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Kick off is at 2.05pm.
Chelsea team: Courtois; Azpilicueta (c), Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Drinkwater, Kante, Alonso; Willian, Morata, Hazard.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
Subs: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Emerson, Fabregas, Pedro, Giroud. #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/OVUncUfBN2
Today's #MUFC starting XI - and it looks like 4-3-3 for the Reds!
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
🔴 #MUNCHE 🔵 pic.twitter.com/h2Ri0JDeM8
So, today’s teams are:
Man United: De Gea, Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Young, McTominay, Matic, Pogba, Martial, Lukaku, Sanchez.
Subs: Bailly, Mata, Lingard, Carrick, Rashford, Shaw, Joel Pereira.
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Moses, Kante, Drinkwater, Alonso, Willian, Hazard, Morata.
Subs: Caballero, Fabregas, Pedro, Giroud, Zappacosta, Cahill, Emerson.
👋 Hey, #MUFC! pic.twitter.com/fPftfhEVGp
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
So, how do we see this one going? Following Liverpool’s 4-1 win against West Ham yesterday, the Reds inched up into second spot ahead of Manchester United.
Because of their slightly superior goal difference, should United fail to win today Jurgen Klopp’s side will remain ahead.
United have beaten a direct rival just once this season — a 3-1 win over Arsenal back in December — with their record against the top six poor this campaign.
Chelsea have enjoyed a decent spell of form following dismal back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Watford, beating West Brom and Hull City before a dramatic 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona midweek.
They are just three points behind United and with a win today can go level on 56 points.
The warm-up is in full swing! #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/4Yb5MxlwJg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
The warm-ups are finishing up and we’re now just 15 minutes from kick-off.
Kick-off: We’re underway at Old Trafford!
A promising early move from Chelsea right from tip-off. Eden Hazard leads the charge forward and floats the ball out wide towards Victor Moses.
He takes on Ashley Young, twisting left and right looking for an angle, but his cross comes off the player and out for the game’s first corner.
It’s a poor delivery and the move comes to nothing for the visitors. United happy now to take command of their first spell of possession, stroking the ball in and out of midfield between Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic sitting deep.
CHANCE! Ooooh what an electric start we are having here. Alvaro Morata crashes an almighty effort clanging off David De Gea’s post from just inside the box following a sweet delivery from Marcos Alonso.
United bodies looked dumbfounded and no-one bothered to track Eden Hazard on the rebound — the Belgian nicked the ball up into the air, forcing De Gea to tip it over.
Two shots in quick succession for the visitors and this game has exploded into life.
SO CLOSE! A brilliant move by the Blues nearly ends in a goal as Alonso's volleyed cross is smacked against the crossbar by Morata! Then De Gea tips Hazard's follow-up over.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
0-0 [4']#MUNCHE
A free-kick in a promising area from the boot of Alexis Sanchez floats over everybody’s head and comfortably into the arms of Thibaut Courtois. United are yet to surface a shot on goal to test the Belgian number one after 10 minutes.
The game has slowed into a lull the last few minutes. The camera panning to pick up Wayne Rooney smiling in the Old Trafford crowd has been the most eventful occurrence of the last five minutes.
Another lively move forward for Chelsea instigated by Willian on the edge of the box.
Morata has also been lively as a sort of target-man holding the ball up in front of goal, but this time the ball comes to Hazard who curls a harmless cross into the path of De Gea, who gathers with ease.
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte aren’t the best of friends (to put it mildly) but they did stumble through a cold, brief, uncomfortable handshake before kick-off.
A foul by Matic earns Chelsea a free-kick 40 yards from goal along the wing. Willian delivers a curling cross, but once again it fails to beat the first man and is headed clear with ease.
This game started with a bang, but it has dropped in quality this past little while. We need a goal. Or at least a bit more urgency.
The ball falls to a looming Romelu Lukaku inside the box — he does well to take possession and arrow a shot on goal with two defenders either side, but it deflects off a Chelsea body and away. A first chance on goal for Jose Mourinho’s side in this game then.
CHANCE! Goodness me, Alexis Sanchez really should have done an awful lot better there. United very much in the ascendency now and with the Chilean bearing down on goal you would have bet your house on him putting it away.
The forward’s balance after dribbling into the box defied him at the very last second and all he could manage was a weak toe-poke right at Courtois, who gathered relieved the effort didn’t have a bit more power behind it.
N’Golo Kante receives the game’s first yellow card as he drags at the back of Paul Pogba as the French international ran towards goal.
Yellow card for Kante who brought Pogba down as he burst through central midfield.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
0-0 [30'] #MUNCHE
GOAL! MAN UNITED 0-1 CHELSEA (WILLIAN 32)
IT'S THAT MAN AGAIN! WILLIAN STRIKES!
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
0-1 [32'] #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/kDKZFUJGrr
Chelsea race into the lead and what a goal it was! Willian is the player that starts the move inside his own half and his lung-busting run was rewarded with a pass from Eden Hazard.
Willian sized up the chance and struck a powerful strike straight through David De Gea. The United goalkeeper should have done an awful lot better there, but take nothing away from the Brazilian winger who did superbly.
It’s all Chelsea now as they come searching for a second straight away. Marcos Alonso has been surging forward all afternoon — he finds himself in possession on the edge of the box and curls a strike just over the bar.
Oooh football friends.
GOAL! MAN UNITED 1-1 CHELSEA (LUKAKU 39)
39' - GOOOAAALLLLLL! #MUFC 1 Chelsea 1.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
GET IN! @RomeluLukaku9 equalises! #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/Fyu3ynmOT9
We. Have. Goals! Man United are level and this game has finally found that bit of quality that was lacking.
It’s a brilliant assist from Anthony Martial who slides a clever pass to Romelu Lukaku inside the box — the Belgian doesn’t need an invitation and jinks the ball past Thibaut Courtois to bring his side back into this game.
An excellent finish for a player so often criticised for not performing against the top sides.
The game is finely poised now heading towards the break. Chelsea have looked the more impressive with Hazard visibly up for this game threatening on every counter-attack, but that goal conceded against the run of play will certainly dent the visitor’s confidence.
United only had a single shot on target before Lukaku equalised — but as they say the only statistic that matters in football is the one on the scoreboard at the end of 90 minutes.
There will be two minutes of additional time to come at the end of the first half.
HALF-TIME: MAN UNITED 1-1 CHELSEA
HALF-TIME@RomeluLukaku9's 13th #PL goal of the season cancels out @willianborges88's opener at Old Trafford#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/SINEV8WgDE
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 25, 2018
Second-half: We’re back underway!
Despite Romelu Lukaku’s late leveller, Jose Mourinho emerged from the break with a dour scowl across his face. His side have sat back in these early exchanges, as Chelsea look to wrestle back the lead after a first half in which they were largely much the better side.
A chance goes begging for Chelsea as Alvaro Morata is sent through free on goal. The pass is a little bit too wide and he must bring possession back towards goal.
By the time he does so, bodies in red jerseys have raced back in time to easily block his shot to safety.
It’s been a cagey six or seven minutes since play resumed. End-to-end, too, as both sides fancy three points may be up for grabs. United are chasing Liverpool in the table, and Chelsea are chasing United.
No matter what the result today the top four will continue to be a bunched trio jostling to overtake one another. Three points will see United re-claim second but a win for Conte’s men will see them level on points with United.
Finely balanced.
Close! Danny Drinkwater finds a pocket of space outside the box and decides to let fly. His shot doesn’t have a huge amount behind it, but it does force De Gea to spill it back into the danger zone.
Morata senses a tap-in, but the Spaniard just can’t quite get to the ball first and it’s booted into touch.
Drinkwater forces an uncomfortable save from De Gea from outside the box after we worked a free-kick short.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
1-1 [57'] #MUNCHE
At the risk of rebranding as one of those accounts that tweet bland stuff about Man Utd and get 6k RTs, whatever his other flaws may or may not be, Pogba weights his passes beautifully.
— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) February 25, 2018
Alexis Sanchez takes possession 30 yards from goal following some neat passing play across the midfield. He sees a pocket of Thibaut Courtois’s goal unguarded and fancies a go at goal — but his effort lacks any vigour and drags sheepishly wide of the post.
Chelsea have won their last 22 #PL games when they've scored first...
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 25, 2018
Will they make it 23❓
Find out ➡️ https://t.co/CxUIQsM5kC #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/7qgFYBnrGj
WHAT A SAVE! Thibaut Courtois pulls a stop right out of the top drawer.
Romelu Lukaku tried the spectacular with a stunning scissor-kick inside the box, but the Belgian goalkeeper was on-hand to produce a fine piece of athleticism and tip the ball over the bar.
Two of the world’s best goalkeeper’s on display today.
A fine piece of skill from Paul Pogba there. The French midfielder took command of the ball 25 yards from goal before scooping an almost inch-perfect ball over the top into the path of Alexis Sanchez.
There was just too much on it through, and it peters wide.
GOAL! MAN UNITED 2-1 CHELSEA (LINGARD 75)
75' - GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL! #MUFC 2 Chelsea 1.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
IT'S #JLINGZ! @JesseLingard #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/3tlOnJ762e
United have taken the lead! Two goals without reply has Jose Mourinho’s side on course for a massive three points which will see them back into second place.
Romelu Luakaku has his name all over this game and it is he who provides the cross which substitute Jesse Lingard heads home from close range.
An excellent cross and an even better finish from Lingard, who is only on the pitch a little over 10 minutes.
Substitution for Chelsea: Olivier Giroud replaces Victor Moses.
Chelsea sub: Olivier Giroud is on for Victor Moses.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
2-1 [77'] #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/ffy39o4gWD
Substitution for Man United: Eric Bailly replaces Alexis Sanchez.
80' - A second change for #MUFC: @Alexis_Sanchez is replaced by @EricBailly24, who makes his 50th appearance for the club. Fabregas is on for Drinkwater. #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/4q34APPXuh
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
Substitution for Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas replaces Danny Drinkwater.
A third and final Chelsea sub: Fabregas is on for Drinkwater.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2018
2-1 [81'] #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/yY76UiSLNh
Five minutes to go as Chelsea continue to haul forward in search of an equaliser. Matic goes in the referees book for a yellow card, as Mourinho’s men put their backs up against the wall and try to see this one out by any means possible.
It’s still tense but United don’t look too panicked as the seconds tick away.
Antonio Conte has introduced Pedro and Olivier Giroud but they have had little real impact. Cesc Fabregas has a killer pass in his armoury but there is no flow about Chelsea right now and the fight looks out of them.
Will there be late drama?
There will be four minutes of additional time to come at the end of the second half.
An outstanding individual run from Romelu Lukaku sees him chest the ball down inside his own half as United were under pressure and then power through the entire Chelsea defence on his own.
Incredible tenacity to get his side out of danger there.
FULL-TIME: MAN UNITED 2-1 CHELSEA
FT: #MUFC 2 Chelsea 1.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2018
We love it! 😎 #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/vky3E9hpJo
FULL-TIME Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 25, 2018
Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard both net as the hosts record a fine comeback victory#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/Y2GYgm6sVp
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What an achievement . Some great stuff to look for
Delighted. Was a great decision by the IRFU/Nucifora to start taking the 7′s seriously and hopefully now can qualify for the Olympics. COYBIG.
@Elliott Sheerin: It was a questionable decision why it took them so long to get involved in the first place. We were conspicuous by our absence.
@thegreatdefector: And it appears to be to the detriment of the Wolfhounds which is unfortunate.
@thegreatdefector: true but that was decision made by the Irfu before nuciforas time. He brought it back
What an achievement from this 7’s side. In the space of 4 years coming from the lowest levels of 7’s rugby to now having the opportunity to mix it up with the big boys on the biggest stage is an outstanding feat. Everyone behind the scenes deserves a incredible amount of credit for getting this great bunch of players to the top end of 7’s rugby. Conroy is a special talent he’ll give the Fijians, New Zealanders etc some major headaches. On a side note a uplifting day for the Leavy family too, Dan will be so proud of his younger brother. Another Irish team to be very proud of.
@Ian Verdon: well said!
@Ian Verdon: couldn’t have said it better myself. Some fantastic players on that team. They were solid throughout in what is a very difficult tournament. Some set of wheels on Conroy, can’t wait to see them against the big boys.
Fantastic achievement after years of grafting and the heartbreak of a last-minute qualifier loss in 2018. The Irish team showed real resilience to overcome a very physical German team in the semi-finals and great defence in the final.
The World Sevens Series is a great watch, even without Ireland in it, so it’s good to see us join the party while creating more opportunities for players to play rugby professionally in Ireland.
Can we now have a domestic program put in place to develop kids please. No underage competitors for youths currently.
@kieran horgan: lovely idea but where do you get coaching resources from and how are you going to manage the conflict at club level where clubs are struggling to fill underage sides at 15.
@Michael Murray: from what I see of clubs at home a lot of underage competitions finish in March. Why not use rest of March and April to play provincial 7s competitions and perhaps end it with an All Ireland 7s festival to go alongside the Kinsale 7s on May bank holiday if there was room there.
@Brendan ‘fox’ O’ Sullivan: was gonna say this. A lot of people play league in the off-season in order to keep playing rugby. 7s is far more entertaining than league and could easily overtake it as a summer time game.
@Brendan ‘fox’ O’ Sullivan: March April May or else play festivals during summer. Plenty of options.
@Michael Murray: How many clubs are struggling to field at 15s level? 7s should be used to develop players as well and could be excellent way in Dublin for clubs to keep ties with kids who normally while in secondary school if in likes of Blackrock, Terenure etc will rarely play club rugby if ever
Deadly!!
Great result for Ireland, will be brilliant to see them play on the big stage from next year. Here is hoping they continue to develop the 7s game with the provincial academies in Ireland. They will need to develop a strong squad to last through a full season. I remember seeing Adam Byrne play a 7s tournament in Dubai a few years ago he was immense, the 7s can really be beneficial for young players. Have been to the Dubai 7s twice and it is a brilliant weekend Hong Kong is definitely on the bucket list
@Brendan ‘fox’ O’ Sullivan: Do you think the IRFU will push for Dublin to be a host nation sometime in the future. It seems like a tournament that would be well received and attended in Dublin for the Irish and the visitors.
@David Staed: I think the cities for the next 3 year’s have been locked in but definitely after that. I watch a lot of 7s and atmosphere looks great in each city it goes to.
Forward to now with the World Series
Such a tight game against Germany and then a bit of a mismatch in the final!
Well done lads.
@gavin cooney , lazy journalism for your description under the articles picture . The “teammate” in question is Harry McNulty a player who has been there from the very beginning hence why I would imagine he is so emotional, he also scored in the game .
@Luke O’Mahony: you spelt Foster Horan wrong
Ireland should put more focus on the 7s, its an Olympic sport and given our long history of failure at 15 a side rugby on a global level maybe we need to take a fresh approach. Next aim for these guys is Olympic qualification which is actually very difficult given the system that is in place. It would help if England could make it into the top 4 of the World Series as we wouldnt have to compete against them for the only European spot but the likelihood is that we will be up against themselves, France and Spain for that spot as well as teams like Germany and Russia
@Frank Scanlon: Frank, Ireland have a long history, over 100 years, of success in what you call 15 a side rugby.
@Locojoe: I said success on a global level, please point out what Ireland have achieved on a global scale in 15 a side rugby? Never made it beyond World Cup quarter finals, the only major rugby playing nation never to do so, even Argentina which could hardly be considered a rugby nation have made a couple of semis. Our record is embarassing. Better to invest in 7s from the ground up, get more kids playing it instead of 15 a side, its far better to watch anyway and maybe we might win something
@Frank Scanlon: so making a quarter final in a World Cup isn’t an achievement? You do know only 4 country’s have ever one the World Cup in its entire history, as well as Guinness Book of Records proving New Zealand are the most dominant team of any professional sport in the world.
I can remember when i was younger i wanted to play it but there was literally nothing in place. It looked like a good challenge but i was the only person i knew who wanted to play
Found this link to the match https://youtu.be/bJNnECd-iBk
@Accounting Pro: sorry this is better https://youtu.be/DEyBc5YjxKQ