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After a difficult start to the season, Manchester United showed signs of revival with a spirited 3-2 win over Newcastle United after going down 2-0 within the first ten minutes of the match. More significant was the fact that their last season marquee signing Alexis Sanchez scored the winner who has struggled ever since he signed on for Manchester United. Chelsea on the other hand, have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season under Maurizio Sarri. Chelsea, led by Eden Hazard have been garnering plaudits with their attractive football and sit on second place trailing Manchester City by mere goal difference and leading Liverpool on the same.
Both sides' first choice goalkeepers were available. For Manchester United, Jose Mourinho was widely expected to field a defensive lineup with a focus on catching the hosts off-guard on the counter but the Portuguese set up an offensive team and looked to exploit the chinks in Chelsea’s defense. Marcus Rashford, Antony Martial, and Romelu Lukaku all got a start with ex-Blue Juan Mata operating behind the front three. Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba comprised of the double pivot shielding the back four of Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw. Victor Lindelof was a surprise inclusion as the Swede was struggling to get a starting role and in the last Premier League match, his boss put Scott Mctominay at center back replacing Eric Bailly despite him being available on the bench.
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Chelsea’s lineup saw Sarri fielding the usual back four and midfield with Eden Hazard and Willian starting as wingers. Alvaro Morata however, was a surprise inclusion as the Spaniard experienced a little resurgence with two goals in his last two appearances after a tough start to the season. The match was widely anticipated as the Red Devils looked to build some winning momentum by inflicting on Chelsea their first Premier League defeat of the season
Chelsea started with the majority of the possession and the first major chance came in the ninth minute as Hazard won a freekick within three yards of the box. Willian could not make the most of it as the shot skied well over the crossbar. Nemanja Matic was the first player to get booked as he fouled Hazard again after conceding the freekick earlier. Manchester United got their first big chance as Lukaku headed wide after a teasing Luke Shaw cross.
Antonio Rudiger broke the deadlock for Chelsea at the 20th minute with a thumping header off Willian's corner. This was the German's first goal for Chelsea this season. Six minutes later Ashley Young became the second player to get a yellow card after fouling the league's top scorer again. Later on, the player on the receiving ends of both the yellow card offenses dished out a challenge himself as he hacked down Marcus Rashford who looked to have gotten away and Eden Hazard became the first Chelsea player to get in the book.The rest of the half failed to produce any significant moment as Chelsea went into the break with a 1-0 lead over Manchester United.
The hosts started the second half brightly as Jorginho went a sumptuous little run to slip in Morata but the Spaniard failed to make it count. Within ten minutes into second half, Manchester United equalized through Anthony Martial as the ball fell to the Frenchman by a stroke of luck but he made no mistake as he fired past Kepa. The visitors further grew into the game as the team looked sharper and more cohesive.
The game soon after, became a lot more open as opposed to the one way traffic in the second half. The second center back of Chelsea came close to giving Chelsea the lead as David Luiz' header went just wide after heading in from a freekick. Maurizio Sarri made the first substitution with in-form Ross Barkley replacing Mateo Kovacic in the sixty-eighth minute. The next goal in the match arrived in the 73rd minute as Anthony Martial delivered a superb finish past Arrizabalaga and the visitor's bench erupted in celebrations. Pedro replaced Willian soon after the Frenchman's goal as Chelsea looked to avoid their first defeat of the current Premier League season. Ander Herrera replaced Juan Mata who was decent in his return to his old club.
Later on, Alvaro Morata's unspectacular performance ended as Olivier Giroud replaced him in the 79th minute. Jose Mourinho put on Andreas Perreira and Alexis Sanchez replacing Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford respectively in place as the hosts looked for the equalizer. Jose Mourinho was almost close to pulling off against his own club win but Ross Barkley had other plans as he slammed in the equalizer in the 96th minute which caused a wild celebration at Stamford Bridge.
The final score was 2-2 and Mike Dean's final whistle ended a very evenly contested match which was unfortunately marred by a controversy as one of the Chelsea staff Marco Ianni celebrated the equalizer passionately in front of the Portuguese boss which erupted in an aggressive confrontation. Post-match sanctions on the Chelsea and Ianni may or may not follow but such incidents should be avoided as it pales the classic encounter that preceded the incident.
#1 Antonio Rudiger
The German center back is in his second season with Chelsea and is already a fan favorite. The defender rarely gets physically bullied and is uncompromising in fending off the danger posed by the opposition. Another impressive part of his game is his on the ball skills which play a key role in breaking the opposition lines for Chelsea. If there is any defender after John Terry who wows the Chelsea fans with his cross-field passes, it's Rudiger. He has formed an impressive partnership with Brazilian David Luiz as the pair has impressed with defensively as well as offensively.
Chelsea paid a rumored €35 million for the 25-year-old which is a handsome amount but given the market today, it might end up looking like a bargain in the long term. With age on his side, he looks set to stay at the heart of Chelsea's defense for the foreseeable future. The fact that the multiple trophy winner Gary Cahill is not missed in the starting lineup, says a lot about him. His goal against Manchester United epitomized his aggressive attitude on the field as he thumped the balls past a hapless David De Gea and gave the lead to Chelsea.
#2 Manchester United and their resurgence
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United finally announced their return to form as the Red Devils put in an impressive performance against one of the best teams in the league. For long, the Portuguese was seen to be amongst the candidates for the first managerial casualty this season but he fought back and extracted a brilliant response from his side. The visitors were tentative in the first half but were the better team in the second.
Manchester United looked more sharper, hungrier and decisive in the final third as they clawd back from a goal down to leading 2-1 in the Stamford Bridge through a brace from Anthony Martial. There are still some inconsistencies in the squad which will no doubt be addressed as the morale of the squad is going upwards. Currently eighth in the league, Manchester United's players are showing some positive signs but they need to string together some wins in order to challenge for the top four. They will now welcome Juventus in the midweek and look to continue their good work.
#3 Chelsea's striker situation
Eden Hazard's brilliant start to the season overshadowed the glaring striker situation the Chelsea have. The loss against Manchester United summed up the story comprehensively. Alvaro Morata turned in a tepid performance. The Spaniard failed to combine with his teammates and was rarely a threat to the United defense.
Soon after he was replaced with Giroud and even though Chelsea looked fluid but the Frenchman is a limited striker and fails to create chances on his own. Maurizio Sarri might be looking for another center forward in the coming transfer window. Goalscoring burden cannot be born only by Hazard and the center forwards need to contribute with goals as it is an Achilles heel in the Chelsea attack and this match finally exposed Chelsea's glaring lack of a goalscoring striker.
#4 Another position that needs addressing- The wings
Other than the obvious glaring concern at the center forward position. Another position that needs strengthening is the wings. Opposite Eden Hazard, the Blues have been badly crying out for a left-footed winger who can cut in from the right-hand side and cause a goalscoring threat. Willian has not been that winger and Pedro's good start to the season was stopped by an injury.
Also, both the wingers are not getting any younger and Callum Hudson-Odoi though full of promise is more threatening from the left-hand side than on the right and he would do well as the understudy to Hazard. Leon Bailey has been linked with Chelsea for quite some time now and he is a very talented youngster who has been catching eye across Europe. It would be a good time for the club to splash on an elite left-footed winger who can provide Maurizio Sarri's team some threat down the right-hand side.
