Stalemate in showdown at Stamford Bridge
A high-intensity affair at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United finished 1-1, seeing United collect their first point in the Premier League since firing former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
The Premier League showdown played out as expected throughout the first 45 minutes, with Chelsea dictating the tempo against an out-of-form and managerless Manchester United side. Yet, despite the hosts’ dominance in possession, an Antonio Rüdiger shot ringing the crossbar, and a David De Gea save from Callum Hudson-Odoi were the only real moments of note. Manchester United will surely have headed down the tunnel for HT feeling lucky to still be in their first league match of the post-Solskjær era after failing to cause their opponents even the slightest of problems before the interval.
Despite starting the second period with similar levels of control, disaster struck for the home side just five minutes in when a mis-control on the halfway line from Jorginho played in Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford on the break. With all of the time in the world, Sancho slid the ball home beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, giving the ‘Red Devils’ an unlikely lead early on in the second period. The ‘Blues’ got their chance to level the scoreline in the 67th minute when Thiago Silva was clipped in the box by Aaron Wan-Bissaka as the full-back attempted to clear the ball, forcing referee Anthony Taylor to award a penalty. The subsequent spot-kick was coolly slotted home by Jorginho, who made up for his earlier mistake and levelled proceedings.
Despite piling on the pressure, Chelsea found it difficult to break down a solid United rearguard as the second half wore on, seeing the title contenders collect only a point. Thomas Tuchel’s men will be disappointed to not find a winning goal in the midst of their many periods of pressure. However, the hard-fought draw may not come as a surprise as the ‘Blues’ are now winless in their last eight Premier League games against Manchester United.