Chelsea could not have found a better way to pay tribute to their former vice-chairman Matthew Harding who died 20 years ago this weekend in a helicopter crash than a four goal victory over Manchester United. Chelsea supporters would have liked to think that it was all over when Pedro scored within 29.6 seconds of kick-off – the fastest goal of the Premier League so far but there was still a long way to go.
To the horror of Manchester United and especially, Jose Mourinho there was no comeback in the offing. Gary Cahill increased the Blues’ lead to two goals in the 21st minute from an Eden Hazard corner. Changes to the United side seemed to have no impact on their game as they let Hazard get away with an easy goal and the final nail in the coffin was hammered in when N’Golo Kante scored.
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Many will insist that David Luiz should have been sent off early in the first half for his studs-up challenge on Marouane Fellaini and the result may have been very different but that’s just how the cookie crumbled tonight.
On a night when Chelsea was far superior at every step of the way, here are five major talking points from the game:
#1 Who’s the Special One now?
You would expect Jose Mourinho to know the flaws and weaknesses of most of the Chelsea players who started tonight but I doubt he recognized the men who lined up against his side, and it’s all thanks to Antonio Conte. The Italian tactician’s favourite formation with three defenders at the back worked wonders for the Blues and left no room for United.
He had the likes of Marcos Alonso, Victor Moses, and Cesar Azpilicueta crowding the flanks so well that Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard found no space to work with the ball. The Paul Pogba of mid-week Fenerbache fame was invisible as Ibrahimovic made Dimitar Berbatov look like an energetic and mobile striker. Even when Mourinho brought on Mata and pushed Rashford up next to Ibrahimovic, it didn’t work any better.
Mourinho explored every avenue available to him but Chelsea was simply the more deserving side.
#2 Pedro repays Conte for having faith in him
Conte had no real reason to start Pedro ahead of Willian but he did. The Spaniard hasn’t had the best time at Chelsea since his arrival as he was largely ignored by Mourinho and then Hiddink. But the Italian believed in him and Pedro repaid his faith in him in the most spectacular fashion. Marcos Alonso had the foresight to spot Pedro in an advanced position when he delivered a fabulous cross within seconds of kick-off.
The goal itself was all Pedro’s credit as he spooked De Gea and then quickly moved on to take him and both Chris Smalling and Daley Blind out of the running. The former Barcelona player was on fire for the Blues all night. He was hard at work, running up and down the flanks and midfield area. It was surely his intense work-rate that convinced Conte to start him and not Willian, a bigger favourite with the club.
#3 When will Mourinho learn?
Everything about Manchester United tonight was reminiscent of Chelsea’s form last season, except that they don’t have the added humiliation of being defending champions. And their performance today will make many reconsider the reasons for Chelsea’s decline last term. Mourinho’s hubris, tragic flaw to the uninitiated, is his refusal to change his methods and insistence on playing in the same old boring fashion.
Watching United players dance around the box without finding any definite way must have made the home supporters feel grateful it was no longer their stars playing that way. It’s not like United didn’t have their fair share of chances but there was just no creativity about them. As they put on a drab and humiliating display, Chelsea had the chance to plot their demolition.
#4 What it means when Antonio Valencia is your best player
Most United supporters will agree that Antonio Valencia is not their favourite right-back. But what can a manager do but play him when he is arguably their best player? Valencia, United’s former winger was the only one making any aggressive forward movement, especially in the first half and crossing balls into the box. Pogba was just as disappointing playing behind Ibrahimovic as he was playing deep in midfield.
Chris Smalling was a mess but in his defense, he did have an uncharacteristically bad night. Daley Blind was disappointing while the Ander Herrera from Monday night against Liverpool was all but gone. And the less said about Zlatan Ibrahimovic the better as he only recently has begun to understand the reality of being part of the Premier League much like Pep Guardiola.
Even De Gea, United’s best player since Ferguson’s retirement looked shabby and made the mistake-prone Thibaut Courtois look good although the Spaniard did make a few crucial saves.
#5 Chelsea was resplendent against United
To leave it at saying Chelsea were great tonight is overlooking the players’ individual performances in the game. While Pedro is definitely to be credited for giving his team the confidence to go for the jugular, Conte’s men were inch-perfect for much of the night. Eden Hazard’s movement on the ball was magical and his goal looked effortless.
Kante and Matic meanwhile made Pogba and his £89.6 million price tag look laughable. The former Leicester player even scored as he was afforded yards of space to score the fourth goal of the night.
Gary Cahill and David Luiz, who are often criticized for their inconsistency looked rock solid and the Englishman even scored. Diego Costa failed to score tonight but he was very much the team player working alongside the rest of his teammates.
All in all, Conte seems to have rung in many positive changes within the Chelsea ranks and the London club might even start believing that they can do better than just a top four finish.
