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Manchester United 1 Chelsea – Amazing player Caicedo, Mazraoui impresses in draw at Old Trafford

Posted on by Bobb
Manchester United 1 Chelsea – Amazing player Caicedo, Mazraoui impresses in draw at Old Trafford

Moises CaicedoA stunning volley brought the team a point Chelsea how they shared the spoils with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Enzo Maresca’s team and United in their first match Premier League After Erik ten Hag’s departure, they largely neutralized each other for long periods in a timid, meandering encounter until both teams scored within four minutes of the second half.

Bruno Fernandes put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot 20 minutes before the goalkeeper attacked Robert Sanchez brought Rasmus Hoylund in the penalty area, but soon after Caicedo made a great catch to level the score.

Karl Anka and Simon Johnson reveal the main themes of the game.

Caicedo’s jam was worth the wait

You have to wait a long time to see Caicedo score, but when he does, it’s worth the wait.

Chelsea fans have had to be patient in the 2023/24 season as his first goal for the club he joined last summer came in the very last game of the season.

It was the kind of strike that helped people stop questioning the £115 million ($148.8 million at current exchange rates) paid Brighton last summer when he beat Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto from a good 50 yards. As a result, Chelsea fans voted for this goal as the goal of the season.

His score today wasn’t quite at the level of that league, but it was still of very high quality. As a Chelsea corner was cleared onto the edge of the area, Caicedo volleyed the ball for the first time with his right foot and it flew into the bottom corner.


Moises Caicedo equalizes for Chelsea (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

It was one of those kicks that you can hear, even though it’s in a loud stadium, with the thud of a boot meeting the ball sweetly.

Communication quality is one thing, time is another. Before his intervention, Chelsea were bracing for a second successive away defeat following their midweek League Cup exit at Newcastle after United were given the lead from penalties.

This was clearly not lost on Caicedo, who celebrated wildly in front of the home fans, followed by light support during the trip.

Simon Johnson

How is interim boss Van Nistelrooy doing?

Two games in and Ruud van Nistelrooy’s approach to United’s caretaker leadership sees him making small tactical changes rather than tearing up the playbook.

The Dutchman made three changes to the starting line-up, resulting in a rotation Leicester City to the sword in the Carabao Cup midweek. Unfortunately, United were unable to maintain the attacking onslaught they showed in that 5-2 win.

When Van Nistelrooy was in charge of PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands in the 2022/23 season, his team played in a simple 4-3-3 formation, where the wingers were forced to beat opposition defenders one-on-one. Today against Chelsea the wing players Marcus Rashford And Alejandro Garnacho they found it difficult to overcome their defenders in the first half, with the sides neutralizing each other.

While United’s midfielders struggled to get the ball and play under Chelsea’s pressure, Hoylund lacked support in attack. The Denmark international feels uncomfortable being asked to play as a traditional full-back – holding the ball and tackling opposition centre-backs. However, he spent most of that day playing with his back to goal, waiting for one of the goalkeepers to Andre OnanaThe antlers will arrive.

Hoylund is at his best, managing the channels and receiving the ball in space. Fortunately, Casemiro struck a diagonal pass in the 68th minute as Hoylund nearly grabbed the ball from Sanchez before being brought down in the box.

Former United striker Van Nistelrooy certainly looked the part on the bench, applauding the fans and cheering on Rashford after he hit the post late in the break. The arrival of Ruben Amorim as manager during the international break this month means the 48-year-old can focus on being a safe pair of hands in these few games rather than trying to fix everything.

However, United have some work to do if they are to save themselves this season.


Rasmus Hojlund shot down by Robert Sanchez (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Karl Anka

The actions of left-back Maresca brought mixed results

One of the biggest surprises Chelsea head coach Maresca had with his team selection was the lack of recollection. Mark Cucurella to the first team after the disqualification of the defender against Liverpool and then on the bench against Newcastle last weekend.

For the third Premier League game in a row, Maresca has chosen to play as a right-back out of the left-back position, and it is having a negative impact on Chelsea’s ability to produce a balanced attack. Malo Gusto played that day in Cucurella’s absence at Anfield, and the club captain Reece James worked there from the start in today’s second league match.

Against Liverpool, Gusteau took up some promising positions, but his discomfort with his left foot was obvious and let him down in the final third. But at least he crossed the halfway line to give his opponent something to worry about. Just like against Newcastle last Sunday, James sat deep today.

Whenever James received the ball, James’ first instinct was to cut inside and play into the center of the field with his right foot. On one of these This led to a dangerous counter-attack in the first half as his pass was easily intercepted by United. It also meant Pedro Neto didn’t see as much of the ball as he could have on Chelsea’s left flank.


Reece James, pictured fighting with Alejandro Garnacho (left), started the game at left back (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Chelsea did pose a threat in the first 45 minutes of the match. Noni Madueke and Gusto on the right, but because their play was so predictable, the home side were always able to get the points they needed to block any crosses or passes.

With Cucurella in the team, opponents are left rather guessing as to what Maresca’s team will do and his omission cannot be chalked up to poor form as he started the campaign well before serving a one-game ban for picking up five yellows. cards in just seven matches.

Maresca realized his mistake and brought on Cucurella instead of Gusteau at half-time, with James moving to his preferred right flank.

Simon Johnson

Mazraoui remains United’s best summer signing

There was a moment in the middle of the first half when Cole Palmer pulled off one of his favorite tricks, beating his marker with a disguised first touch of space and then running up to him a short time later. Palmer’s pass to himself confused the United defenders, forcing Manuel Ugarte to scramble and commit a cynical foul to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

Chelsea’s midfield trio: Caicedo, Palmer and Romeo Lavia technically gifted, tactically intelligent and able to pass and receive the ball under pressure. The United player who can best compete with all this is not his fellow midfielder, but Nussir Mazraoui.


Noussair Mazraoui tackles Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

The 26-year-old was used at left-back on Sunday and produced a tidy performance in a game marked by sloppiness elsewhere. The stat sheet shows two clearances, two interceptions and three important tackles in normal time, and an eye test showed he is one of United’s most deft operators on the ball, especially with a defender lurking at his back.

How Morocco Whether International will adapt to playing at full-back in Amorim’s likely 3-4-3 formation remains to be seen. However, Mazraoui is good and smart enough to make the jump. With an initial price tag of €15 million (£12.6 million/$16.3 million at current exchange rates), the summer signing from Bayern Munich represents the kind of good transfer business that INEOS chiefs would like to get from United. in the future.

Karl Anka

What did Ruud van Nistelrooy say?

“Today we were a little disappointed because we didn’t score the second goal with the opportunities we had. This is the feeling I have and also the locker room.

“We have lost a few points in recent games because we didn’t take our chances. It’s good that we created a lot (during) the season. When players get into the flow with expected results, goals will come.

“From last Monday to today, six days, it was very difficult: a rollercoaster of emotions. Very sad to see Erik (Ten Hag) go. “The next day you have to focus on getting the boys ready for Leicester (Last Wednesday’s League Cup game) because there are 75,000 people here at Old Trafford and the players feel they have an obligation to do better.”

What did Enzo Maresca say?

“I think we controlled the game quite well. We knew that against them we would miss some chances, especially on the counterattacks. We knew it.

“We did the hardest thing in this stadium against this team – come back when they score. Probably after the score was 1-1, because we were trying to win, we opened ourselves up and that’s why we conceded a little more in the last five to ten minutes.”

On Lisandro Martinezchallenge on Cole Palmer, for which the United defender was shown a yellow card: “They showed me before the press conference, I think it’s quite clear to almost all of us, but the referees there didn’t make the decision and made a different decision.

“He (referee Robert Jones) didn’t say anything. I just told him that when there is no intention to go after the ball and go after the player on his feet, there is no doubt about the decision.

“I think it’s pretty clear that the color is red, yes.”

What’s next for Manchester United?

Thursday, November 7: PAOK Thessaloniki (D), Europa League20:00 UK, 15:00 ET

What’s next for Chelsea?

Thursday, November 7: FC Neu (h), Conference League, 20:00 UK, 15:00 ET

Sunday, November 10: Arsenal (H), Premier League, 4:30 p.m., UK, 11:30 a.m. ET.

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(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)