Chelsea take huge step in top four race as Cesar Azpilicueta leads by example vs Man United

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Simon Johnson28 April 2019

Chelsea secured a key Premier League point at Old Trafford as David de Gea's error cost Manchester United on Sunday.

United's three-game run without a goal was ended 11 minutes into the clash as Juan Mata scored on his 31st birthday but another goalkeeping mistake from De Gea allowed Marcos Alonso to equalise two minutes before half-time and the game ended 1-1.

Antonio Rudiger's speculative 35-yard shot was Chelsea's first effort on target and it should have been comfortable for De Gea but the Spaniard spilled the ball at Alonso's feet and he guided it in off the far post.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had given a firm rebuttal on Friday to suggestions he could take De Gea out of the firing line after a costly mistake against Manchester City on Wednesday and he will be faced with the same question again.

The draw means United remain three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with only two games to go and with a substantially inferior goal difference.

Simon Johnson analyses the key talking points at Old Trafford...

Player ratings  

How did Chelsea fare vs Man United?  


Kepa 7

Azpilicueta 8

Rudiger 6

Luiz 6

Alonso 7

Kante 5

Jorginho 5

Kovacic 4

Willian 5

Higuain 3

Hazard

Subs

Christensen 6

Pedro 7

Loftus-Cheek 6

Huge result in race for the top four

Getty Images

It might not have been pretty, but Chelsea took a huge step to finishing in the top four at Old Trafford.

With Arsenal losing earlier in the day at Leicester, it means Chelsea boast a two point lead over the Gunners with a couple of fixtures remaining, while they keep Manchester United three behind them.

They will be favourites now with fixtures at home to Watford and away at Leicester to come, although they have fluffed their lines on several occasions this term so nothing can be taken for granted.

Just as importantly, Maurizio Sarri’s dug in and showed character at a tough away game just four days before their difficult Europa League semi-final tie at Eintracht Frankfurt.

The way the Chelsea players celebrated at the end in front of their away fans at the final whistle betrayed the feeling of optimism now emanating from the west London club.

Chelsea have their captain to thank

Getty Images

De Gea will inevitably take most of the credit for Chelsea going in at the break on level terms, but Cesar Azpilicueta was key before the Manchester United keeper’s embarrassing intervention.

As Chelsea struggled to contain wave after wave of United attacks, it was the right back who appeared to rise to the challenge.

Azpilicueta was in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions to make last-ditch tackles and clearances.

It could be argued that without his contribution, Chelsea would have been more than one goal down by the time De Gea fumbled.

The experienced Spain international continued to marshal the troops after the interval and also helped his team-mates keep their cool as their opponents dived in with some lethal tackles.

Is Kante 100 per cent fit?

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Sarri admitted on Friday that he would have to make a late decision on whether N'Golo Kante would be involved and perhaps we saw the reason why.

The France international sustained a contusion to his ribs against Burnley on Monday night and sat out training sessions during the week as he tried to recover.

Kante was named in the first XI, but he looked a shadow of the player that normally dominates such matches.

He lost the ball on numerous occasions in the opening 45 minutes and Manchester United players were able to bypass him when they attacked with relative ease.

Of course, one of the reasons why he may have looked out of sorts is that the right midfield position is not his best anyway.

You couldn’t fault his work-rate throughout the 90 minutes, but it just wasn’t the ridiculously high standards Kante usually plays with.

Medical department under scrutiny over Rudiger?

PA

A few weeks ago, Rudiger’s season looked in doubt as he limped off with a knee injury during the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool.

In fairness, the German international said afterwards that he hoped the problem ‘wasn’t too bad’ but you have to wonder whether he was rushed back too soon.

For Rudiger looked like he went off with exactly the same injury just past the hour mark at Old Trafford and surely his campaign is over now.

It is understandable why Chelsea wanted him back on the pitch as soon as possible. He is not only a good defender, he is one of the few characters in the dressing room.

REUTERS

But Chelsea do have other fine options in Andreas Christensen and club captain Gary Cahill – both of whom will be involved in the remaining matches now. Perhaps Rudiger’s return needed to be delayed a bit longer.

Of course it could have just come down to bad luck, but it does seem odd that Rudiger should have lightning strike twice in such a short amount of time

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