Manchester United vs Chelsea: Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial deliver in battle of the youngsters
Youth finally being given a chance by one team this afternoon led to youth taking a chance on the other.
That was the only – but huge – difference between the sides, in this rousing Manchester United win over Chelsea at Old Trafford. An ashen-faced Frank Lampard got off to the worst of starts because of contrasting displays in how to finish. The identity of the scorers was as indicative as the pattern of the goals.
For all the criticism of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial over their perceived failure to progress in the last few years, the brutal reality of this match was that they are both much closer to the finished article than pretty much all of Chelsea’s defence in this game. And their attack, too.
That was the reason for the scale of Chelsea’s defeat. And that is the only explanation Lampard will be able to come to when he wonders about this defeat, and maybe just as to how they were beaten full-stop.
Chelsea were probably the better team in the first half, and certainly had the better chances, and the better midfield. There were times when Jorginho just strolled through the area, afforded far too much space. It was the platform for so many Chelsea attacks: such as for Emerson’s repeated shots at goal, or Ross Barkley’s rasping effort that David De Gea – as dependable as at his best – beat away.
This was kind of the issue.
Chelsea had the gameplan, and had the shape, but didn’t quite have the quality. Or at least the application of quality in defence and attack.
They couldn’t cope with the counters of United, who were all too versed in vigorously thrusting at that fragile defence. This so suited them.
As soon as Rashford and Martial realised this fatal flaw in the Chelsea backline – and one that probably would have been covered had N’Golo Kante been match-fit – that was that. That was the game, and that was probably the win when United went 1-0.
Kurt Zouma couldn’t cope with the movement of that front two, gave away a penalty, and gave United all initiative.
Once Rashford had scored it, the pattern was set. A porous Chelsea had to come forward, offering up more and more chances.
The game was only ever going one way.
In that, the match did admittedly go Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s way and precluded what might have been fair questions over how they would have coped against a more mature side playing the same system, but the way they just went with it should be praised.
United do look impressive when a game is set up like this, as it lends itself to their best qualities, and especially the pace of the front two. It also gives Paul Pogba an outlet for that supreme passing, as was showcased with that wondrous third goal, and Rashford’s second. A happier-looking Martial had poached his first of the season mere moments before that.
Speed won the game, both in terms of general play and conversion of chances, as well as that burst of goals to so quickly convert 1-0 into 3-0.
Against that, the unfortunate Tammy Abraham looked as raw as his teammates in defence. You can see there is talent there, and he got himself in good positions, but his touch was so often lacking. He so often failed to deliver the type of lay-offs that Olivier Giroud is so adept that, but then the counter-argument is that Giroud might not have had the mobility to get into those positions in the first place.
Together, at opposite ends of their careers, they might make the perfect striker. As it is, they reflect how this is such an incomplete Chelsea team.
It summed up how complete an opening day this was for United that even Dan James scored on his debut, finishing off the scoring for 4-0.
It won’t always be the same for Solskjaer this season, so they should revel in it and look to build on it.
But it might often be the same as this for Lampard: a good team but one lacking a lot of more mature quality at both ends.
