Manchester United and Chelsea play to a dull draw at Old Trafford

• The game ends in a draw with a lackluster style of play by both teams.

• Chelsea came back quickly thanks to a stunning strike by Caicedo.

• Sanchez fouls Hojlund to give Bruno Fernandes a penalty goal.

• Chelsea and Manchester United playing long balls without any creativity.

Match Report

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first Premier League game as interim manager of Manchester United ended in a dull draw. Although United held more possession in the first half, they could not attack easily. Chelsea overall was the better side through most of the game yet it’s now 12 visits to Old Trafford without a win for the Blues.

Manchester United tried their best to prevent Chelsea from playing centrally with quick passes like they had against Liverpool. While United’s attack playstyle was the tried and failed – go long and see what happens formula. Both sides had limited opportunities which they failed to convert. Rashford came the closest by striking the frame of the goal on the volley after a pass from Fernandes. Garnacho had a poor game as he squandered a couple of decent openings.

Chelsea did not play their best even though it was pretty obvious they were the better side. Nicholas Jackson’s deep runs and Palmer’s crisp passes presented them with few openings which they failed to convert. Pedro Neto who started in place of Sancho – who wasn’t eligible to start against Manchester United – couldn’t make deep inroads either.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 70th minute when Bruno Fernandes scored thanks to a penalty. Rasmus Hojlund had made a good run into Chelsea’s penalty area and was brought down by Robert Sanchez. United and the home fans had not even stopped celebrating the goal before Chelsea scored their equaliser.

Moises Caicedo, who was the best player in today’s game, beat Andre Onana through a crisply struck volley thanks to a bad clearing effort by Casemiro. The scoreline was back to a 1-1 draw and it stayed so until the final whistle. This was the two teams’ 27th draw in the Premier League.

The only other interesting action in the otherwise stale game was Martinez catching Cole Palmer knee-high with his boats. The VAR decided to let it slide with a yellow card penalty only.

Chelsea move ahead of Arsenal

The draw has moved Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League standings. Ahead of Arsenal thanks to goal difference. Meanwhile, Manchester United are stuck in a mid-table position of 13th with only three wins from their opening 10 games. The fans will hope the team’s fortunes improve once new Head Coach Ruben Amorim arrives on November 11.

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