Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea: Red Devils in the Champions League

The two sides of the coin have never been so different. On the one hand, Manchester United, which blocks qualification for the next Champions League and rises to third place. On the other, Chelsea, which officially updates its negative record of defeats in the league, reaching 17, light years away from Europe. What happens at Old Trafford highlights the gap in the standings, which for the absolute values ​​of the players should be much smaller. But the Blues are in disarray and they confirm it also in the recovery of the 32nd day. Ten Hag’s team has fun and enjoys themselves, winning 4-1 but could score even more, immediately directing the match onto favorable tracks. Some signs of life, for the guests, arrive in the final phase of the first half, when the result is still in the balance. Casemiro opens the scoring, then inspires Martial’s double at the end of the first half. In the second half Fofana allows himself a nightmarish empty pass in a few minutes: first he causes the penalty converted by Bruno Fernandes, then he favors Rashford’s poker. Joao Felix tries to at least save face for the final 4-1. The only sore point is Antony’s injury, which appeared quite serious: it will be difficult for the Brazilian to recover for the Fa Cup final on June 3rd against Manchester City.

The match

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Many absentees for both Ten Hag and Lampard. The Blues field a very young formation, with seven players born after 2000: Mudryk and Madueke on the wings with Havertz completing the trident, eighteen-year-old Hall also starting in the back four. United responds with Martial up front, Bruno Fernandes inspiring and Antony and Sancho wider in the frontline; in front of the defense there are instead Eriksen and Casemiro. It was precisely the two midfielders who built the opening goal in the 6th minute: the Dane drew a free-kick from the trocar that the former Real Madrid player intercepted with a perfect header, slotting in an innocent Kepa. Shortly before, Mudryk smoothed a very inviting ball in the center of the area, served by Gallagher. The initial stages of the match tell of two teams who defend badly on the opponent’s transitions, even if the show benefits from it because every restart always promises something interesting. The Red Devils are preferred in the dribbling phase and almost double in the 19th minute, when Azpilicueta makes a miraculous recovery on Martial ready to kick face to face with the goalkeeper. In the middle of the fraction, Antony is injured in a rather serious way after Chalobah’s surgery, so much so that the Brazilian comes out in tears with the support of the stretcher; in his place enters Rashford. As the minutes go by, Chelsea’s drive grows and they have two excellent chances. The first happens on the head of Havertz, found well by Hall, but as much as he crumples on the ball he is unable to direct it into the mirror of the goal. Same fate for Gallagher’s diagonal, wonderfully found between the defense shirts by Fernandez’s suggestion. Thus, when the recovery is about to end, Manchester United doubles: Casemiro lights up for Sancho, who touches at the far post where Martial only has to push the ball into the net.

Shooting

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Ten Hag calibrates resources, takes Shaw off to insert Malacia at halftime. The Red Devils went within a few centimeters of the coup de grace in the 47th minute, but Bruno Fernandes’s shot from the edge hit the top corner. The visitors’ response was due to Mudryk’s personal initiative, who cut towards the inside of the field and let go of a weak and insidious cross shot that De Gea had to extend for a corner. In the 52nd minute United was still one step away from the third goal, but Eriksen didn’t find a clean deflection close to the line and Kepa foiled the threat; Casemiro tries to place on the development of the action, the ball goes just wide. Chelsea countered with Hall who, after the short stroke of a corner, penetrated the area and tried to surprise the goalkeeper, who rejected well at the near post (58′). Lampard looks for a kick from the bench, putting in Pulisic and Joao Felix for Mudryk and Havertz, however the moves have no effect. Indeed, it is Manchester United who close the accounts shortly after: in the 71st minute Bruno Fernandes exalts himself with a tunnel on Fofana, who then hooks him in the area. The Portuguese himself shows up from the spot, displacing Kepa and dropping the set, also unleashing some sparks for the provocative exultation. It’s a natural and understandable frustration, because the Blues are now a soulless formation. A sensational mistake by Fofana propitiates the recovery of Sancho, who gives in to Rashford; the Englishman avoids the defender and kicks, Kepa opposes on the first attempt but can do nothing on the 4-0 tap-in (78′). Only the crossbar prevents Garnacho’s deflected shot from mocking Kepa, who then goes past the Argentine after time runs out. Joao Felix took care of the punishment in the 90th minute, with a precise diagonal from the edge at the end of a central percussion.