Key occasions
43 min The nook is taken quick and handed on to Fernandes, who tries one more shot, relatively too optimistically.
42 min Bruno Fernandes fancies it, however his shot is deflected for a nook.
41 min Chelsea cross the ball round on the again. United win it again and get a free kick as Hojlund is felled by Caicedo. It’s 5 yards from the D.
40 min In different information, Fulham are 3-0 up in opposition to Forest and Brighton have come again from a objective down to steer Brentford 2-1. Nil-nil as but at Villa Park. Are Man Metropolis heading for one more draw?
39 min Now McTominay is down and receiving remedy from the physio after a collision with a defender.
37 min Garnacho takes United’s umpteenth shot, which is blocked. He evidently didn’t see Shaw overlapping into area to his left.
36 min One more probability! For Mudryk, racing down the left and capturing extensive of the close to put up.
34 min McTominay sends Antony although – or would do if Antony wasn’t falling over. He stays a relatively hapless determine.
Large save by Onana!
33 min That is getting foolish… Sterling is away, Jackson is alongside him, he ought to rating however Onana pulls out a effective sliding cease within the David de Gea custom.
Double save from Sanchez!
32 min Two extra probabilities for McTominay! A header and a shot, each saved by Sanchez at point-blank vary.
31 min Sanchez blots his copybook by passing straight to Antony. He tees up McTominay, who takes United’s twelfth shot of the sport – blocked.
30 min There’s a pause whereas a linesman will get his mike sorted out. One cameraperson is so bored that he finds a well-known face within the crowd: Jeremy Clarkson. No remark.
28 min One other effective transfer from United, involving a collector’s merchandise: a right-footed cross by Antony. It finally ends up with a shot from Garnacho, additionally together with his unsuitable foot.
United have had 11 pictures already. And one poor penalty.
27 min Jackson seems to be bigger to atone for his mistake, however he’s being properly policed by Maguire. The Premier League participant of the month for November, no much less.
25 min Chelsea do look as if they’ve a objective in them. They cruise into the field, Sterling goes down with Lindelof within the neighborhood, however the ref isn’t .
24 min A second of calm permits me to look on the mail. “Don’t know in the event you agree Tim,” says Ross O’Connor, “nevertheless it appeared to me the best way Fernandes did that little skip earlier than hitting the pen he might solely probably hit it to the keeper’s proper. That plus it being a typically weak effort made it a comparatively straightforward save.” I do agree.
22 min One other yellow for United as Garnacho is booked for dissent. That’s two foolish reserving already, each down the United left. Reguilon and Rashford could also be approaching sooner than they anticipated.
20 min That was a stunning transfer, after Jackson was dispossessed by Amrabat. Fernandes slipped Garnacho via. He pulled again to Maguire, whose shot was blocked, earlier than McTominay, close to the penalty spot, stepped in – flicking the ball up together with his proper foot and volleying together with his left. Stylish!
GOAL! United 1-0 Chelsea (McTominay 19)
There it’s!
18 min Large probability for United! Fernandes to Dalot, again to Fernandes… Antony ought to rating.
17 min Fernandez has a shot from distance and it’s Onana’s flip to make a cushty save.
16 min One more shot, from Antony this time. Simply saved by Sanchez, who has been the participant of the match to this point.
14 min Garnacho’s shot introduced one other good save from Sanchez. Now Shaw goes into the ebook for kicking the ball away after conceding a free kick. The ref didn’t give the cardboard at first, then gave the impression to be swayed by some Chelsea protests. That’s presupposed to be a card too, isn’t it?
13 min It’s finish to finish now. Garnacho is free down the left and may rating. Then immediately Jackson is in and may rating. Spoiler: neither does.
12 min Likelihood for Chelsea! Mudryk, slipped via by Jackson, hits the facet netting after some good delaying techniques from Maguire.
11 min One other good transfer from United, who’ve been properly on prime. Fernandes, unfazed by his failure, sends a stunning ball throughout to Antony, whose cross is hopelessly overhit.
10 min Sanchez did properly there, ignoring the stutter and ready for the shot. He palmed it out in the direction of Hojlund, who shot into Row Z.
MISSED PENALTY!
Fernandes tries to cross it into the nook, and fails.
Bruno Fernandes can’t give this one to Marcus Rashford, so he steps up himself.
Penalty to United!
It was Enzo Fernandes, dashing in from midfield. Antony had already performed the ball, so it was doubly foolish of Fernandez.
Doable penalty!
The VAR sends the ref to the monitor … as a result of Antony was trodden on by somebody … Prone to be given.
6 min One other United assault … sabotaged by Antony, who ought to shoot together with his proper foot relatively than wiggle onto his left.
5 min Within the battle of the full-backs, United are profitable arms down. Dalot’s cross is uncomfortably bundled out by Cucurella. What’s he doing on the appropriate, with James on the bench?
Shut! Hojlund for United
4 min Extra good work from a United full-back, Shaw this time. He feeds Hojlund, who takes an early shot from a decent angle. Saved by Sanchez with a giant left paw.
3 min Half-chance! Fernandes hits an extended shot over the bar after some neat work by Dalot on the appropriate.
2 min Levi Colwill sends Nicholas Jackson down the left. He nutmegs Harry Maguire. Colwill is at left-back, Cucurella on the appropriate, Disasi within the center.
1 min Chelsea kick off and head deep into their very own half, the place United’s urgent retains them for now.
“I think that Varane again harm has been attributable to studiously avoiding eye contact with Ten Hag after these reviews earlier within the week,” says Jamie O’Sullivan. “It says right here ‘They’ve spoken to him about their different experiences of taking part in for giant golf equipment, and so they really feel that the supervisor ought to be a little bit bit extra touchy-feely’ – ‘Raphael I do know this was you, actually no-one else has performed for a giant membership’.” Ha… Not Casemiro? Or Mount?
The groups emerge from the tunnel. United are of their basic crimson, Chelsea of their basic blue. It’s as if no one had ever invented a ridiculous away strip.
“Juan love,” says the topic line of the subsequent e mail. “It’s unlucky,” Peter Oh continues, “{that a} sure Spanish technician is not at United to compete for a spot in midfield. I might have liked to make a ‘Mainoo over Mata’ quip.”
An e mail! “From the glory days of superweight sparring,” says Krish Krishnamoorthy, “this has been diminished to a sideshow. A mid-table skirmish removed from the race to the title. I anticipate a horrible sport most likely ending in a 1-1 draw with a few comedian targets.”
It’s actually a chance. United have been unusually constipated at dwelling this season, scoring solely eight targets in seven league video games. However then Chelsea are simply as possible to attract 4-4 as 1-1.
Raphael Varane is lacking tonight, apparently with a sore again. Presumably attributable to spending lengthy hours on the bench. Jonny Evans, who has been out for a month, is match sufficient to switch him among the many subs.
This would possibly go well with Rashford
Say what you want about Rashford, he’s an excellent sub. He’s completed the job many instances for England and now and again for United (relatively too typically below Jose Mourinho). If he does get on the pitch tonight, he’ll have the ability to dovetail with Luke Shaw – the winger’s favorite wingman – for the primary time since August.
It is rotation, says Erik
Erik ten Hag is speaking to Amazon Prime, and introducing them to his magnificent gray roll-neck. He’s requested whether or not Martial and Rashford’s demotion displays their efficiency. “No, we performed dangerous as a group, not as people,” he says. “It’s a part of rotation.”
Groups in full
Manchester United (possible 4-1-2-3) Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Amrabat; McTominay, Fernandes; Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho.
Subs: Bayindir, Wan-Bissaka, Reguilon, Evans, Mainoo, Van de Beek, Pellistri, Martial, Rashford.
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Subs: Petrovic, James, Badiashile, Maatsen, Gilchrist, Castledine, Washington, Matos, Broja.
Referee Chris Kavanagh.
Groups in short: Reece James on the bench
Reece James is match once more however solely on the bench. Poch brings Cole Palmer in to switch the suspended Connor Gallagher at No 10. Marc Cucurella is available in too, so Levi Colwill strikes in the other way to Luke Shaw, from left-back to centre-back.
Groups in short: Martial and Rashford dropped
Sure, Rashford is among the many subs and Anthony Martial too. Aaron Wan-Bissaka additionally drops to the bench, together with Kobbie Mainoo. In come Antony, Rasmus Hojlund, Sofyan Amrabat and Victor Lindelof, which implies that Luke Shaw can return to left-back.
Rashford ‘benched’
Preamble
Night everybody and welcome to a conflict that was as soon as the largest factor in British soccer. Lately, it’s extra a case examine in how are the mighty fallen.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea could be superb or very dangerous, however a minimum of they appear to be getting in the appropriate course. They even managed to beat Brighton with ten males. Whereas that was solely their second win in six league video games, their performances are usually higher than their outcomes. And so they make issues occur: in these six video games they’ve scored 14 targets and conceded 15.
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United could be good, dangerous or ugly, typically all in the identical match, and are going nowhere in the intervening time. Their performances are usually worse than their outcomes. United make issues occur within the Champions League however not within the Prem, the place their final six video games have yielded solely 12 targets (seven for, 5 in opposition to). In keeping with reviews from 4 separate information retailers, Ten Hag has misplaced about half the dressing-room. The membership’s response was to ban the messenger – by no means a superb look, or a sensible transfer.
Probably the most damning reality about United is that they’ve but to handle some extent all season in opposition to a membership within the prime half of the desk. This morning Chelsea had been tenth.
Will Ten Hag drop Marcus Rashford, or give him a serving to hand by restoring him and Luke Shaw to their pure habitat on the left flank? We will quickly see. Kick-off is at 8.15pm GMT and I’ll be again about 7.20 with the groups.
