Manchester United picked up a crucial victory over Chelsea in an eventful, rain-sodden evening at Old Trafford.
Following the capitulation last week at the Etihad, United supporters were hoping for a strong response this week, but were left to contemplate an uninspiring team selection. With Senne Lammens and Kobbie Mainoo on the bench, and Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw starting, the whisper around the South Stand was that it didn’t look like a team capable of winning the match.
Concerns about that were out of the window after just five minutes when Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez raced out of his box and cleaned out Bryan Mbeumo. He was sent off, and Blues boss Enzo Maresca responded by making conservative substitutions – and had to later bring off Cole Palmer who was injured.
By then, Bruno Fernandes had scored, a poacher’s effort to claim his 100th for the club – and when Casemiro headed a second after brave work by Luke Shaw to head an assist in the 37th minute, it appeared that United, for once, could be set for a comfortable afternoon.
It should have been even more easy, when Cucurella should surely have been sent off for a horrific challenge where both of his feet were off the ground challenging Mbeumo. Somehow, he remained on the pitch.
Then, in first half added time, Casemiro was given a second yellow card after an alleged pull during a successful tackle, and at the break, Amorim was forced into a change. He went conservative, bringing off Sesko, still searching for his first United goal, for Ugarte.
It seemed to lift Chelsea and invite them back into the game; though with the visitors’ own changes, they were rarely able to make much of a threat in open play. They did score from a quickly-taken set play, when Trevor Chabolah headed home as United reacted slowly, to set up a nervy conclusion that should never have been allowed to get that far. Altay Bayindir flapped at a cross; at the other end, the tireless Bruno Fernandes forced a save, but United were flat in the second period.
It was an evening where Ruben Amorim was hoping for something emphatic and positive; despite the win, that will have to wait. It would be too harsh, but still worth a remark, to suggest the manager might have reacted in-game and taken advantage of Chelsea’s depletion instead of sticking with a packed defence – but Casemiro’s moment of madness influenced what came next. In the circumstances, and considering the conditions on top of that, judgement can once again be paused.
That Kobbie Mainoo remained on the bench until the dying minutes when he was one of the very few to emerge with credit last week was not great, but was at least consistent with Amorim’s public statements.
Mainoo at least saw the pitch, which is more than can be said for Alejandro Garnacho, who found that the Stretford end had adapted a compatriot’s song in his honour even more quickly than they bestowed the honour of reworking the Cristiano Ronaldo song for him.
Tonight, De Ligt was fantastic and faultless in testing conditions, but elsewhere United continue to have problems with both the system and the combinations within the system. Few partnerships seem to blend well and the team, as it has been for years, is reliant on individual moments rather than looking like the smooth product of strong leadership and coaching.
The evidence for that will have to wait – but at least, for now, United have three points, are back in the top half of the league and within touching distance of the Champions League places… which probably tells you more about the quality of the Premier League than it does about where United are.
But let’s not rain on our parade too much. A win’s a win, after all.
Ratings : Bayindir 6, De Ligt 8*, Maguire 7, Shaw 6, Mazraoui 7, Casemiro 6, Fernandes 7, Dorgu 5, Amad 5, Mbeumo 6, Sesko 5
Subs : Ugarte 6, Mount 5, Cunha 6, Yoro, Mainoo
