Man Utd news: Red Devils held by Chelsea as Ruben Amorim waits in the wings
Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first league game in charge ended in disappointment as Manchester United squandered a second-half lead to draw 1-1 with Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes gave United the lead from the penalty spot before a wonderful Moises Caicedo volley ensured Chelsea return to London with a point.
With new manager Ruben Amorim set to take the reins on November 11, Van Nistelrooy has two more games to navigate.
In this article, Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore discusses United’s latest lacklustre result and looks ahead to the Portuguese tactician’s much-anticipated arrival.
A horror start to the season for the Red Devils
On a weekend where one could be forgiven for using all sorts of Halloween puns, United-Chelsea served up the equivalent of a 3am kebab and chips.
While it has no relation to the spooky holiday celebration, kebab and chips is the culinary equivalent of the Manchester side’s shocking start to the campaign, a start that sees them with just 12 points and nine league goals to their name.
"Yeah, but I like a kebab" you might be thinking. No, you do not — your inebriated self likes a kebab. Plus, the takeaways are never open during daylight, so do not pretend that you have had one while sober.
Similarly pissed-up appear to be United's forwards, who once again wandered around the final third on Sunday like drunken sailors and came up desperately short in a game that was there for the taking against a Blues side that appeared a little out-of-sorts considering a win would have seen them up to third in the table.
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United struggle to impose themselves in first half
The only highlights from a red perspective in the opening period were when Alejandro Garnacho — one of the shining lights for United so far this term — shot weakly with time and space to do better before Marcus Rashford scraped the woodwork on the stroke of half-time.
For Chelsea, Noni Madueke did the same with a header which would probably have been ruled out for an earlier foul had it gone in.
And spare a thought for poor Rasmus Hojlund, ploughing a lonely and thankless furrow up top. He had the same number of touches in the opposition box as I did in the first half.
Much has been made of Amorim's tactics and his preferred 3-4-3 system with wing-backs bombing up and down.
That must put the fear of God into Rashford, especially considering he spent much of the opening period watching Malo Gusto surge past him with little effort to combat the danger. He did no better with sub Marc Cucurella before himself making way for Amad Diallo 17 minutes from time.
Whether Rashford’s reticence to track back was a tactical decision or not, it leaves a big question mark over the England man for future months when Amorim hopefully makes a mark that is so badly needed.
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Promising second half ends in disappointment for hosts
Pedro Neto flashed the first real chance of the second half wide and had another just past the hour mark.
Garnacho then fluffed his lines again after being found unmarked in the Chelsea box. Fernandes, also again, was the chief orchestrator and the only United player showing any real creativity, but it was still pretty uninspiring stuff.
The game finally turned after a wonderful ball over the top from Casemiro left Wesley Fofana in no-man's land and Hojlund, who brought the ball down expertly, was needlessly clipped by Robert Sanchez.
Up stepped Fernandes to send the keeper the wrong way with his first league goal of the campaign. Ravishing Ruud punched the air, as resplendent dressed in black as he was midweek, and celebrated like he had scored himself. Old Trafford was buzzing, awakened like that first dribble of chilli sauce on lager-tainted taste buds.
The joy didn't last long though — about four minutes all told.
Neto won a corner down the right that Cole Palmer flung over and Casemiro headed out to the edge of the box where Caicedo was primed to hammer it first time past Andre Onana.
The game suddenly had 'late Chelsea winner' written all over it, but in the end it was the hosts who should have nicked it.
Garnacho contorted well before lashing the ball towards the far corner and only narrowly missed his mark. Fernandes followed that by blazing (really) high over the top after a fortuitous bounce had left him with the goal at his mercy.
The Portuguese maestro slashing at the ball a la Ghostface (couldn't resist at least one reference) was particularly apt considering the manner in which United's scary-movie season has unfolded.
Yet again, United's problems were laid bare for all to see: players never appear to know what happens next after they get the ball; a remarkable lack of potency in attack; and a continued over-reliance on Fernandes for any sort of creativity.
Plenty of food for thought then for the incoming Amorim, who was definitely (in my mind at least) sat watching the game back home in Portugal choking on his peri peri chicken.
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