By Safiu Kehinde
Manchester United seemed to have found new momentum after proving too stubborn for Chelsea as they held the Blues to a frustrating draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Red Devils resumed back to Premier League action under new gaffer, Micheal Carrick who replaced the dismissed Ole Gunner Solskjaer on a temporary basis. A win against Villarreal in the Champions League marked a good start to life after the exit of the Norwegian. The triumph saw United marched to Stamford Bridge with a newly found confidence.
At the blow of the whistle, things did not look as planned for Carrick as the home team raided United’s sloppy defence for goals. The Blues had two golden chances within five minutes into the game, but De Gea’s superb saves denied them of both chances.
With the absence of Ngolo Kante and Mateo Kovacic still out injured, Reuben Loftus-Cheek had to partner with Jorginho deep in the midfield. Timo Werner also made a return upfront for the Blues after weeks of layoff due to injury.
On the other end, Michael Carrick made a surprise change to his Manchester United side. Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench alongside hitman, Edinson Cavani. Instead, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Bruno Fernandes spearheaded United’s attack. Another surprise starter was Nemanja Matic. The Serbian fell out of the pecking order during Ole Gunner’s reign.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s foil attempts failed to materialize during the first-half as they could not get past David De Gea. The Blues’ wastefulness later backfired in the early minutes of the second-half after Jadon Sancho grabbed an opener for the visitors. Following a defensive blunder from Jorginho, Sancho found himself in a one-on-one situation with Chelsea goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, and the young forward got the best of the Senegalese goalie.
Jorginho, however, redeemed himself after grabbing the equalizer for Chelsea in the 70th minute. Man United’s Wan-Bisska had fouled Chelsea’s Thiago Silva in the box. Jorginho calmly slotted the penalty past David De Gea.
