Week 10 Match Review: Manchester United 1 - Chelsea 1
With the ten Hag era behind them, and the Rúben Amorim administration yet to begin, Chelsea had the honor of visiting Old Trafford with club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy still at the helm. And while the Blues didn’t experience the onslaught that Leicester did during the midweek Carabao Cup rout, the Manchester United - Chelsea matchup was anything but fun to watch. Well, at least everyone walked away with a point. Let’s dissect.
What Was Good
Moises Caicedo Scored a Hell of a Goal
Much like his sometimes pivot partner Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo had a tough go of things during his first season as a Blue, carrying that £115m fee around his neck for all to see. And yet, on the final day of last season, we saw a glimmer of the player just itching to get out when he scored from the halfway line against Bournemouth at the Bridge. It was the perfect hint of sweetness to round out an at-times bitter first season, and while Caicedo isn’t considered much of a scoring threat most of the time, he has been one of the best players on the field in almost every game this season. Most of that can be attributed to his ball hawking, interceptions, and smart progression play, but every now and then he does something wondrous and scores in a way that leaves you flabbergasted. This finish against United, which leveled the score and ensured the draw, was one such example. Thank you Mois – even if the offense limped through this game, you brought enough firepower for the entire frontline.
Romeo Lavía Is Starting to Look Like THAT Guy
There was a time, in the not so distant past, when Romeo Lavía was one of the most desired young midfielders in the Premier League. After coming up through the Man City ranks, he was sold to Southampton in 2022 for £10.5m (+ add ons). A season later, Chelsea bought him for five times that while also adding Caicedo and Fernandez. While Lavía was injured most of his first season, we’re finally starting to see why he was so sought after, and how he could be the second recent example of a player leaving City to subsequently flourish with the Blues. Lavía plays somewhat similarly to Connor Gallagher, but with a bit more physicality and natural athleticism which makes him look more in control and less like he’s being possessed by a Tasmanian Devil at times. His newfound spot next to Caicedo strengthens the midfield in a way we don’t quite see with the much more progressively-minded little Enzo and in turn is helping ease the pressure off the backline as Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana continue learning how to play together (and with Reece James still figuring out how to play on the left side).
Chelsea (Mostly) Avoided United’s New Manager Bounce
As mentioned before, Leicester got absolutely crushed by United midweek, receiving the full force of the new manager bounce. At best, this United - Chelsea clash will simply be forgotten by both sides as it lacked much style, imagination, or fun. At worst, it could come back to haunt the Blues when they think about the one or two matches that could’ve given them an extra four points. Overall, the team played fine and no major concerns were exposed. Let’s pack it up and move on, shall we?
What Was Bad
Cole Palmer Was Essentially Removed From the Game
While ten Hag is gone, his Ajax-soaked roster remains, and if there’s one former Eredivisie player who seems poised to cause havoc at Old Trafford for seasons to come, it’s that little maniac Lisandro Martinez. It appears his one task for this match was to make Cole Palmer as uncomfortable as possible and he did just that. Palmer was all but missing from the game, minus the fouls he received left and right from United’s feistiest defender. Usually when Palmer goes stealth, it opens up opportunities for Nicolas Jackson or Noni Madueke to take over, but instead the offense went mostly silent. One more round of applause for Mois the savior and his insane volley.
The Front and Back Lines Were Mid at Best
The midfield is thriving and yet, both the front and back lines appeared to regress in this game. Pedro Neto might be the exception in this case, but Jackson, Madueke, and Palmer looked asleep or just obsolete through most of the match, against a United back line which only has a handful of matches together as a unit. Similarly, the Blues’ backline – with James on the left and Malo Gusto still holding it down the right – looked young and a bit disorganized. Some of that can be chalked up to this quartet still learning how to play together in this system in this alignment. And some of it, well, you knew we’d get here eventually.
Oh Robert Sanchez, What Will We Do with You?
It’s interesting that in the past few seasons, Chelsea has purchased approximately 17 new goalkeepers (OK, it might only be four, but still). And yet, none of them look like a prime number one for the first team. Robert Sanchez played OK through much of the game, but his foul on Rasmus Højlund that led to Bruno Fernandez’s penalty was the sort of thing that will have goalkeeping coaches around the league rolling their eyes. I would have to assume they’ll ride out the rest of the season with Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, but come next summer, it might be time to get a more assured set of gloves in goal to help this young backline reach the next level.
What’s Next
This week in “Chelsea playing teams who will remember their trip to Stamford Bridge for the rest of their lives” brings us a visit from FC Noah, currently sitting in sixth in the Armenian league. Then, Arsenal will romp over to the Bridge on Sunday in their first bout since the Gunners put five past the Blues at the end of last season. Arsenal looks very mortal at the moment and Chelsea could use a strong performance against an actual contender to get the fans really believing in this ocean of potential. Anyone else sense a Kai Havertz hat trick on the horizon?
