Chelsea 3 Manchester United 1
Chelsea Eto'o 17', 45' 49'
Manchester United Hernandez 78'
Red card Nemanja Vidic (Man United)
Man of the match Samuel Eto'o (Chelsea)
LONDON // The good news for Manchester United was that they were not outclassed in midfield, as many had feared they would be. The bad news was that they were outclassed in pretty much every other department.
While they passed and passed fruitlessly, only Adnan Januzaj showing any semblance of creativity, Chelsea were quick, direct and effective. And where they were oddly lacking in defensive conviction, Chelsea were as solid as they have been since Jose Mourinho decided, after the defeat to Sunderland last month, that they were not going to concede soft goals anymore.
Chelsea’s transformation in that regard has been remarkable. They have conceded just two goals in their past seven games and, at last, look like a Mourinho side again.
Last season, under Rafa Benitez, Chelsea got the better of United by taking hold of midfield, asserting control and gradually grinding down their opponents. Here they seemed content to let United have the ball and pick them off on the break. United’s back four suddenly looked very slow.
“We were humble,” Mourinho said. “We have to be a team that can identify with the moment of the game: when you are better than the opponent you have to go and kill the game; when your opponent is better than you, you have to control the game. My team was humble, was compact, was solid. They showed solidarity.”
Once Ashley Young had drawn a fine save from Petr Cech after a one-two with Danny Welbeck, every meaningful chance last night fell Chelsea’s way. And, after all the talk about their forwards’ lack of punch – only eight goals among Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba going into yesterday’s game – Eto’o at last offered a reminder that he was once considered one of the most lethal forwards in the world.
First, he seized on a Jonny Evans clearance, drifted by Phil Jones and hit a shot that looped in off Michael Carrick. Then he swept in a Gary Cahill cross after a corner had been half-cleared, before completing his treble four minutes after half time, stabbing in after Cahill’s header had been saved by David de Gea.
Javier Hernandez did turn in a Phil Jones cross-shot but that could not disguise how outclassed United had been, their frustration summed up by the red card Nemanja Vidic received for his hack at Eden Hazard and the one Rafael da Silva should have received for his lunge at Cahill in injury time. This was a defeat every bit as devastating as Manchester City’s 4-1 demolition in September.
“I thought between the boxes we played well today,” said United’s manager David Moyes. “When it came into the boxes, we didn’t score when the opportunities came, and we didn’t defend well.”
The beleaguered Scot denied there was a crisis at United, despite their seventh league defeat of the season that leaves them six points adrift of fourth place.
“We won’t throw the towel in till we can’t get there,” he said. “The job’s to finish first. It’s a difficult task but we must show perseverance. We’ll keep doing what’s right. I hoped I’d be in a far better position than this but I’m not, so it’s a massive challenge.”
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
