Chelsea managed to pick up a point against Manchester United thanks to a late equaliser from Ross Barkley. The Blues dominated the first half, ending the interval with a 1-0 lead.
But, United came roaring back in the second half as they scored the equaliser early after the restart through Anthony Martial before the Frenchman doubled his tally in the 73rd minute. However, the hosts pegged United back in the final stages of the game, ultimately finding an equaliser in the fifth minute of added time through substitute Ross Barkley.
Here are the Chelsea players rated in their draw with Manchester United.
Kepa Arrizabalaga (7/10): Although not as impressive as his United counterpart David de Gea, Kepa did well when called upon, notably making a good save to deny Juan Mata in the second half, just seconds before Anthony Martial scored the equaliser.
Cesar Azpilicueta (6.5/10): After a relatively decent first-half, Azpilicueta struggled to cope with Anthony Martial on the right flank as the Frenchman made a host of dangerous runs forward. And ultimately, his failure to keep Martial quiet proved costly for Chelsea, as predicted in my earlier article.
Antonio Rudiger (7.5/10): After being deemed doubtful ahead of the game, Rudiger produced a comprehensive display at the back, winning three aerial duels as well as making three clearances and two interceptions. But more importantly, he scored the opener with a thumping header into the back of the net.
David Luiz (6/10): Evidently struggled to cope with Man United’s pressure in the second half as he was not only caught out of position but also failed to provide any kind of solidity to the Chelsea backline.
Marcos Alonso (6.5/10): It was one of those rare games where Alonso failed to make an impact on the left flank. He was ineffective in attack, contrary to what you would normally expect from the Spaniard.
N’Golo Kante (7/10): A solid performance from the French international, who attempted six tackles as well as making a couple of key interceptions. However, like most Chelsea players, he had a harder time of it in the second half, notably getting dribbled twice.
Jorginho (6.5/10): Jorginho played a key role in attack during the first half, playing a host of incisive forward balls. In fact, he was one of Chelsea’s most impressive players during the first 45 minutes.
That being said, his performance took a serious dip in the second half, where he appeared both careless and tentative without the ball. He was dribbled past four times – more than anyone else on the pitch.
Mateo Kovacic (7/10): Kovacic made some decent forward balls and looked good while he was on before being replaced by Ross Barkley in the 69th minute.
Willian (7/10): Kept Luka Shaw busy throughout the course of the game, especially in the first half, when he made a host of dangerous runs across the flanks. However, a fading second-half display allowed Shaw to motor forward and thus, increase United’s chances of getting back into the game.
Alvaro Morata (6/10): Another underwhelming display from the Spanish international, who, despite having 44 touches, failed to make any real impact. He was rightly subbed off in the 79th minute.
Eden Hazard (7.5/10): Was by far the most active Chelsea attacker this afternoon as he started the game on a positive fashion. His direct runs provided a lot of trouble to Ashley Young but he was left frustrated after the restart as he lacked support from his teammates.
Substitutes
Ross Barkley (7/10): In truth, Barkley failed to make any sort of impact after replacing Mateo Kovacic in the 69th minute. However, he got the job done when he was presented with a glorious opportunity to seal a point late in the game.
Pedro (6/10): Failed to trouble the United backline after replacing Willian in the final phase of the game.
Olivier Giroud (NA): Replaced Morata with just 11 minutes left on the clock but didn’t do anything of note in the final third.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
