Manchester United beat Chelsea 4-0 to kick off their new season in a scintillating fashion.
Manchester United annihilated Chelsea 4-0 in front of a humongous crowd at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford converted from the penalty box in the first half and scored one along with Anthony Martial and Daniel James in the second part of the game, to complete a resounding scoreline.
It was not a fair reflection of the scoreline because the visitors had numerous chances to take the lead. However, their unsuccessful attempt to cross the line which mattered the most caused wreck in the final say. There were lapses of concentration failures from a relatively inexperienced backline – proving too costly at the end.
On the other hand, despite an enigmatic game, Solskjaer will be aware of the run-of-the-mill display albeit the scoreline portraying otherwise. If the Red Devils should be proud of two different things, counter-attacking and defensive solidity are the two aspects. They looked secondary in various departments, but procured all three points with a triumphant victory.
In this article, we shall look at five talking points from the game.
1) Manchester United were ruthless in counter-attack
When Chelsea were brawling the way out for an equalizer, they were caught through a counter-attack. Pereira, who was shifting positions throughout the game, found Anthony Martial inside the six-yard penalty box. It was not an easy finish, but the French International did no mistake by slotting the ball inside the back of the net.
When Paul Pogba had a free space to pick out a spot, the midfielder did that with a plum. Pogba produced an exquisite ball to find Marcus Rashford in the 67th minute. Chelsea’s centre-back Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen were caught napping – helping the course of the English International to produce a composed finish. In the first half, he produced an excellent penalty to kick start the scoring spree in the game.
Chelsea were still pondering about a comeback in the game, but the new signing Daniel James broke through the counter-attack. Paul Pogba made an excellent run from his box to opponents’ penalty box and found the Welsh inside the penalty box. Just when he thought the chance was gone, the ball got slightly deflected off Zouma’s foot to secure the fourth goal of the game.
It was an excellent counter-attacking performance, although there’s still room for improvement.
2) Chelsea’s lamentable finishing cost them the game
Minutes before Rashford opened the scoring in the 18th minute, the Blues had two glaring chances to take an early lead. Tammy Abraham struck the post, while a second chance went begging when the striker failed to get a touch inside the six-yard box.
It was an unconvincing performance in the first half from United, allowing Blues to take over the majority of the possession and shots. Emerson Palmieri struck the post, while Ross Barkley and Mason Mount’s shots were comfortably saved by David De Gea. Frank Lampard’s side started the second half on a positive note, but Emerson’s shot was once again parried away by De Gea, without any fuss.
The frontline showed their inexperience, but Frank Lampard has plenty of positives to take away from this game. The lack of finishing will be one and he will hope to improve on that element.
3) Chelsea won the midfield battle, but Lampard needs to tweak his tactics
Chelsea’s midfield of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic fared well throughout the game. During the last twenty minutes, they were mentally drained and failed to prevent two goals which do not come from their mistake.
At the other end, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba were overplaying and gave cheap possessions away in dangerous positions.
When one of Jorginho or Mateo Kovacic joins the attack, one midfielder must trackback to cut down the defensive overload. Those two got dragged at the same time – assisting the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, and Paul Pogba to exploit the gap with their breakneck pace.
Despite their slick passing, Lampard’s tactics have played a huge role in getting the defense exposed. The return of N’Golo Kante will be a huge boost for the Blues, but there should be a reshuffle of strategy.
4) Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire’s solid performances
Manchester United defensive duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire produced excellent performances in keeping Chelsea’s strikers quiet. Ross Barkley struggled to beat the right-back, while the English centre-back looked with total conviction with timely interventions and winning aerial duels for fun.
After an early blitz from Chelsea, the Red Devils’ backline cut short from providing space for the opponents. Even though Luke Shaw was dragged out at times, Maguire dealt well with Pedro, who was Chelsea’s best player. Christian Pulisic arrived in the second half, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s menacing pace provided a defensive shield.
The former Crystal Palace defender did not look proficient in the attacking end, but he was a brick wall in the right-hand-side of the defence. Harry Maguire, meanwhile, was the commander at the back for the Red Devils.
It is an excellent start for England duo, although Solskjaer will be aware of the seeking improvement in the upcoming days.
5) Paul Pogba produced moments of magic, but needs to stay consistent
It would not be vague to point out about Paul Pogba’s inconsistent performance. The Frenchman was part of the second-best midfield pair in the game, but produced two genius moments to change the game within a blink of an eye.
When the whole backline was caught napping, Pogba found Marcus Rashford near the penalty box. It was an exquisite pass to pick out the English International, who produced a delicious touch before slotting the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga for the second time.
There were no particular moments until he showed his tremendous pace to help Daniel James score his first goal for the club. The former Juventus midfielder showcased his physicality and pace with a lung-bursting run from his box. He beat three players in the middle of the park before threading the ball to Daniel James. Despite a poor first touch, a slight deflection of Zouma took the ball away Kepa’s sight.
There is no doubt about Paul Pogba’s talent, but he needs to stay consistent to help the Red Devils reach the ultimatum.
