It is the same club, the same players, the same Old Trafford but different performances which we have rarely seen from Manchester United at home this season and a different result from the draws we have become accustomed to.
It is not just about the win but we deservedly and convincingly too defeated Chelsea even though the odds were against us to win the game.
It was United’s first win over Antonio Conte’s men at the third attempt this season and that should give the Chelsea’s boss a lot of strategizing to do due to the timing of the defeat which leaves the Blues just four points above Tottenham who are on rampage presently.
However, there were decisions and moments that made Man United day,
Mourinho’s Decision to Drop Ibrahimovic
The first is Jose Mourinho’s decision to drop Zlatan Ibrahimovic. No doubt, the forward has contributed more than 50% of goals scored by United this season but the decision paid off. Ibrahimovic is more of a penalty box striker and prefers being fed than to drop deep and get the ball from the midfield, an advantage giving to us by Marcus Rashford. The England youngster’s alongside Jesse Lingard’s pace could not be curtailed as they kept advancing against Chelsea’s defence and Rashford could have bagged a hat-trick.
Herrera Was Our Joker
Secondly, Ander Herrera was our joker. Though he has always been a silent contributor, he was impressive against Chelsea. He was almost everywhere on the pitch. The Spanish midfielder got a goal and an assist for himself but also did a good job in marking out Eden Hazard. His dominance over the Belgian nullified any attack threat Chelsea would have posed. He was quick to react to Maroune Fellani’s flick in the midfield and fed Rashford who calmly slotted home to open the scoring after the seven minutes.
