Manchester United drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend as they grabbed their first Premier League point of this month.
Interim manager Michael Carrick made the daring choice to bench Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and his decision was arguably risky.
The Red Devils attempted to press early on but were soon forced to retreat behind the ball as the hosts gained control of the possession in a tense match. Chelsea, on the other hand, we’re unable to break down United’s tenacious defense, and the game came down to two crucial minutes.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka hauled down Thiago Silva in the box, allowing the defensive midfielder Jorginho to score from the penalty spot and the second moment came after Jorginho’s poor control from a hoofed clearance allowed Jadon Sancho to gallop through on goal before coolly shooting past Edouard Mendy.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, the Portuguese midfielder was let to play in the false nine position numerous times in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo which didn’t please the United fans.
However, the 20-time English champions could have had a better game if their midfield talisman hadn’t been so careless in possession and being so anonymous in the final third. Bruno Fernandes had a forgettable afternoon in west London, unable to have a good effect on attack and being inconsistent.
It’s easy to see why when you look at his underlying stats. During his 89 minutes on the pitch, Fernandes failed to have a single shot on goal, failed to play a single critical pass, and lost possession 15 times.
He also lost nine of his 15 duels (60 per cent), committed an error that resulted in a great chance for Chelsea to score, and finished the game with a passing accuracy of only 78 per cent, letting Michael Carrick down.
With new manager Ralf Rangnick being announced as the new interim manager, Fernandes will be anxious to reclaim his place on the pitch as soon as possible, or he could be forced to sit out again in the coming weeks.
