Chelsea and Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Sunday evening and the Red Devils will be relieved to have snatched a point right at the end.
The last four meetings between Chelsea and Manchester United had ended in a stalemate prior to Sunday’s clash. And the two teams followed suit once again, cancelling each other out at Stamford Bridge.
The draw keeps Chelsea in the top four, and the Blues will be hoping to consolidate their position with wins in the upcoming matches. As for Manchester United, this was a golden opportunity for them to close the gap with Chelsea, and they will feel that the result was a missed opportunity for them, especially as they dominated the proceedings for the most part.
Italian international Jorginho handed Chelsea the lead in the 87th minute from the penalty spot, with the Blues breaking the deadlock despite being second best in the game. And it seemed like the winner at the time.
However, Manchester United had other ideas as Casemiro scored deep into injury time to spare the blushes for Erik ten Hag and his men. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how both sets of players performed on the day.
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 7/10
The Spaniard has done exceptionally to keep his place ahead of Edouard Mendy this season, and he pulled off a couple of stunning saves to deny Manchester United on Sunday. Kepa will feel that he could have stopped Casemiro’s header from going in. Overall, it was an impressive performance. Furthermore, he impressed with his distribution throughout the game as well.
Casemiro's goal in the 94th minute is the first goal Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded in 623 minutes this season 😲 pic.twitter.com/JFQmDHmOup
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 22, 2022
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6.5/10
Azpilicueta looked solid defensively but did not provide enough service for his teammates going forward.
Trevoh Chalobah: 6.5/10
The youngster did quite well defensively and looked a threat going forward as well. Had a golden opportunity to score in the second half but could not direct his header properly.
Thiago Silva: 6.5/10
The experience Brazilian did well throughout the game and formed a solid partnership at the back with Chalobah. Silva kept things simple with his passing and helped Chelsea build from the back.
Marc Cucurella: 5/10
Cucurella has not been able to hit top form since moving to Chelsea in the summer. Had to be hauled off in the first half as Graham Potter changed his formation to cope with the Manchester United attack.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6/10
Loftus-Cheek played with authority at the centre of the park and did well to win the ball back at times. He added a physical presence in the middle for Chelsea and tried to drive the team forward on locations.
Jorginho: 6.5/10
Scored the opening goal for his side from the penalty spot in the 87th minute but other than that, it was a subdued performance from the Italian international. Jorginho looked to take the safer route with his passing throughout the game, and Chelsea would have expected a more adventurous approach from him.
90% – Of all players with 20+ goals in the Premier League, Jorginho has scored the highest share of his goals from the penalty spot (90% – 19 of 21). Specialist. pic.twitter.com/UQaCKTGa9Z
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 22, 2022
Ben Chilwell: 6.5/10
Chilwell did reasonably well defensively and marked Antony impressively throughout the game.
Mason Mount: 5/10
A mediocre performance from the Chelsea attacking midfielder. Although Mount produced a couple of great crosses in the game, he could not create enough for the attackers and failed to link up in the final third as well.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5/10
The former Arsenal captain worked hard throughout the game, but he did not have ample opportunities to showcase his quality in front of the goal. The lack of service from his teammates did not help either.
Raheem Sterling: 5/10
The former Manchester City winger was largely ineffective for Chelsea against Manchester United, and the Red Devils dealt with his threat comfortably. Sterling is still searching for his first goal against Manchester United.
SUBSTITUTES
Mateo Kovacic: 8/10
Kovacic changed the game for Chelsea when he came on. He helped the Blues control the rhythm of the game, and Manchester United struggled against his agility and flair.
Kovačić’s introduction into the game change proceedings because Fernandes was on Jorginho, Eriksen was on RLC and then Mount put himself on Casemiro who then couldn’t move up to Kovačić, making Kova a free receiver.
Small changes, big differences.
— UtdArena (@UtdArena) October 22, 2022
Christian Pulisic: 5/10
Barely made an impact after coming on. The USMNT international continues to have a difficult time at Stamford Bridge.
Armando Broja: 6/10
Added a focal point to Chelsea’s attack after coming on and worked hard without the ball. Managed to win the penalty which gave Chelsea the lead late on in the game.
Carney Chukwuemeka: 6/10
Added some much-needed drive to the midfield after coming on, but the youngster did not have a lot of time to make a lasting impact.
Manchester United
David de Gea: 6.5/10
Manchester United did well to control the game in the first half, and the Spaniard was barely tested. However, Chelsea grew into the game in the second half, but de Gea was up to the challenge when called upon.
Diogo Dalot: 7/10
The Portuguese full-back has been quite impressive for Manchester United this season, and he put in another solid defensive display. Dealt with the wide threat from Chelsea quite well.
Raphael Varane: 6.5/10
The Frenchman looked colossal at the back and defended admirably during his stay on the pitch. However, he had to be taken off with an injury and the defender was reduced to tears. His World Cup prospects might be in trouble.
Lisandro Martinez: 8/10
The summer signing put in another splendid performance at the back, and he was undoubtedly the best defender on the pitch on Sunday. Read the game well and produced important tackles and interceptions. Was brave on the ball as well.
Luke Shaw: 7/10
The England international is slowly getting back to his groove with regular game time. Shaw produced another solid display at left-back. Looked quite impressive going forward, and the Chelsea attackers failed to trouble him defensively.
Casemiro: 9/10
Undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. Casemiro has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. He was adventurous with his passing and did well to disrupt the Chelsea build-up. Casemiro scored the vital late equaliser for his side as well.
◉ No player won possession more times than Casemiro (7) in the first half of Chelsea vs. Man Utd
◉ No player played more passes into the final third than Christian Eriksen (6)
Perfectly balanced. ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/p7fMtzfNev
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 22, 2022
Christian Eriksen: 7/10
Recalled into the side for the all-important game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Danish international showed his quality in the final third with his creativity and incisive passing. He caused all sorts of problems for Chelsea in the first half before Graham Potter changed the shape of his side to add more bodies to the midfield.
Antony: 6/10
Antony did well to create a number of attacks down his side. But the Brazilian was wasteful in front of the goal and could have easily gotten on the scoresheet here.
Bruno Fernandes: 6.5/10
The Manchester United skipper, the player to watch in our preview, continued his sparkling form from the Tottenham game and created a number of chances for his teammates early on. However, Chelsea changed their formation to nullify his threat later on in the game.
Jadon Sancho: 4/10
Sancho was probably the poorest of all the Manchester United attackers at Stamford Bridge. He is clearly lacking in sharpness and confidence right now.
Marcus Rashford: 5/10
Another goalless outing from the England international. He had a couple of opportunities to get on the scoresheet. Rashford needs to improve on his finishing if he wants to be the first-choice striker at Old Trafford.
SUBSTITUTES
Fred: 4/10
Fred was brought on to add some drive and physicality to the Manchester United midfield. But the Brazilian failed to justify his substitution.
Victor Lindelof: 6/10
Replaced the injured Raphael Varane and did his job reasonably well.
Scott McTominay: 0/10
The Scottish midfielder will be thoroughly disappointed with his performance as he gave away the penalty which could have easily led to a defeat for his side.
Anthony Elanga: 4/10
Barely made an impact after coming on.
