'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAjR//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAHf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAkEAACAAUBCQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBAUxIwYREyEyQWGRov/aAAgBAQABPwB6C2S0txkorqaXV3g6nPr9nHjMNsXWFiVKKvYcXHzH/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAwQRUf/aAAgBAgEBPwDCQWU7bpn/xAAbEQABBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDEQRRsf/aAAgBAwEBPwDMoZqHQ8Zf/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea made the trip to Manchester United on Thursday night (28 April) to extend their stellar winning run away from home.
Having won eight consecutive away games across all competitions, the Blues fancied themselves to get the job done at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, a spirited Cristiano Ronaldo stood in their way and forced the FA Cup finalists to settle for a 1-1 draw instead.
Against a hapless United side, Chelsea dominated proceedings right from the first minute. Reece James tested David de Gea after just five minutes of play, forcing the Spanish keeper to parry his effort. In the 19th minute, N’Golo Kante tried his luck from the edge of the area, but his effort was straight at De Gea. Kai Havertz then got three great chances to score, but squandered all of them.
Trending
Fifteen minutes into the second half, Tuchel’s men deservedly went ahead, with Marcos Alonso volleying home from close range. Unfortunately for the visitors, United replied through Ronaldo just a couple of minutes later to make it 1-1. The west London outfit kept coming at the hosts, but their defense held firm in the second 45 to deny the visitors a win.
Here are two Chelsea players who performed and three who underperformed in their underwhelming draw at Old Trafford on Thursday:
Underperformed: Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva was not poor by any means against the Red Devils, but his usual confidence was missing.
Not only was he not as strong in the duels, losing five out of eight, but he also lost Ronaldo for Manchester United’s equalizer.
Only a couple of minutes after Chelsea went ahead, Ronaldo easily slid behind the Blues’ back line and leveled the scoreline.
Silva was caught out by Matic’s lobbed pass and could not recover in time to stop the Portuguese ace. A player of his caliber and experience should have done better marking the dangerous Ronaldo.
Performed: Marcos Alonso
In Ben Chilwell’s absence (ACL injury), Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso has had the the opportunity to make the left-flank his own. For the most part, he has not left his team hanging, often producing moments of magic to tip the scales in his team’s favor.
Last night was another instance of the former Real Madrid man coming good for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
He manned the left-flank expertly, rarely letting Manchester United make inroads through that channel. The left-back won four duels, completed two clearances and made one interception.
Alonso also played three key passes and scored Chelsea’s only goal of the game.
Latching on to Havertz’s flick, the Spaniard dispatched an unstoppable volley to leave his compatriot De Gea clawing for answers.
Underperformed: Timo Werner
Timo Werner's recent run of form (three Premier League goals in three games) deservedly won him a place in the starting lineup at Old Trafford.
Against a team struggling to find their footing, Werner was expected to put on a dazzling display. Instead, he ended up spending most of the match on the fringes, failing to make a dent.
The Chelsea forward made some menacing runs, which kept the United players guessing, but he wasn’t in the thick of things.
Werner had only one on-target effort, sprayed 21 passes with 77.8 percent accuracy, misplaced both his crosses, and played no key passes.
He was also beaten in five of his seven duels, lost possession nine times, and was caught offside twice.
It was a pretty underwhelming display from the German international.
Performed: Reece James
Having recently returned from a hamstring injury, Reece James produced an exceptionally spirited performance against Manchester United on Thursday night. He chased every ball, created one chance after another, and was rock solid at the back as well.
Five minutes into the game, James went for goal from the edge of the United box. His shot was menacing and forced De Gea to parry it away. In the 36th minute, he delivered a brilliant cross into the area for Havertz. Unfortunately, the German's headed effort was straight at the Manchester United goalkeeper.
James also came agonizingly close to winning the game for his team 10 minutes before full-time. Teed up by Mason Mount, James dispatched a left-footed curler, which slammed against the far post.
The Blues right-back played four key passes, had five shots, and completed four dribbles.
He also won 13 of his 16 duels, drew three fouls, completed two clearances, and attempted four tackles.
It was a top-drawer display by the England international.
Underperformed: Kai Havertz
Under Thomas Tuchel, Kai Havertz has proven himself to be quite a potent goalscorer for Chelsea this season. In March alone, the German scored four goals in three matches and was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month.
Havertz’s performance against Manchester United, however, was not a shining example of his finishing skills. Rather, it was highlighted by some shocking misses.
In the 26th minute, Kante dispatched a slide-rule pass, playing the German through on goal, only for him to find the side netting.
A couple of minutes later, Kante once again created a golden opportunity for Havertz, this time sending him one-on-one with De Gea. The forward struck the goalkeeper’s midriff and saw it go behind for a corner.
Roughly 10 minutes before the half-time break, James cleverly found Havertz in space inside the box. But the 22-year-old directed his tame header straight at De Gea.
Three big misses aside, Havertz was also beaten in all three of his ground duels, committed two fouls, and lost possession nine times.
He did assist Marcos Alonso with a good cross in the second half, but that did not make amends for his first-half horror show.
