Mateo Kovacic's first-half arrival sparks rejuvenation in Chelsea after dreadful start vs Man Utd; despite lack of quality at both ends, Erik ten Hag's side show never-say-die attitude to net 94th-minute equaliser through Casemiro
Sunday 23 October 2022 10:06, UK
Chelsea and Man Utd embodied the best of their managers in spite of a lack of quality at both ends in a tactical chess match at Stamford Bridge.
In the end, it was a game neither side deserved to win, but Manchester United looked like they had done enough to lose.
A combined 17 touches in one another's boxes in an intense but largely frustrating second half would have deserved to end in a stalemate until Scott McTominay's moment of madness to haul down Armando Broja in his own box with four minutes to go, and gift Chelsea what appeared a winner from 12 yards.
That the hosts had been in a position to think about seeing out a comfortable, even dull, draw was only possible after Graham Potter had recognised his own mistake to introduce Mateo Kovacic after 36 minutes, changing shape in the process, as United threatened to overrun his side before half-time.
And though United appeared to have thrown away a point at Stamford Bridge, they embodied the fight of Erik ten Hag to claw back an equaliser in the fifth minute of added time through Casemiro and again display the resilience he has installed in his new side.
Potter had clearly been caught cold by the boldness of United's set-up, which allowed Chelsea to isolate Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw on the flanks by leaving Jadon Sancho and Antony forward when defending, but gave United joy time and time again when Cesar Azpilicueta and, in particular, Ben Chilwell were caught upfield. Had Antony picked a better final ball, they may have been made to pay.
The aggression of the United midfield, too, left Chelsea's duo of Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek trapped barely outside their own area, without the guile to play through their visitors and as a result Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were isolated further upfield.
It was only a matter of time before United found the right pass and shot, and for the second time in six days Potter swallowed his pride to sanction a change in personnel and shape, switching from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 with Kovacic's extra body in midfield to help bring the ball forward.
The ex-Brighton boss has long been known for his tactical flexibility and this was the best example of that quick thinking since he arrived at Stamford Bridge. In the opening half hour, United saw 63.3 per cent of the ball. In the last hour, that dropped to 47.4 per cent. Though Chelsea still managed just six shots across the whole game, five of those came after the change was made.
"We were getting overrun and the need to make a change was just a feeling that I had, it's never an easy decision to make but the team responded really well to it," Potter said afterwards.
"They were better in the first 30 minutes and we had to adjust, get another player into the midfield and put a bit more pressure on them. They were building their attacks too easily, driving us back, and we had to change that. From that point, I thought we did well in the game."
His opposite number, Ten Hag, was energetically clapping every press from his players in at first half hour, evidently enjoying the dominance of his United side as they gradually silenced Stamford Bridge and stifled Chelsea, restricting them to just two touches in the opposition box.
That then grew to frustration at times as the filled-out wall of the home midfield wrestle back control following Kovacic's introduction. Even so, United still carried their own threat, and should have scored after his arrival when Antony was played clean through but blasted wide on his weaker foot.
United's improvement under Ten Hag this season has been clear - they are enjoying their best start for five years - even though their underlying numbers have not shifted as much as their results would suggest.
What he has changed is to instil the raw materials he wants from a United side - built on endeavour and a never-say-die attitude, unteachable qualities tied so closely to the Sir Alex Ferguson era but badly lacking in the nine years since.
After they were battered 4-0 at Brentford in August and Ten Hag's world turned into a malaise, they bounced straight back to stun Liverpool. After another thumping at Manchester City, they came back from a goal down to win at Goodison Park.
They were far from sparkling at Stamford Bridge but made up for it in perseverance to still escape with a point despite shipping an 86th-minute opener. Ten Hag's Man Utd look like they could be the real deal, even if only some of his players prove to be.
"We showed resilience, that's a big thing for big teams to show. It's what Casemiro, among others, bring to this team.
"That's why I'm happy at this stage of the season with this point when you're capable to fight back like this."
Both sides will play far better this season, especially if they have desires of finishing fourth or better. But both are, for different reasons, beginning to mould into reflections of Potter and Ten Hag respectively and that is only a good thing. Not every team that embodies its manager is successful, but every team that is successful embodies its manager.
