This article is part of our Match of the Week series.
We witnessed one of the matches of the season Thursday, as Chelsea and Manchester United gave us a seven-goal thriller. Chelsea's win evened out the season series, as United walked away with a 2-1 victory in December. United remain in the same spot they started the day at, sitting in sixth with 48 points, while Chelsea rose from 12th to 10th, overtaking Wolves and Bournemouth.
Starting XI
Formations remained the same for both clubs following their previous matches against Brentford and Burnley, with each side sending out a 4-2-3-1.
Chelsea went completely unchanged heading into the match, with the same starting XI they used to face Burnley on Saturday.
However, United did see an array of changes, with one coming from each part of the field. Harry Maguire replaced Victor Lindelof in the defense, while Scott McTominay was rotated for Casemiro in the middle of the park. Finally, Marcus Rashford was dropped for Antony on the left wing.
Match Facts
The match began with a busy 10 minutes, with each side not looking for the long ball and counterattack, we were treated to an early ping pong game instead of football, with a goal coming just four minutes into the contest after Conor Gallagher found the back of the net.
However, as things settled, Chelsea were the first to get on the front foot. It was a typical setup we see from a Pochettino side, with the attack being focused on the wings, using low passes near the box to create chances while playing long balls. The defense played a high line that focused on pressing and not allowing the opponent on the ball for long.
Wingers Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk led the attack, as they received many of those long balls from the back. Much of this game plan focused on the ability of the players on the outside, as they are required to be great in one-on-one situations and cutting inward to create space for shots and passes into the box, with both Palmer and Mudryk filling that mold. They finished with 12 touches in the opposing box, 10 shots, 10 chances created, and eight passes into the final third combined.
Ground passes to striker Nicolas Jackson or attacking midfielder Gallagher were preferred into the box over a looping cross, mainly focusing on movement and the technical ability of the players near the goal. Outside of that, Jackson was virtually cut out of the game plan, as Chelsea appeared to abandon the counterattacking structure we have seen from the forward due to United's deep defensive setup, with Jackson only seeing one shot all match while being kept under 30 touches in a game mainly played near United's box.
As for the defending aspect, there wasn't much from Chelsea despite their minimal advantage in possession, as they did play a mostly counterattacking team, with the play being held up right around the start of the final third in most cases. Although, when they did defend, it was typically in a 4-4-2 shape, with Gallagher moving up to join Jackson. They would then press using the front four of Gallagher, Jackson, Palmer and Mudryk while the rest of the team played a high line with the two CDMs sitting right in front of the defense to plug the holes.
When on the back foot, the block would regularly set up right around the edge of the box, overloading that area while leaving at least two players forward to support a counter once winning possession.
This defensive setup would work wonders against the counter, as the Blue's players are quick enough to keep up with the breakout of United while standing firm when the block was set. However, they would be their own worst enemy like much of the season, as all three goals from United would come from passing errors, leaving the Red Devils with massive opportunities each time.
It was precisely the tactic you would expect from United, with the defense sitting deep and overloading their half when defending, sitting much further back than a standard setup and almost "parking the bus." They set up with more of a 4-1-4-1 when defending, nearly shaping up more as a strange 5-4-1, with Casemiro dropping into the defense while the two attacking midfielders on the flank sit right in front of the full-backs and Rasmus Hojlund left as the only player away from the edge of the box. They would usually try to set up the block around the start of the final third, but due to Chelsea starting their build-up so far into United's half, they were pushed to the edge of their box.
The setup of their defense would work on most occasions, but the most significant issue seemed to be when Antony or Alejandro Garnacho didn't drop immediately. Chelsea's overload when attacking the wing would prove too much when caught in this situation, as they would be allowed into the box much too effortlessly, shaping out space on the touchline while having more options to pass the ball off to when stuck.
United's attack was very similar to the rest of the season, with the counterattack being the main point. With United sitting so far back, the only way they could advance was off long balls, especially with Chelsea's high press. Garnacho or Antony would receive those balls, then continue upfield, focusing on a cross into the box or a quick little cut into a shot, similar to Chelsea. However, there was a slight difference, as United was not scared to put the ball in the air with Hojlund's height.
They also usually kept the front three pressing, although it was often on heavy touches instead of just a full-time press. This would work out for United, as they scored all three goals off of poor passes from Chelsea in the backline.
When they did opt for a slower build-up, it usually foiled out near the start of the final third, as with a further back set of defenders, they could only attack moving forward, usually just leading to a turnover or lost ball near the edge of the box due to the heavy block in place by Chelsea.
The half ended 2-2, as Chelsea converted from the penalty spot off of a Palmer goal in the 19th minute before United added two on within five minutes near the end of the first 45, with Garnacho scoring in the 34th and Bruno Fernandes in the 39th, both off poor passing from Chelsea.
The second 45 played out in much of the same way, with neither team altering anything moving into the second half, seemingly comfortable after a stalemate in the first half.
The first 10 minutes of the second half were much like the first 10 minutes of the game, as both teams were invited to a track meet, with long ball after long ball played to a breaking striker to no avail.
However, due to Chelsea's high line, they started to get caught out through all of this fast play, constantly moving up just to be required to drop back seconds later, leaving multiple gaps and holes in the defense open to the deadly United counterattack.
Despite all the success getting through, United would not score from these opportunities, and once again scored from a Chelsea mistake, as Antony intercepted a poor pass, then found Garnacho in the middle of the box for a header that found the back of the net in the 67th minute, giving Antony his first goal contribution in league play since joining last season.
Chelsea would go on the front foot for the final 20 minutes, notching opportunity after opportunity before breaking through, once again due to their play near the box, drawing their 11th penalty of the year to give Palmer a brace and tie the game in stoppage time. It wouldn't stop there, as just 85 seconds later, Chelsea was gifted a corner, with Palmer then hitting a strike that would deflect off of Scott McTominay for the unexpected game-winner and Palmer's hat trick.
In the end, this game almost came down to zero tactics at points and instead breaks of luck, with six of the seven goals coming from errors by the opponent or a random break of luck, as in a penalty or a slight deflection. It was still an exhilarating match that included tons of attacking, going down to the wire on the stat sheet and to anyone watching the contest, with both teams evenly matched. However, Chelsea's win was well warranted, as they finished with 56% possession, 28 shots, four big chances and 3.02 xG, compared to United's 44, 19, three and 1.47, respectively.
Man of the Match
The man of the match was quite obvious this week, as it was the man who walked away with the hat trick, Cole Palmer. Although two of his goals came from penalties, he still put on an electric display, not only with his goals but also with his playmaking. He was very clearly who the team wanted the ball to be with, as he created numerous issues for the United defense with his erotic movement and outstanding technical ability on the ball. He would finish with an immaculate six crosses, eight passes into the final third, eight chances created, nine shots and 10 touches in the opposing box to go along with his hat trick.
Upcoming Fixtures
Chelsea doesn't have the most favorable schedule, as they will face a top-four team three times over the next month. They begin with two contests against Sheffield and Everton before moving on to the FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City. They finish off the month with Brighton, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
United only has one testing contest during April. It will start difficult against Liverpool on Saturday before facing Bournemouth and Coventry in the FA Cup semifinals. They end this spell against Sheffield and Burnley.
Looking Ahead
Chelsea will hope to continue the hot streak, having gone without a loss in their past six matches at Stamford Bridge. They will also desire to remain in the top half of the table for the end of the season, trying to reduce the impacts of an already disappointing season. Their magnitude of injuries will also be a topic of discussion, boasting one of the worst injury situations in the league.
United is pretty much in the same boat, as they have the worst injury problems in the league, and will look to get that figured out after losing Varane and Jonny Evans again Thursday. Outside of that, the focus will be on a European finish, hoping to make it into the UEL or Conference league based on the FA Cup results, as they currently sit in sixth place.
Gameweek 32 Preview
All eyes will be on the Wolves and West Hams match on Saturday. West Ham currently sits with 45 points, while Wolves have 42 despite the club's being separated by four spots, with the winning club remaining or boosted into the top half of the table, possibly still fighting for a Conference League spot.
