Manchester United vs Chelsea: Talking points from United’s lucky draw against the Blues

Let us take a look at the talking points from the match and what it means for the Premier League season:

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal for Manchester United in a file photo; Credit: Twitter@ManUtd
By Karthik Raman | Apr 29, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Manchester United would consider themselves fortunate to have escaped the Thursday night game with a point, while Chelsea’s players and manager will be frustrated with the result. In what was a thoroughly dominant performance by the Blues, all they were able to conjure up was one second-half goal by their wing-back Marcos Alonso. The lead, however, did not last for long, with the hosts quickly hitting back through their talismanic centre-forward Cristiano Ronaldo. A combination of poor finishing from Thomas Tuchel’s side and good goalkeeping by David De Gea helped United hold on to a single point. Let us take a look at the talking points from the match and what it means for the Premier League season:

Manchester United can forget Champions League football

Even though Manchester United would have been the happier of the two sides following the draw on Thursday night, the outcome will not help them in any way this season. The single point from that fixture means United now have 55 points from 35 games in the Premier League table. They are five points behind Arsenal, having played two games more than the London side. With only three games left to play in the current season, United can only hope to get a maximum of 64 points, which will match their lowest points tally in the Premier League history. The Red Devils managed the same number of points in the 2013-14 season when they finished seventh under David Moyes. Whether they meet 64 points or not, one thing is clear United can forget Champions League football atleast for next season.

READ MORE – Ralf Rangnick news: The 63-year-old confirmed as Austria manager

Attack is a big concern for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea

Manchester United benefitted big time from Chelsea’s poor finishing on Thursday night. The Blues were the dominant side for most parts of the game, particularly in the first half when they had several opportunities to open the scoring. However, Chelsea’s lack of ruthlessness in front of the goal and De Gea’s brilliance in between the posts came to the home side’s rescue. In total, Thomas Tuchel’s side had 21 shots to Manchester United’s six. Out of which six were on target for the Blues while United hit the target only three times.

Even when they took the lead, the visitors needed the wing-back, Alonso, to find the back of the net, elaborating their strikers’ poor run of form. It should not come as a surprise since Chelsea’s three top scorers in the Premier League this season are midfielders – Mason Mount (10 goals), Kai Havertz (7) and Jorginho (6). Their main centre-forward Romelu Lukaku only has five goals in the league while Timo Werner has only four. If Chelsea are to compete for the big titles in the future then they need to find a way to get their strikers to score more goals.

READ MORE – Major blow for Manchester United, Jadon Sancho could be out for the season

Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely not the problem

There was a point in the season when experts believed that Cristiano Ronaldo is the reason why Manchester United are underperforming this campaign. Ronaldo is currently 37 years old but was 36 when United signed him last summer. The criticism was that Ronaldo cannot quickly close down the opponents due to his age, which inadvertently prevents the team from playing in a high-pressing style. What Ronaldo displayed on Thursday night and in recent weeks, though, showcased to the fans what he is truly capable of.

In a game in which United were utterly outplayed, the Portuguese star came in at at the right time to score an unexpected equaliser for the hosts. That goal means Ronaldo now has 23 goals from 37 games in all competitions. In the Premier League, he is the second top scorer having scored 17 goals. The remaining six came in the Champions League. If his goals were not counted, Manchester United would have failed to qualify from their group in Europe and could have even struggled to finish in the top half of the league table. Even at 37 years of age, Ronaldo continues to carry United on his shoulders.





Related Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Buzzwords