LAST UPDATE | 28 Apr 2019
ANOTHER COSTLY ERROR from David de Gea dealt Manchester United’s chances of Champions League football a potentially fatal blow as Chelsea consolidated their place in the Premier League top four with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
De Gea spilled Antonio Rudiger’s long-range effort to allow Marcos Alonso to equalise just before half-time and cancel out Juan Mata’s early opener.
A point halts a run of seven defeats in nine games for United, but does little for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men’s chances of overhauling Chelsea, who remain three points ahead of the Red Devils and with a superior goal difference.
Arsenal’s defeat by Leicester earlier on Sunday means Maurizio Sarri’s men move two points ahead of the Gunners with two games of the campaign to go.
Solskjaer made five changes from the side beaten comfortably by Manchester City in midweek.
However, it was the one the Norwegian did not make, and insisted he would not countenance, in dropping De Gea that came back to haunt him after a positive start from the hosts.
Romelu Lukaku was one of those recalled to the starting line-up and should have rewarded his manager inside five minutes with the opener as he got in behind the Chelsea defence, but allowed Kepa Arrizabalaga to narrow the angle and block.
Lukaku quickly made amends as United scored from open play for the first time in two minutes short of nine hours.
The Belgian’s lofted pass picked out the run of Luke Shaw from left-back and his cut-back found Mata to roll into an unguarded net against his former side.
Eric Bailly then headed inches wide from a corner as Chelsea seemed destined to complete a clean sweep of five defeats away to top six opposition this season.
However, they were given a lifeline two minutes before half-time as De Gea’s miserable run continued.
The Spaniard was at fault in heavy defeats recently at Barcelona and Everton, as well as for City’s two goals in midweek.
And his loss of confidence was evident as he spilled Rudiger’s speculative effort and Alonso reacted quicker than the United defence to turn home the rebound off the inside of the post.
That blow appeared to drain United’s belief after the break for what Solskjaer had termed a “must-win” for his side.
Both sides were hit by defensive injuries in a disjointed second half as Rudiger and Bailly hobbled off.
Bailly’s replacement Marcos Rojo came closest to grabbing a winner when his header was cleared off the line by Pedro Rodriguez in stoppage time.
Sarri claimed before the game that his side were “incapable” of playing for a draw, but they were happy to wind the clock down, knowing that wins in their remaining two games against Watford and Leicester will be enough to secure a return to the Champions League next season.
And they could have grabbed all three points with virtually the last kick of the game when the ineffective Gonzalo Higuain shot straight at De Gea from a narrow angle.
His confidence is completely gone Bill!!
@Micheál Carew: Hes single handedly keeping Man U in 6th place. What a legend!
He’s deliberately playing so badly that even Madrid won’t want him now.
Goes to show how much of a shambles we are at the minute to give ole a 3 year contract before the honeymoon period is over. You can just tell by his body language he’s like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Another wrong decision
@DL_8_5: Woodward out
@Ardmore02: Absolutely. So far away from challenging again its depressing. It’s just fu*k up after fu*k up
@DL_8_5: Yeah you’re right, always an upturn in performances after a change in management but then it usually just goes back to the way it was. Should have waited until the end of the season to make their judgement.
@DL_8_5: I reckon they approached Poch and he said no indefinitely to the job, so they decided to just give it to Ole. No other explanation as to why they would do it before guaranteeing top 4.
@Stephen Lyons: Said as much weeks ago the sheer luck he was gettin, ie…..played off pitch and winnin, …..de gea makin wonder saves and winning…..played off pitch home and away to psg and winnin……lucky ref decisions in big moments and winnin would all run out and we’ll see the real Ole than and was shouted down from the roof tops from the red tinted brigade tellin me their goin top 4 and winning champs league????
Said let’s see who’s right????????? Another big contract for Ole please…madness giving him contract before season end madness, nice guy don’t get me wrong just out of his depth totally….
@DL_8_5: am not impressed when managers have banter in the middle of a game with opposition players, like Ole joking with Pedro before he came on… I get the impression he’s a soft touch…
@DL_8_5: 1 month ago, ole was god. fickle supporters. whole team are letting man u down. Roy was right. poor de gea kept us where are
for last 4/5 years
@Conor Flynn: should give Paul Ince ago, he seems confident he could match ole.
Ederson, Allison ter Stegen and oblak way better then de gea
@Hirving Lozano: David ford is better than de gea
@Hirving Lozano: Maybe at the moment, but he’s still a world class goalkeeper. Those that compare him to others here day to day are just trying to undermine him. He’s just going through a bad patch, I feel bad for him but hopefully it doesn’t last long.
@Hirving Lozano: Are you Hirving a laugh ?? Maybe this season but thats about it
@Hirving Lozano: form is temporary.
@Hirving Lozano: the young lad in Goal for Finn Harps is better….
@Stephen Lyons: he’s heads been turned and everyone knows it .a class act for last 5 yrs best premier lge goalie stats shows but let him off juve/psg from utd fan better for both parties.romero not a bad replacement or even butland/gunn for 30 mil put in someone wants be there.thanks for the memories Spanish Dave.bring another 10 along with you
@Paully kells: Madrid have been after him for the better part of 3 years now so if his head was going to turn it would have done back then. His form started to dip during the world cup with Spain, in a turbulent team that was going through a lot of sh*t during that Lopetegui scandal. Looks like he hasn’t gotten over that since and it has almost been aggravated in the last few weeks. Confidence is huge in sport, and he looks to have lost his.
@Stephen Lyons: he won’t go Spain because of the treatment he gets.yeah he’s head was turned only for a bad fax machine but fairplay him he didn’t drop he’s head & gave another 3/4 great seasons form has nosedived as the joker’s he’s had in front of him in the epl through out the years has finally caught up with him.who would blame him and it would do him absolute world of good if he got a move at this stage no one would debate the man’s been world class
@Paully kells: I think he’s too much of a professional to let distractions affect his performances. I do agree that if he gets a move upwards he deserves it, he owes United nothing.
@Stephen Lyons: the contract has alot do with it.i think it’s a big regret signing Sanchez regards money definitely has unsettled a dressing room but that’s for another week ha..yeah he def deserves a move pastures new owes noting practically won 15-18 points for utd every season last few year..THE WALL..wish him well IF he does go
Why was pogba not playing, is he injured!?!
@DL_8_5: no he’s reportedly missing if you see him though contact the local Garda station
@DL_8_5: Some contrast between Ramsey being let go on a free at Arsenal and United (hopefully) trying to flog Pogba for anything close to 100 million this summer!
@Hirving Lozano: falling in every tackle 6’3
Like a drunk man on Saturday night,cant stand or run past a jog.
@Stephen Lyons: I’d do a straight swap Ramsey for Pogba if it was possible! Regarding poch I dont think he would have turned down United. His hands are tied at spurs, not sure he would have turned down a practically blank cheque book
@DL_8_5: I don’t know man it seems as if he has a serious philosophy about him at Spurs, the players look like they’d go through walls for him, the team bond seems to be excellent. If they can keep the players I can see him staying there for some time.
@DL_8_5: no he is a c u n t that’s why
Heard utd are in for Karius
Extremely frustrating to watch as a Chelsea fan , higuain is a complete shambles , William was poor , we should of scored at the end , positive is defense was very good in second half
@Mark: whatever about willian higuain is utter $hit
@Ciarán O Shaughnessy: I wholeheartedly agree with this remark. Higuain single-handedly ruined Messi’s chances of being a multiple Copa America champion and a World Cup winner.
@Ronan McGrath: he went to jive for a 100m just think about that
@Mark: If you can isolate Hazard you see how poor Chelsea are as a team. If he goes this summer I can see Abramovich selling within 3 or 4 years, because I think it’ll take Chelsea a long time to get back to competing without Hazard.
@Mark: yer as bad as us at the moment now call a spade a spade
@Mark: Agreed our number 9 curse has hit higuain who looks overweight and slow, giroud needs to play? Regardless sari needs to go and take luiz Jorginho kovacic with him..
@Stephen Lyons: Jesus If I’d a euro for every time I heard Romans leaving I’d be a wealthy man. Change the record? Agreed on hazard him and Kante leave we’re mid table massive overhaul needed
@Ciarán O Shaughnessy: jive for €100 million, I’d jive naked for €100
Good 1st half I suppose
Made a howler on Wednesday night with the second city goal and there wasn’t a word from the Utd supporters .
@stephen darling: are you sure about that now??
United with all the bad publicity lately , had to play out of their skins , and for the first forty minutes they did . Second half Chelsea got a leg up with de gea s howler , and panic ran through them in extra time . They need to put that 40 min effort in over a season in all games for 90 mins , which is hard , but that’s what s needed .
@Tricksy: For starters Chelsea scored in the first half Thicksy !
@David Weston: United can’t even keep pace with a team who’ve lost 12 games this season
@David Weston: I never mentioned anywhere that Chelsea scored in the second half , mr weed ! But you are blinkered with hatred , you can’t have an opinion or speak the truth when united are mentioned !
@Tricksy: u us still a bit ficks tho, innit?
@Sean: you what mate ?
Do Utd not have a youth academy? It’s 20 years since Beckham, Scholes et al, can they not bring in Youth players who have the desire to play instead of wasting millions upon millions on these bluffers? They can’t be any worse than the numptys they have playing every week.
@Stevie Doran: McTominay and Rashford? Oh and Lingard too….or are you purposely making a fool of yourself?
3-5 year rebuild job for Utd, but will the fans/owners be that patient
He doesn’t want to be there
Had he an issue with doughnuts initially?
Shambles the lot of it from top to bottom.ole has utd turning into Cardiff and a trailer load of joker’s with him.rojo,Sanchez,martial,Fred & king pogba amongst a few,de gea confidence is now finally shot after years playing with clowns.take him out the hell & put Romero in goals for the last 2 games & do the right thing ole.unfortunatly they can’t make it but wolves deserve be in the champions lge next yr than utd,Chelsea or arsenal with the football they played this season.sick of another headline de gea howler could mention another 7/8 clowns along with him this season that’s not good enough wear that shirt.
@Paully kells: stick DeGea on the bench during this spell and you might aswell pack his bags for him & spend another 100 mill finding a replacement, what world class keeper would want to sign. And all for what, 2 games left against relegated teams for a top 4 spot that’s gone. No point stating where’d they be without him
@Paully kells: slight over reaction I feel. Thought ManU played well today should have scored another in the first half. No doubt players are underperforming but they are hardly Cardiff! Big summer ahead for Ole…
@Ich bin brendan: I understand what your saying but he clearly wants out now.no sign of a new contract been signed hence he’s form has dropped altogether not the de gea of old is a understatement I think ole for the last two games should play the lads that will be there next yr forget about the ones thats leaving the club the fans deserve better now at this stage.enoughs enough.play the youngsters basically. F Sanchez,pogba,rojo,etc
@Trevor Wallace: sarcasim bout Cardiff obviously.but as a utd die hard it’s v hard look at thar. All you have do is look at Sanchez/martials attitude coming on against city Weds. Something has be done
@Ich bin brendan: Darren Randolf
@Ich bin brendan: are you trying tell me he’s not already packing he’s bags?????the man wants out..simple as.there will be plenty world class keepers want sign..de gea has done all he’s can no one hold it against him if he finally decided jog on..
@Trevor Wallace: and De Gea made a great save st the end to stop Chelsea winning
@Paully kells: jaysus calm down there lad Ole hasnt even had a single transfer , had the best streak of any united manager and the first sign of poor form form a team of players he inherited and u are claiming that he’s turning em into Cardiff , a bit if perspective ffs
@Dave Hammond: that was me trying to make some light of it…jasus I hope he isn’t.ffs
Brutal second half by both sides. United just on empty. Howler by De Gea and morphing into Jim Leighton. Get rid n get Courtois in. Real don’t want him. Do they still want De Gea. Probably worst United season since 73-74. Should scrap the 4th place for CL as none deserving. Poor league really in general. Top 2 way overhyped.
@El_Monikerinho: only a man utd fan would say the top 2 are overhyped when they have over 90pts each.
You are right when you say it is poor league from 3rd down that is
@Macker: yeah. Classic case of the league is muck when your team is so far off the pace.
@El_Monikerinho: The league is overhyped yet 2 teams are in the Champions League semis and 2 are in the Europa League semis? It could have been 3 in the Champions league semis only they drew each other. Yeah it’s way overhyped. Just because United are muck? We will see when Pool play Barca what state the league is.
And people are turning on ole already.
As a utd fan you have to have the patience to understand that he has inherited a poor team and that realistically he will have to be given at least another two seasons to see if he is indeed the manager to improve this team.
As for the top 2 they are top class. Liverpool’s total points wud have won them many a premiership in the past and they still cud win the champions league. Unfortunately theirs too many people throwing out tot for tat crap on social media.
@Tony Boyle: when united brought in David moyes , he wasn’t given time Tony , then sacked , ( sir Alex choice man ) then van gaal , and then Mourinho ( who was toxic and going to be the answer to their prayers ) never realising he was paranoid and ego driven , and now ole , . United had massive success down the years , and some blinkered people want it back immediately, not willing to be patient for a few years . Who knows what would have happened if they didn’t give fergie 5 years to put a team together .
Absolute stink
The man wants to go to Madrid. Amazing what a few Howlers can do.
Pogba missing again# absolute dirt