It was a well deserved draw for a Chelsea side that won the first two home league games. The Blues’ went to Old Trafford and got a share of a point from the Champions playing their first game at home and we could have won the game if not for our attacking misplays. As, Jose stated after wards in post match comments, the creative players that he started with in attacking areas could have done better to find a space and score.
But, that didn’t happen as our striking department is once again highlighted as the main weakness in a side that battled to get a point at Old Trafford. Now, let’s analyze how our players performed and how Rooney fared in such tough situations going into the match….
Manchester United:
David De Gea: 7.0
Pretty average performance by the Spaniard as he was not put in much trouble by many attempts at goal by Chelsea. Oscar got a few on target but, straight into De Gea to stop it from going in.
Jones: 6.0
Phil Jones once again played at Right back as to clearly mark the danger of Eden Hazard threatening the United defense. But, compare his performance against that of Ivanovic through the match and it’s less than stellar. Hazard was stopped more over by Valencia but, Jones neither performed well defensively nor was an attacking threat.
Ferdinand: 7.0
Rio Ferdinand could have been exposed easily by Schurrle if Lampard and other midfielders made some precise through balls on the way of Schurrle. But, didn’t have any danger against him as Chelsea attacking 3rd was not at their best.
Vidic: 7.0
Pretty much similar from the United defenders as Rio and his captain didn’t have much work to do against our strikers. Stellar and average to be fair to them.
Evra: 7.0
Evra was caught diving and trying to get free kicks few times as he was defensively covered well by De Bruyne. Jose stated after wards he dropped Mata for that position as to better mark Evra’s attacking threat. Job Well Done KdB!
Carrick: 8.0
Showed how much United will rely on him this season with a canny display in front of the back four. Did not allow Chelsea’s attacking midfielders time or space.
Cleverly: 6.0
Steady rather than particularly effective. Took the easy option too often as the weight of the occasion appeared to curb his ambition. Poor display coming up against a fearsome attacking 3 of Chelsea.
Valencia: 6.0
Although he threatened Ashley Cole and stopped Hazard by marking him really well, the end results of his crosses or passes were just awful!
Wayne Rooney: 9.0
Arguably the best player on the pitch by many fans who watched including pundits on Sky Sports. He played his heart out on the pitch for United despite being in difficult circumstances going into this game. There was a clear interest in him from Chelsea and he was cheered by both sets of fans at Old Trafford. Chelsea fans were chanting, “Wayne Rooney, we will see you next week!”. Looked eager, his work-rate was excellent and some of his second-half passing was top-drawer.
Danny Welbeck: 7.0
Got the nod to start on the left flank ahead of Giggs but looked more effective when he wandered into central areas. Sent two shots wildly over the bar early in the second half. Subbed with 12 minutes left.
Robin Van Persie: 7.0
Fizzed with energy and menace but the chances did not fall his way. Shot into the side netting from a tight angle early on before sending a tricky header over the bar.
Subs:
Ashley Young: 6.5
His crossing from the right was more productive than Valencia’s had been. Still didn’t make much of an impact, poor on the defensive and pace that Valencia was good at before him.
Ryan Giggs: N/A
Was quite on the left flank as we had none other than Branslav Ivanovic in that position to guard and silence the United veteran.
Chelsea FC:
Petr Cech: 8.0
Would have expected to be more involved in such a demanding away fixture. Only had one save to make in the first 70 minutes and dealt comfortably with every high ball and long-range effort.
Branslav Ivanovic: 9.0
Chelsea’s Mr Dependable was as solid as ever. In addition to stopping the threat of Welbeck and Evra from the left, he dealt capably well with Robin Van Perise’s runs into the box.
Gary Cahill: 8.0
Good positioning and dominant in the air as he managed to win 5 out of 5 of his aerial duels contested. Almost gave Chelsea the lead with a powerful long range strike on to De Gea.
John Terry: 9.0
The Barclays man of the match award receiver John Terry shown us his outstanding positioning and leadership skills. He intercepted a lot of balls which could resulted in Van Persie or Rooney finding the back of the net. Well deserved plaudit to JT!
Ashley Cole: 8.0
He dealt capably well with Valencia most of the game to stop his crosses and runs. Booked in the 15th minute for a mistimed tackle on van Persie but it did not unsettle the experienced left-back. Made the most of a penalty claim in the second half when he was tugged back by Jones.
Ramires: 7.5
No Makelele as a CDM, but his versatility and energy never cease to impress. He pressed well against Rooney as the English CF was playing as CAM behind Van Persie. Great performance!
Lampard: 7.0
Anchored the midfield steadily on a night when he was clearly under strict instructions to keep his position and not bomb forward. He managed to misplace a lot of passes on to the way of Schurrle upfront. Could have done better, but still good performance.
Oscar: 7.0
Dropped very deep at times to instigate attacks as Mourinho showed how much faith he has in the No.11 to orchestrate the play. Had Chelsea’s two best first-half chances but both were dealt comfortably with by De Gea.
De Bruyne: 6.5
Didn’t do most of his attacking duties but, tracked and marked Evra really well as Jose put him in ahead of Mata for that clear reason. Shown his dedication by playing and keeping his cool after he got booked for a collusion with RVP. Typical ref at Old trafford while we play United
Eden Hazard: 7.0
Didn’t do well as we would expect him in a big game like this. Could have dealt better against Valencia and Jones, could have been a difference maker between the two sides.
Andre Schurrle: 8.5
Surprisingly given the task of leading the line, the German was too isolated although he demonstrated a stunning burst of pace. Moved out to the right flank before he was subbed shortly before the end. His work rate was just pure brilliance put on by the German. Covered a lot of ground from both set of players.
Subs:
Fernando Torres: 7.0
Had a few good runs but his threat diminished the closer he got to the penalty box.
John Obi Mikel: N/A
Helped Chelsea protect their point for the last four minutes. Will likely be involved against an attacking Bayern as Mourinho will more than likely go for a defensive, counter attack football against the Bavarian’s on Friday.
Cesar Azpilicueta: N/A
Replaced Hazard in added time as maybe Jose thought the Belgian would be burnt out in the closing stages of the game. Didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
360 Man Of the Match: Our nominations are between our captain John Terry and United’s center forward Wayne Rooney. Both players were clearly their teams’ best players and we’ll leave this one up to our readers to vote…
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360 Flop of the Match: Antonio Valencia. Poor display and for more reasons stated above.
Thanks for reading and please let us know your opinions about our ratings down below. Share and spread our views to Chelsea’s supporters. you can follow me on twitter @FahmiCFC. KTBFFH!!!
