho in the 64th minute. But he could not do anything worth mentioning. Deployed as a lone centre-forward, Ronaldo was the furthest player on the pitch for Manchester United. Unfortunately, due to the Red Devils' rather conservative approach, he did not get the service he required to thrive.
The 36-year-old had only seven touches against Chelsea. This goes on to show how efficiently he was handled at Stamford Bridge. Ronaldo’s five passes were nothing to write home about and he only completed one long ball. The Manchester United number 7 was outpowered time and again by Chelsea defenders. He failed to even win a single (six attempts) duel against the Blues.
#1 Bruno Fernandes
Harry Maguire was suspended following last weekend’s red card against Watford. Hence, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes got the captain’s armband against Chelsea. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the Portuguese produced one of his most sub-par performances on Sunday. He failed to provide the inspiration the team needed.
Bogged down with defensive responsibilities, Fernandes looked rather pale in front of Chelsea’s decorated midfield. Fernandes did pull off some intelligent passes over the course of the match, but they were few and far between.
He won six of his 15 duels, had no key passes, and failed to work the keeper even once in the match. Fernandes also lost possession a whopping 15 times, killing many of the Manchester United attacks in the crib.
