Once again a stoppage-time goal salvaged Chelsea a vital point in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge early this morning.
With the reigning Premier League champions hardly able to string to passes together in the first 20 minutes, the game seemed there for the taking for Louis van Gaal’s men. Yet dominance in possession was negated by a stubborn defence lead by John Terry and the safe hands of Thibaut Courtois.
Chelsea finally found their feet toward the end of the first-half, but a nasty injury to Kurt Zouma would halt their momentum and allow a window of opportunity for Jesse Lingard to open the scoring with a brilliant half-volley just after the hour. However, the Red Devils would sit back and let the home side enjoy the vast majority of the ball in the late stages, eventually leading to a 91st minute equaliser when Cesc Fabregas found Diego Costa inside the box and the striker beat Cameron Borthwick-Jackson before hitting the back of an open net.
The Blues were able to extend an unbeaten run under Guus Hiddink, while United failed to make the most of a great opportunity to make up ground on the top four.
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Thibaut Courtois – 6.5: Had to make seven saves over the match, including an impressive dive to tip a long-range Anthony Martial shot over the bar in the first-half. Could not have done much with Lingard’s superb finish.
Branislav Ivanovic – 6: His right-flank was targeted by the visitors and the Serb had to be on his toes when dealing with the constant runs of Martial.
Kurt Zouma – 6: The young defender’s afternoon was ended brutally in the second-half after a bad landing from an attempted header lead to what is suspected to be a serious knee injury on the hour-mark.
John Terry – 7: Now has something to prove with his Blues career winding down and after marshalling his line to deal with the first 30 minutes of pressure, also looked to get involved in the attack with two shots on goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6: Things were a little quieter on the left for the Chelsea defence, however, once they started gaining sustained possession Azpilicueta was a solid overlapping link along the wing.
Nemanja Matic – 6: Did not see a lot of the ball, but looked more composed than at the beginning of the year and provided some physical presence in the midfield battle. Tested David De Gea with a good first-half header.
John Obi Mikel – 6.5: Like the rest of the team the veteran took time to find his feet, but by the final whistle had won 67% of challenges and passed at 88% accuracy.
Oscar – 5.5: Was beaten off the ball a little too easily by the visiting screeners and did not see enough of the ball in the final-third.
Cesc Fabregas – 6.5: Provided the assist for Costa’s goal in the dying minutes but was a rather invisible figure before the last 10 minutes or so.
Willian – 7: Another tireless effort from the Brazilian, yet the Blues did not have enough possession early or enough overall fuel late on for his performance to shine.
Diego Costa – 7.5: Was hungry to score from the outset, but maybe could have done more with a total of six shots at goal. A predatory close-range finish in the 91st salvaged the hosts a point.
Substitutes
Eden Hazard – 6: According to Guus Hiddink the Belgian still needs time to hit full stride, yet Hazard was able to create two key chances during his half-hour on the pitch.
Gary Cahill – 5.5: Replaced Zouma and was unfortunate to come on just before Manchester scored.
Pedro – 6.5: A handful of touches on the ball were all pinpoint accurate and was involved in the build-up to the equaliser.
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Manchester United
David De Gea – 6.5: Was very impressive in close-range situations, but was largely left hanging late in the game by a defence which sat back too deep.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson – 6.5: An impressive showing for the majority of the contest for the youngster, yet the Red Devils backline gave the ball away too cheaply toward the end.
Daley Blind – 7: A composed showing for the Dutchman, sending in 10 crosses while moving forward and also holding his own inside the 18-yard box.
Chris Smalling – 6: Distribution needed to be better, but was a strong presence at the back with numerous clearances and blocks.
Matteo Darmian – 6: Let too many Chelsea attacks come through the right-flank in the second-half.
Michael Carrick – 5.5: Bossed the midfield battle in the first 30 minutes or so, but once Chelsea found their footing he was not imposing enough.
Marouane Fellaini – 6: Was solid in aerial duels but needed to add more when on the attack. Substituted with 10 minutes left.
Anthony Martial – 6: An 18th minute curling strike nearly hit the top-corner, yet that may have been the youngster’s best moment as his influence heavily dropped in the second-half.
Juan Mata – 6: Had some solid creative movement but did not see any of the ball inside the 18-yard box.
Jesse Lingard – 7.5: Opened the scoring with a brilliant half-volley and was a constant threat to Ivanovic on the right.
Wayne Rooney – 6.5: The captain worked hard, but probably should have made a bigger impact with a total of five attempts at goal.
Substitutes
Morgan Schneiderlin – 5: Did not get himself involved enough in the contest.
Memphis Depay – N/A: Touched the ball twice as the Red Devils were pressed back for the late stages.
Ander Herrera – N/A: Brought on to make sure Chelsea did not score a second in the final minutes.
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