Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United: 5 hits and flops as arch-rivals play out a dour goalless draw | Premier League 2020-21

Chelsea and United produce another tepid goalless draw.
Chelsea and United produce another tepid goalless draw.

Hit: Luke Shaw (Manchester United)

Luke Shaw was excellent in the Manchester United defence.
Luke Shaw was excellent in the Manchester United defence.

It's not often Luke Shaw is labelled a 'hit' over the likes of Fernandes or Marcus Rashford. But against Chelsea, he certainly was a standout performer, arguably Manchester United's best of the bunch.

He started off with a crucial block to deny Olivier Giroud an early opener and continued in the same vein thereafter, showing excellent positional awareness and also charging forward to help his team offensively.

In fact, his tally of three key passes in the match was the most by a Manchester United player in the game. That's quite something, considering Shaw is only a full-back.

Shaw has managed to stay injury free this season, and that has translated to good on-field performances, making him one of Manchester United's best players of the campaign.


Flop: Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)

Olivier Giroud missed this chance from just a few yards out.
Olivier Giroud missed this chance from just a few yards out.

For all of Chelsea's extraordinary outlay in the summer, with the purchases of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, their best attacker this season has been Olivier Giroud, who has netted 11 times in all competitions.

His best performances have no doubt come in Europe, where he bagged an all-important winner against Atletico Madrid in midweek. But against Manchester United, the Spaniard was quiet and rarely threatened the visitors.

His lack of mobility ensured Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were not tested enough. The Frenchman was also guilty of missing a good chance early on following a sensational cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi.

With Tuchel dropping Timo Werner to the bench, this was a chance for Giroud to show that he can lead the line for Chelsea in the league too. But that was not to be.


Hit: Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea)

Callum Hudson-Odoi was a decent attacking outlet for Chelsea but went off injured at the break.
Callum Hudson-Odoi was a decent attacking outlet for Chelsea but went off injured at the break.

The fact that Callum Hudson-Odoi lasted only 45 minutes in the match but made it to this list as a 'hit' performer tells you everything there is to know about his outing against Manchester United.

In a game where chances were few and far between, Hudson-Odoi was a lively attacking presence for Chelsea, driving forward and probing Manchester United with some delicious crosses. The Blues will hope his injury is not a serious one.

He could've bagged an assist in the first half had Giroud converted his beautiful cross from the left. But that didn't deter Hudson-Odoi from attempting a few more, which also went begging, much to his dismay.

Nevertheless, Hudson-Odoi was also lucky to have escaped conceding a penalty after he accidentally handled the ball inside the box.

Quick Links