Five talking points: Manchester United vs Chelsea

The newly crowned Champions were beaten at home by a more determined Chelsea side chasing a top-four spot. A late Juan Mata goal was enough to settle an otherwise drab affair, which saw chances being created few and far in between.

Let’s have a look at the major talking points from the game:

1) Manchester United‘s line-up:

After winning the title a couple of weeks back, Sir Alex promised to give his fringe players some game time in the remaining matches of the season – and he didn’t disappoint them. Anderson, Lindegaard and Cleverley (who hasn’t been starting off late) were given a rare start, after resting first team regulars and influential players like Carrick, De Gea and Rooney. This line-up must have given Chelsea an added incentive to go for the kill, and it wasn’t a surprise that as a result of this, Chelsea enjoyed a good spell of possession throughout the match, albeit without creating much in the final third.

United themselves lacked the creative spark and ball keeping abilities of Carrick in the midfield, which restricted the cutting edge in their play. Had United not won the title already, we could have seen a much different line-up from Manchester United.

2) Lack of the usual United-Chelsea intensity:

With Manchester United having already got the title wrapped up, their game play was lethargic and the intensity was missing. There were neither any serious attempts to win the 50-50 tackles, nor any urgency to close the Chelsea players down when they had possession. Even when the United players had the ball, the speed of their break up play, the final ball and the cutting edge were all missing – which was very unlike of what Sir Alex had earlier stated of maintaining the standards for the remaining fixtures in the league. As a result, United failed to score at home for the first time since 2009, when they lost to Aston Villa with a similar scoreline.

Chelsea, on the other hand, looked fatigued themselves after their midweek exertions in the Europa League. As a result, even they couldn’t really capitalise on the casualness shown by their opponents until the very end of the match.

All of this contributed to a rather drab affair between the two powerhouses of the English football.

3) Juan Mata’s goal:

It came in the 87th minute from the edge of Chelsea’s penalty area where Rooney lost possession to Ramires and sparked a counter attack. Rooney complained for a foul, but referee Howard Webb rightfully waved play on as the Brazilian had clearly won the ball. This found United short in numbers at the back and a quick exchange of passes from Chelsea players saw Mata receiving the ball inside the United penalty area. Mata pulled the trigger as Jones tried to block the shot. Mata didn’t really catch hold of it but it was still enough for the ball to roll into the back of the net after hitting the post after a slight deflection off Jones. Could the in-form David De Gea have stopped it? – it remains debatable looking at the wonderful season he has had.

This sparked off wild celebration at the away end, as it could turn out to be one of the most crucial goals in Chelsea’s season, which could gift them the much wanted Champions League spot.

4) Rafael red card:

With United going a goal down in the 87th minute, the players needed to respond back quickly and therefore, they had to up the tempo. With Luiz guarding the ball deep into his own half, Rafael lost his patience and lashed out following a clash with Luiz. As a result, Referee Howard Webb brandished United’s first red card of the league season with a minute left.

However, Luiz made it look worse then it actually was. He lay down rattling in pain, but was caught on camera with a Busquets-esque smile. Rafael was elbowed twice before he lashed out, but you know what happens when a player retaliates: he’s always punished more.

Even if the referee wouldn’t have seen it, Luiz’s reaction clearly convinced him.

5) The battle for top four:

Chelsea gave their chances of finishing into the top-four a major boost by beating the Champions at their home. They would have been happy even with a point, given they still have to meet Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. The blues are now a point clear of Arsenal with a game in hand, and three points ahead of Spurs in the fifth place. The win against the Champions must be a real boost as well.

This now makes the clash between the London clubs during the midweek all the more important, as it could really shape up the third and fourth positions in the league. The clubs who hold on to their nerve during the final couples of weeks would come out on top. Let’s hope the best one wins.