The individual review of the game between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Chelsea and Manchester United failed to make a decision at Stamford Bridge. Casemiro’s injury-time header canceled out Jorginho’s late penalty in a thrilling encounter.
Both sides went into the game on positive records, with Chelsea aiming for a sixth straight win while United were still raving about their midweek win over Spurs.
The game had the makings of a decisive battle for the top four Premier League spots and perhaps that’s why both teams took a somewhat risk-averse approach.
United had more of the game in the first half, dominating possession and threatening Chelsea’s back so much that Blues manager Graham Potter decided to bring in another midfielder before half-time.
In the second half, both teams neutralized each other and there were hardly any chances left for either side, so that the game looked as if it was going to be a 0-0 draw.
But in a late twist of fate, substitute Scott McTominay took center stage when he awkwardly brought down Armando Broja while defending a corner. Jorginho confidently converted the penalty due and apparently secured the three points for Potter’s team.
But the story took a different turn when Casemiro jumped highest to head a Shaw cross and caused cheers from away fans.
The 1-1 result keeps Chelsea in fourth place, just a point clear of United and two points adrift of third-placed Spurs.
Chelsea vs Manchester United: The grades
1. Chelsea (3-4-2-1)
TW: Kepa Arrizabalaga – Grade: 6/10 – A few slightly shaky moments but overall it was a competent performance from Kepa – although United didn’t test him much.
IV: Trevoh Chalobah – Grade: 7/10 – An impressive display from Chalobah, who rewarded his coach’s faith in him with another confident performance.
IV: Thiago Silva – Grade: 7/10 – Led the defense with class. Basically a normal Thiago Silva.
IV: Marc Cucurella – Grade: 6/10 – Didn’t really do anything wrong but was an unfortunate victim of the change of formation when his coach tried to bring in another midfielder.
RAV: Cesar Azpilicueta – Grade: 6/10 – Couldn’t influence the game going forward, but showed a good defensive performance.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Grade: 6/10 – Struggled to present himself and was substituted on late for Chukwuemeka.
CM: Jorginho – Grade: 7/10 – Came into play better when Potter changed formations, got more time on the ball and made some nice vertical passes.
LAV: Ben Chilwell – Grade: 6/10 – A disappointing performance from Chilwell who was outperformed by his rival for England’s left-back position on the day.
RA: Mason Mount – Grade: 5/10 – Mount has been back to his best form lately but it wasn’t on display today as United limited his chances of creating anything meaningful.
LA: Raheem Sterling – Grade: 5/10 – Struggled to influence the game meaning his record of not scoring against United remains intact.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Grade: 6/10 – Kept the United defense busy with his pace and runs but just didn’t get served today.
Substitute: Mateo Kovacic (36th minute for Cucurella) – Grade: 6/10 – Played a few bad passes, but helped to level the game in midfield and turn the tide.
Substitute: Christian Pulisic (74th minute for Aubameyang) – grade: 5/10 – could not get the ball during his short assignment and could not do anything worth mentioning.
Substitute: Armando Broja (79′ for Sterling) – Grade: 7/10 – His physical presence makes him a nuisance for any team and he took the penalty well.
Substitute: Carney Chukwuemeka (79th minute for Loftus-Cheek) – Grade: 5/10 – Did he touch the ball? We are not sure.
Coach: Graham Potter – Rating: 8/10 – It takes a brave coach to throw your own tactics overboard in the first half. Potter did so today after watching United overrun their midfield for 35 minutes and the result was a much more coherent second-half performance.
2.Manchester United (4-2-3-1)
TW: David De Gea – Grade: 6/10 – Largely untried, much like his counterpart Kepa.
RV: Diogo Dalot – Grade: 7/10 – A solid if unspectacular performance by Dalot.
IV: Raphael Varane – Grade: 7/10 – A solid performance from the France international who was tragically ended by his injury in the second half.
IV: Lisandro Martinez – Grade: 8/10 – The Argentinian showed his class again today and proved the right mix of coolness and aggressiveness.
LV: Luke Shaw – Grade: 7/10 – Another solid performance from Shaw who responded well to Tyrell Malacia’s challenge to take his place in the first team.
CM: Casemiro – Grade: 8/10 – Possibly his best performance to date in a United shirt as he took control of midfield in the first half.
CM: Christian Eriksen – Grade: 7/10 – Kept things going well in midfield, but that was far from Eriksen quality.
CM: Bruno Fernandes – Grade: 7/10 – Took up a lot of space and influenced events at both ends of the field, even if he lacked finishing quality.
RA: Antony – Grade: 6/10 – A frustrating day for Antony, who missed a big chance before half-time and didn’t want to use his right foot at any point.
LA: Jadon Sancho – Grade: 5/10 – The winger didn’t really play to the best of his ability and came on for Fred just after the break.
ST: Marcus Rashford – Grade: 6/10 – He wasn’t lacking in energy and commitment but struggled to influence the game as he played in a central role and offered little room for Chelsea to run.
Substitute: Fred (52nd minute for Sancho) – Grade: 6/10 – Not quite as safe and stylish as during the week.
Substitute: Victor Lindelöf (60th minute for Varane) – Grade: 7/10 – United’s defensive line didn’t suffer too much from Varane’s absence, so we’ll take that as a win for Lindelöf.
Substitute: Anthony Elanga (80th minute for Rashford) – Grade: 6/10 – Didn’t have much playing time and was ousted by the Blues most of the time.
Substitute: Scott McTominay (80th minute for Eriksen) – Grade: 3/10 – Why, Scott, why? McTominay came on late to level the score but instead got carried away knocking Broja inside his own box and missing the penalty.
Coach: Erik ten Hag – Grade: 6/10 – Set up his team excellently and had the better chances in the first half, but didn’t react to Potter’s change and threw the game away with his unambitious substitutions.
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Dramatic draw between Chelsea and ManUnited: The individual review of the game released.