Manchester United escaped a drubbing in front of frustrated home support at Old Trafford after Cristiano Ronaldo once again came to the rescue to secure a point against domestic rivals Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at the Theatre of Dreams.
Cristiano Ronaldo rescued a point for Man Utd as they drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Old Trafford.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 28, 2022
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel will no doubt feel aggrieved that is Champions League-chasing Blues failed to make a dominant first-half display turn into goals on the scoreboard after the capital side ripped United apart throughout the 90-minute contest in the northwest of England.
German international Kai Havertz really should have had at least a brace on the evening, while a superb outing from England right-back Reece James amounted to nothing in the end after the Cobham academy product was probably the best player on the pitch overall, which included a lovely struck curling effort that could only hit David De Gea’s far post.
📰 Table Of Contents
Manchester United Player Ratings
David De Gea (7) – Though he did not make any highlight-reel saves, David De Gea was good on the evening especially when United were regularly under pressure.
Diogo Dalot (6.5) – The Portuguese international was solid in his display tonight but right-back is clearly a position the club should be targeting.
Raphaël Varane (7) – A better outing from the French international tonight than what has been seen from him for large parts of the season. Improvement that was needed.
Alex Telles (6) – Absolutely eviscerated in the first 45-minutes but did well enough to pull his performance up to a decent level come full time.
Nemanja Matić (8) – The best performer on the pitch tonight for Manchester United in what was a pretty poor outing for most of the 90-minute affair at Old Trafford.
Nemanja Matić’s game by numbers vs Chelsea:
100% dribbles completed (2/2)
81% pass accuracy
56 total touches
4 ball recoveries made
3/5 long passes completed
2/3 tackles won
2 chances created
1 assistBack to back assists. 🅰️🅰️ 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/GZYyjdvGRN
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 28, 2022
Scott McTominay (6.5) – Somewhat of an enigma at times for the Red Devils. At periods he can be good/very good, and at others, well below par. He was okay.
Anthony Elanga (6) – Faith continues to be placed in Swedish youngster Anthony Elanga. Did not heavily contribute, but was okay in receiving valuable minutes.
Bruno Fernandes (6) – The United midfielder has been underperforming for weeks now and though he was okay tonight, he was far off his usual boiling point.
Marcus Rashford (5.5) – The tailspin that has been Marcus Rashford’s United career this season is painful to watch. Another poor outing from a talented player.
Cristiano Ronaldo (7) – Another vital goal scored by one of the greatest players of all time. Only Fred (1) and Jadon Sancho (1) can boast recent goals other than Ronaldo.
Juan Mata (6) – Average off the bench against his former club but only had 10-minutes on the clock to make a difference that was likely not going to come.
Phil Jones (6) – Brought on to shore up the backline for United who should feel plenty happy with a point they hardly deserved tonight.
Alejandro Garnacho (N/A) – A debut for the talented Argentina youngster but received only a handful of minutes after being introduced in stoppage time.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Édouard Mendy (6) – Hardly an influential night in goal for Édouard Mendy and cannot be held to account for Ronaldo’s leveler.
César Azpilicueta (6.5) – A relatively quiet night for the Spanish veteran who was not under regular threat on the right side of the back three.
Thiago Silva (6.5) – Nothing more than decent from the Brazilian tonight but through most passages he did not have to stand up and be counted.
Antonio Rüdiger (6) – Whether it is because he has one foot out of the door at Chelsea or not, this was not the best performance from the German this season.
Reece James (8.5) – The best performer on the pitch for Chelsea tonight, Reece James was dynamic going forward with a handful of top chances falling to him as a result.
Marcos Alonso (7.5) – A goalscoring performance tonight for the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League in the last six seasons and a strong overall outing.
Jorginho (7) – A typical performance from Jorginho. Solid in all departments alongside Kanté while enjoying the rub of the green in the first half.
N’Golo Kanté (8) – Unable to complete 90-minutes due to a possible niggle he sustained, but Kanté was very good throughout, particularly in the first half.
Mason Mount (6.5) – Usually one of the top performers for Chelsea this season, Mason Mount had a somewhat off night but still added doses of quality in key phases.
Kai Havertz (7) – A good performance from the young German that included an assist, but he should have scored a handful of his own.
Timo Werner (6.5) – Lively from the other half of the former Bundesliga attacking tandem, but his decision-making at times let him down and only had a few half chances.
Romelu Lukaku (6) – Little involvement from the all-time leading scorer for Belgium as his disappointing return to Stamford Bridge continues.
Christian Pulisic (6) – It could be clear that Christian Pulisic needs a change of scenery as the talented American was lacking in his final ball after only getting sub-minutes.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (5.5) – An unexpected appearance off the bench after N’Golo Kanté was removed early, and did little to really have a say in matters.
What the experts said
Just look at those average positions in the first half. 👀 https://t.co/ZxADl9CLDs
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 28, 2022
Outrageous. This is Manchester United. At Old Trafford. Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/O9lHK3ssyy
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) April 28, 2022
One of a dozen examples in the first half #MUFC pic.twitter.com/GZjuoO5PM9
— Tom McDermott (@MrTomMcDermott) April 28, 2022
#mufc playing with all the intensity of a team that’s just discovered that even their interim manager has been plotting his next move away from the club.
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) April 28, 2022
Garnacho’s family stood & applauded in the directors’ box as the #MUFC teenager came on. Cameras out, some ‘Garnacho 75’ shirts on display. Lovely moment
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) April 28, 2022
Reece James doesn’t deserve to draw this…been on a different level. #MUNCHE
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) April 28, 2022
What the fans said
If that game isn’t the story of Chelsea’s season, then I don’t know what is. #CFC
— Olivia Buzaglo (@OliviaBuzaglo) April 28, 2022
Carrying them at the age of 37.
Manchester United’s player of the season easily.#CristianoRonaldo #CR7𓃵 pic.twitter.com/GGdFefXhU6
— Emp Rufus (@EmpRufus) April 28, 2022
Ralf Rangnick has now officially never been this bad. What on earth were the club thinking with this appointment? One of their worst post Fergie decisions pic.twitter.com/CcG7iO1bXL
— Liam (@LiamHaydn) April 28, 2022
Reece James has the potential to be the best right back in the history of football. pic.twitter.com/B4ipV39RD4
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) April 28, 2022
What you may have missed
Despite being set to take up a consultancy role at Manchester United when current AFC Ajax boss takes the reigns at Old Trafford, Ralf Rangnick is also set to be confirmed as manager of the Austrian national team within the next 24-48 hours, calling into question if he will be capable of being a key piece of the upcoming Red Devils rebuild.
Ralf Rangnick will be confirmed as Austria national team manager within the next 24-48 hours, but will continue his consultancy role with Manchester United until 2024. pic.twitter.com/VSSDwMev31
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 28, 2022
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