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Manchester United hosted Chelsea on Sunday in an important clash for the race to the top 4, and it ended in a 1-1 draw. For the home side, the goal was scored by Juan Mata. For the away side, the goal was scored by Marcos Alonso.
The first half of the game was dominated by the home side in terms of possession and chances created. Romelu Lukaku missed an early chance when he was sent through by Luke Shaw with a brilliant pass. Then the home side went in front with a brilliant goal after Shaw found Mata, who tapped it brilliantly into the goal.
It was all United till then and Eric Bailly saw his header just go wide from the corner. But, another David de Gea mistake led to Chelsea's equalizing goal just before half time.
The second half was much more pragmatic than the first and Chelsea seemed to be more up for it than United. There weren't many highlights in the second half, but a late one-on-one chance for Gonzalo Higuain was saved by de Gea, and that meant the points were shared between the two sides.
Here are the 3 Takeaways from Manchester United's disappointing draw:
#3 Ander Herrera needs to be given a new contract
In the last couple of games that Manchester United have played, they haven't been able to dominate the midfield battles, but as soon as Ander Herrera came in today, United's midfield seemed to have more energy and tenacity.
Herrera showed again why he is vital to Solskjaer's team, and he alongside Mata were the two best performers of the day. Also, the Spaniard was tasked to stop Eden Hazard and he did exactly that, as the Belgian had a minimal impact throughout the game.
Based on what we saw in the match, it's safe to say that the Spaniard has to be given a new contract, or else Manchester United will lose a quality player for nothing.
#2 David de Gea is way out of form and needs to be given a rest
The reason why Manchester United would feel hard done by is the fact that Chelsea didn't threaten United's backline enough in the whole match and there only goal came from another David de Gea error. The Spaniard spilled the ball after Antonio Rudiger took a shot from 40 yards out, and Alonso was there to tap in the rebound.
It should have been a simple gather for someone of de Gea's quality, but instead, he ended up gifting the away side a crucial goal. It would be very harsh to blame him as he has been the one who has saved United time and again over the past few seasons, but due to his poor form, Solskjaer should consider resting the Spaniard for the next game as it would only do him good.
#1 Manchester United's attack toothless again
All the talk about Manchester United's bad defense has somewhat spared the Red Devils' attacking players, but what we have seen in the last couple of matches from all the attackers hasn't simply been good enough.
In the first half, it felt like the Manchester United attackers were up for it, but their creativity derailed as the game progressed. Lukaku was again drifting too wide on occasions when he should have been getting in the box.
Marcus Rashford has been poor for some time now and maybe injuries have had a part to play in it, but that's no excuse. Then Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, and Paul Pogba have been nothing but inconsistent. Solskjaer has a huge task in his hand in the summer as he needs to start thinking about a potential summer overhaul.
