Premier League 2018/19: Reviewing Manchester United's performance at Stamford Bridge

The man who made Chelsea a 21st-century powerhouse in the Premier League and in Europe had an afternoon filled with adrenaline and euphoria. Jose Mourinho, now at the helm at Manchester United, came into this fixture after a rousing comeback against Newcastle United nearly a fortnight back. The Old Trafford club hoped to continue their performance and dent Chelsea's unbeaten run this season.

The exclusion of Fellaini meant that Mourinho would pack an 'Ultra Attacking' lineup, which, so far this season, has failed to make any significant impact. Juan Mata justified his role in the starting lineup by his excellent work rate both in defence and attack. Luke Shaw, arguably Manchester United's best player this season, also did not disappoint as he put up a neat performance.

Manchester United had a lacklustre first half, having shown neither aggression nor intent, and played a very passive game, sitting deep in their half, and waiting for Chelsea to make a mistake. The scarce few chances that United had during the first half were ended by their own lack of proper execution in the final third of the opposition half.

Paul Pogba put on a good performance against Chelsea

Adding to the misery, they conceded a goal purely due to an error in marking the Chelsea players during a corner, which left Rudiger unmarked and Manchester United, vulnerable. Juan Mata and Luke Shaw, along with Paul Pogba were the only few players who appeared to have any intent or desire to get back in the game while Lukaku once again missed a few chances.

The second half saw some noticeable changes in the way United approached the game. They started to make runs from the right flank, using Rashford's pace and exploiting Marcos Alonso. the first quarter of the second half saw a bit of improvement but again lacked the execution in front of goal.

Then came a moment for all the Manchester United fans to revel, as Anthony Martial put in the equaliser in a completely chaotic scene in the Chelsea box. Within minutes, gears shifted and Manchester United were on top of the game, creating chances at will.

It clearly meant that the lack of authority in the first half led to no goals. They had the aggression, the decisiveness, and of course the execution when it was needed the most.

Juan Mata's wonderful run set in motion Manchester United's second goal

Chelsea were left back-paddling when Juan Mata produced a magical run on the right wing, and put in a ball for Rashford which he calmly fed to Martial on his right, which meant that there was only one end to it.

An elegant run from Mata, a clever pass from Rashford, and a clinical finish from Martial put Manchester United in the driving seat with hardly a quarter of an hour to play. Chelsea started attempting goals from a distance once they were trailing, and one such shot from N'Golo Kante did require David De Gea's firm right hand.

Chelsea though, having scored the majority of their goals in the last quarter of the game this season, did look a bit rusty once the second goal was scored by United. Mourinho and his men had their sights set on their first triumph at Stamford Bridge in the last 6 years.

However, substitute Ross Barkley salvaged a point for Chelsea in the last minute of added time amidst the frantic efforts of the Manchester United players to clear the ball, and safeguarded Maurizio Sarri's unbeaten run in the Premier League.

This result surely will not be forgotten too soon by Manchester United, especially Mourinho, but with Juventus to face at Old Trafford a few days later in the Champions League, and Everton next weekend, there are quite a few positives to pick from this game for their next encounters.