Manchester United played a London side for the second time in a week when they took on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Erik ten Hag looking to build on a brilliant victory against Tottenham to extend the team’s current winning streak.
Ten Hag fielded the same starting XI as him, with the exception of Christian Eriksen, who returned to the team for Fred.
Marcus Rashford led the United line once again in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence after the Portuguese was kicked out of the squad and kicked out of the matchday squad as punishment for his embarrassing antics on Wednesday.
Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s draw against Chelsea.
encouraging first half
United were easily the better team in the first 45 minutes.
The Red Devils commanded a healthy 54% possession at Stamford Bridge and had eight shots, four of which were on target. Graham Potter’s team, on the other hand, only had a single shot on target.
United were in control for much of the first half and did well to hold Chelsea to their own half, reducing them to minimal inroads into United territory.
The Red Devils had the best chances of the half, with the clearest falling to Rashford and Antony.
Rashford was unable to guide his powerful shot past a resurgent Kepa Arrizabalaga, while Antony’s chance fell on his weaker right foot and he was unable to test Chelsea’s shot.
The Blues improved slightly with the introduction of Mateo Kovačić in the process. Ten Hag’s men silenced most of Chelsea’s dangerous men and held them at bay.
The only disappointment for the coach is that his team went into the break goalless.
Jadon Sancho was extremely poor
United’s worst player in the first half was undoubtedly Jadon Sancho. The English started on the left flank and had hardly any impact.
In fact, his mistakes and mistakes sometimes put his teammates in the rear. He missed numerous passes and his movement was below average.
He lacked threat or imagination and couldn’t beat Azpilicueta or Trevor Chalobah in the number of instances he showed up in one-on-one situations against Chelsea’s defensive duo.
On more than one occasion his pass to a teammate fell short. Even in the linking of the play, something Sancho excels at, the winger fell short and it is not surprising that he was the first player to leave, just a few minutes after the second half.
Sancho already had a fight on his hands to continue being a starter. Anthony Martial is very likely to be available for the next Premier League outing and this will only push him further down the pecking order.
Based on the evidence of your display tonight, you have a mountain to climb.
United are extremely light in the attacking department.
One thing that stood out from the draw against Chelsea was United’s lack of attacking options.
Rashford, naturally, a winger was forced to play up front and seemed out of place: he lacks the instincts of a goalscorer.
Even when Sancho left, the lack of a suitable alternative forced Ten Hag to deploy Bruno Fernandes on the flank. The lack of options or depth at the forward positions is a real concern.
As Chelsea launched the likes of Armando Broja and Christian Pulisic to change the game, the Reds could only watch with jealousy.
This is something that needs to be addressed in the January transfer window. A striker is a must buy and today he highlighted it.
