Even skipper John Terry admitted to Sky after the match today that the team were going through a bad spell by comparison with the lofty standards set by their impeccable early-season form.
However, there is no doubt that they are the best and most consistent team in the league this year.
They are unbeaten in games against the other top five sides, and apart from Man City, they have defeated them all at least once.
Therefore, make no mistake, the current 10-point lead they hold is a fair reflection of the gap in quality that has patently existed between themselves and their rivals over the course of this campaign.
2. Van Gaal’s claims exaggerated
Louis Van Gaal says Man Utd performance was best all season, brutalises NBC reporter (1/2) #MUNCHEhttps://t.co/2kjE4S83UG
Man United boss Louis van Gaal insisted his side gave their best performance of the season against Chelsea today, despite being beaten 1-0 by the Londoners.
United dominated for long periods of the game, enjoying 71% possession overall, and made Chelsea work extremely hard defensively.
However, Van Gaal’s claims are surely an exaggeration, as suggestions to the contrary would downplay the importance of play in the final third of the field.
Finishing and capitalising on dominance are just as important as retaining the ball and refraining from making defensive errors, and United fell conspicuously short in the former two aspects of the game, so to put such a positive spin on the game is either disingenuous or naive on the Dutchman’s part.
Harry Kane has rightly gained plenty of admirers for his goalscoring exploits this campaign, but surely Eden Hazard is the most deserving winner out of all this year’s PFA Player of the Year nominees.
The little Belgian was superb again today, as he sprinted elegantly past the United defenders before intelligently slotting the ball through David De Gea’s legs for the game’s only goal.
Sky’s Gary Neville named him man-of-the-match and it was hard to argue with the decision. The goal apart, Hazard constantly had United defenders on tenterhooks with his lightning pace, astute movement and clever link-up play.
There is the argument that Kane has to play with inferior footballers, but this is surely cancelled out by the extra pressure Hazard must be under — every Chelsea game is a must-win at the top, while Tottenham’s season has virtually petered out by now.
4. Shaw reminds fans of his potential
As Van Gaal was so keen to acknowledge after the game, there were some positives for United to take from today’s ultimately disappointing defeat.
One plus point was the performance of Luke Shaw. The £30million full-back has had a below-par campaign, with injuries and a lack of form prompting the player himself to admit that the season has been less than satisfactory.
However, Shaw showed some of the good play he regularly displayed last season with Southampton today, posing a regular threat down the left and forcing Branislav Ivanovic to commit a yellow-card offence after a surging run towards the box.
Consequently, it’s easy to forget that the England international is still relatively inexperienced at 19, and that his performances are bound to fluctuate to a degree at this stage in his career.
While it may not have been pretty for some critics, as far as defensive purists are concerned, Chelsea’s display this afternoon will have been a joy to behold.
Their discipline, concentration and work ethic, with striker Didier Drogba leading from the front, was hugely impressive.
By the end of the game, United had patently run out of ideas — a factor epitomised by Ander Herrera’s desperate last-minute dive in a failed attempt to win a penalty.
Moreover, incredibly, Chelsea have still only conceded just seven goals in the league at Stamford Bridge all season, and on today’s evidence, it’s easy to see why.
5 talking points as defensive masterclass sees Chelsea edge Man United
Updated at 22.15
1. Chelsea will be worthy champions
CHELSEA HAVE HAD their critics this season, particularly in recent weeks, as they’ve eked out a couple of less-than-convincing wins — bad form that was compounded by their Champions League exit at the hands of PSG last month.
Even skipper John Terry admitted to Sky after the match today that the team were going through a bad spell by comparison with the lofty standards set by their impeccable early-season form.
However, there is no doubt that they are the best and most consistent team in the league this year.
They are unbeaten in games against the other top five sides, and apart from Man City, they have defeated them all at least once.
Therefore, make no mistake, the current 10-point lead they hold is a fair reflection of the gap in quality that has patently existed between themselves and their rivals over the course of this campaign.
2. Van Gaal’s claims exaggerated
Man United boss Louis van Gaal insisted his side gave their best performance of the season against Chelsea today, despite being beaten 1-0 by the Londoners.
Van Gaal surprised at least one reporter with his remarks, but there was undoubtedly at least an element of truth to such sentiments.
United dominated for long periods of the game, enjoying 71% possession overall, and made Chelsea work extremely hard defensively.
However, Van Gaal’s claims are surely an exaggeration, as suggestions to the contrary would downplay the importance of play in the final third of the field.
Finishing and capitalising on dominance are just as important as retaining the ball and refraining from making defensive errors, and United fell conspicuously short in the former two aspects of the game, so to put such a positive spin on the game is either disingenuous or naive on the Dutchman’s part.
3. Hazard deserves Player of the Year win
Harry Kane has rightly gained plenty of admirers for his goalscoring exploits this campaign, but surely Eden Hazard is the most deserving winner out of all this year’s PFA Player of the Year nominees.
The little Belgian was superb again today, as he sprinted elegantly past the United defenders before intelligently slotting the ball through David De Gea’s legs for the game’s only goal.
Sky’s Gary Neville named him man-of-the-match and it was hard to argue with the decision. The goal apart, Hazard constantly had United defenders on tenterhooks with his lightning pace, astute movement and clever link-up play.
There is the argument that Kane has to play with inferior footballers, but this is surely cancelled out by the extra pressure Hazard must be under — every Chelsea game is a must-win at the top, while Tottenham’s season has virtually petered out by now.
4. Shaw reminds fans of his potential
As Van Gaal was so keen to acknowledge after the game, there were some positives for United to take from today’s ultimately disappointing defeat.
One plus point was the performance of Luke Shaw. The £30million full-back has had a below-par campaign, with injuries and a lack of form prompting the player himself to admit that the season has been less than satisfactory.
However, Shaw showed some of the good play he regularly displayed last season with Southampton today, posing a regular threat down the left and forcing Branislav Ivanovic to commit a yellow-card offence after a surging run towards the box.
Consequently, it’s easy to forget that the England international is still relatively inexperienced at 19, and that his performances are bound to fluctuate to a degree at this stage in his career.
However, in Louis Van Gaal — who has already done wonders for one-time outcasts like Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini — the youngster has a coach who is more likely than most to ultimately get the best out of him.
5. Blues’ defence in a world of its own
While it may not have been pretty for some critics, as far as defensive purists are concerned, Chelsea’s display this afternoon will have been a joy to behold.
Their discipline, concentration and work ethic, with striker Didier Drogba leading from the front, was hugely impressive.
By the end of the game, United had patently run out of ideas — a factor epitomised by Ander Herrera’s desperate last-minute dive in a failed attempt to win a penalty.
Moreover, incredibly, Chelsea have still only conceded just seven goals in the league at Stamford Bridge all season, and on today’s evidence, it’s easy to see why.
LVG was clearly unimpressed with one reporter’s line of questioning after the game today>
David de Gea just suffered a very embarrassing case of premature celebration>
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