Manchester United’s impressive away form in the Premier League continued away at Stamford Bridge as they secured a 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sunday. Although the run goes on, they will be disappointed not to have picked up all three points.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side dropped two points in the race for the title, while Chelsea too could not take advantage of West Ham United and Leicester City losing over the weekend.
The game itself did not have too many moments of quality. Let’s take a look at the three talking points from the 0-0 stalemate:
Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United: 3 Talking Points
#1 Callum Hudson-Odoi’s handball decision
When a penalty appeal is one of the talking points, it does tell you a lot about the quality of the game. Manchester United could have got a penalty as Callum Hudson-Odoi handled the ball, but no spot-kick was given after the decision went to the VAR. There are mixed opinions over this handball and whether it was a penalty or not.
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw revealed that the referee said to Harry Maguire that if he gives the penalty then it might cause a lot of talk about it later in the game. If this is true, it was a strange decision from the official, who isn’t really supposed to take post-match discussions into the picture while making his decisions.
Solskjaer also mentioned this in the post-match interview, saying that online platforms or websites with some articles on the number of penalties rewarded to United are forcing officials to take a decision against them.
#2 Poor attacking display by both teams
Timo Werner for Chelsea (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
The match did not meet the expectations of the build-up. It was a poor game where both sides did not take enough risks to grab the three points.
While Chelsea showed a bit of aggression and pressed Manchester United from the front, the away side were happy to drop deep when they did have the ball.
Despite their possession, Chelsea did not really have too many clear-cut openings. Manchester United, on the other hand, struggled for cohesion in attack, and lacked the killer ball to make Chelsea pay when they played on the transition.
Thomas Tuchel did not start Werner, and it did look like the tactics were set not to lose the match. His unbeaten run as the Chelsea manager goes on, though. However, a win could have taken them to the fourth position.
#3 Manchester United’s recent record against the big six
Manchester United have failed to deliver or have lacked the killer instinct to go for the win in the games against the top six teams.
It has been a regular story for Solskjaer’s side to underperform and grab a draw in such fixtures as the fear of losing perhaps takes more precedence than the ambition of winning.
If he is looking to chase Manchester City, who are pretty much uncatchable at the moment, the mentality and the tactics must change in order to win these big games.
Perhaps the return of fans next season will help the Red Devils. The players could certainly do with an extra push from the fans at Old Trafford.
Manchester United against the “big six” in the Prem this season-
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-1
0-0
1-6That is football terrorism. Imagine the scenes if that’s Mourinho btw 🥴
— Lou (@LouBarry_) February 28, 2021
