The game was so close, but the defending champions were unable to find a way back into it. Manchester United’s late rally against Chelsea meant they took three points off their nearest rivals for now at least, which has left Jose Mourinho frustrated following the match.
The “tuchel vs ole head to head” is a football match between Borussia Dortmund and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United. The match was played on the 23rd of April, 2019.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Chelsea spent last season looking for a clinical goal scorer to help them stay in contention for the Premier League championship. The 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday will fuel speculation that they are still searching.
The answer appeared to be Romelu Lukaku, who was signed from Inter Milan for €115 million in the summer — a high price justified by his expected immediate impact — but the Belgium striker, who had returned to fitness after an ankle injury, only played the final eight minutes of this game, with Chelsea chasing a winner.
It’s a clue that Lukaku isn’t quite match-ready yet, but it’s also a statement that manager Thomas Tuchel believes his squad is capable enough without the former United striker, who has four goals in 12 games since rejoining the club.
However, although Lukaku’s absence and poor form has allowed others to step up — Chelsea has had 17 different scorers in all competitions this season — it makes responsibilities like turning territory and possession into goals more difficult when there isn’t a fast finisher at the top end of the game.
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United’s cautious approach made this seem like the kind of home test that title contenders frequently pass, and it was technically accurate, considering United’s previous woes, which had them in 10th place before kickoff.
Tuchel used the identical outcome against Burnley at the start of the month while lamenting a wasted chance — as if to emphasize the point “Was it two points that were squandered? Without a doubt, “After the game, he claimed he wanted to emulate what Liverpool (5-0) and Man City (2-0) had done in previous weeks by exploiting United’s weakness.
Chelsea controlled possession and had 24 chances on goal, but it took a Jorginho penalty halfway through the second half to get past David De Gea, the Italian midfielder canceling out his own mistake that enabled Jadon Sancho to open the score five minutes later.
United’s xG at halftime was 0.03, indicating a virtually non-existent offensive threat with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. Fred, Scott McTominay, and Nemanja Matic, playing together in midfield for the first time since March 2020, were successful in limiting Jorginho’s ability to obtain early ball to Chelsea’s offensive attackers.
United moved forward with fresh zeal. Chelsea lost the ball in such situations more than Tuchel would have liked, and it was from such a position that United scored, if not always with the consistency of clubs more schooled in the system.
Jorginho, right, acknowledges Thomas Tuchel, center, for canceling out a goal by Jadon Sancho, left. Getty
When Bruno Fernandes hacked clear a looping clearance after a Chelsea offensive free kick, there were too many blue shirts upfield. Jorginho attempted to handle the high ball but failed — Tuchel later claimed he was distracted by the floodlights at Stamford Bridge — and Sancho was through on goal.
Sancho took advantage of his United and England teammate, threatening to square the ball long enough for Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to move his bulk to his right, allowing Sancho to put an easy finish into the opposite corner for his maiden Premier League goal.
When Aaron Wan-Bissaka inadvertently kicked Thiago Silva’s leg in the penalty area as United attempted to deal with one of Chelsea’s 15 corners, Jorginho had the opportunity to make amends. With a characteristic hop, skip, and sidefoot, the 29-year-old sent De Gea the wrong way; 13 of his 15 Premier League goals have been penalties, with just two misses in his Chelsea career.
Despite Timo Werner having another one of those days when you wonder how much patience is available for the misfiring German, Tuchel went to Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic to renew Chelsea’s attack before Lukaku.
Nobody on either side had more than his six shots, but none of them were on goal, and he also lacked confidence at vital moments that might have turned this game around. Werner has just recently returned from a hamstring injury, but his wastefulness is an issue that predates this season.
“We can tell that [Werner] hasn’t played in a long time, so can we expect him to be at the top of his game? No, we are unable to do so “Tuchel said. “In this moment, it’s usually a little like ‘what do you expect?’ In training, he seemed to be quite smart. He scored a lot of goals in the past two training sessions, so I trusted my instincts and placed him on the field, hoping he might harm the two center defenders.”
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While Chelsea stay top of the standings, one point ahead of Man City and two ahead of Liverpool, thanks to Antonio Rudiger’s late miss, they do not have a player with more than four goals. It’s an oddity that doesn’t seem to fit with a sustained championship campaign; Tuchel has to find a way to play to Lukaku’s strengths.
United’s aspirations are more modest, but caretaker manager Michael Carrick has picked up a crucial Champions League victory and a valuable point against a top-six foe. Carrick was tasked with introducing some sense of organization, which finally did for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the start of the week.
Ralf Rangnick, the incoming temporary manager, was not there since he is awaiting a work visa before taking over until the end of the season, but his presence was felt. In the dugout, United’s backroom personnel wore earpieces while two displays in front of them displayed a longer-range tactical picture of the game to go along with their pitchside location.
Rangnick’s upcoming arrival looked to have affected changes in tactics, style, and personnel, however Carrick later said “it was not the case” that he had influenced squad selection.
Darren Fletcher, the technical director, donned one white earphone that stood out from the rest of the crowd. When he wasn’t exchanging words with the Chelsea bench, he looked to be sending signals, particularly to Cesar Azpilicueta after Ruben Loftus-Cheek left something on Eric Bailly in a late tackle soon before half-time.
United only had three shots on goal, their lowest total in a league game this season, but they earned credit at Stamford Bridge for maintaining basic form and discipline throughout an affair that many expected them to lose comfortably. Chelsea, on the other hand, was left to lament their failure to score in the last third. It’s a well-known tale.
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The “manchester united schedule” is a football team that plays in the English Premier League. The “Manchester United Schedule 2019” will give you all the information you need to know about this team.
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