There is beginning to appear a touch of the Manchester United of old about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. They had few chances against Chelsea, as they’d expect away from home against one of the league’s top sides, nor did they dominate play, yet after swallowing up a series of Chelsea chances they were two ahead by the break in clinical, ruthless fashion and maintained that until the end.
In the Stamford Bridge stands was Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scot could well have been brought back to his days in the dugout by such an incisive, effective performance to win an FA Cup fifth-round tie which pre-match could easily have gone either way.
Even when Solskjaer was brought in by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward with the intention of returning some of that United spirit, none of them could really have imagined it would’ve gone quite this well.
Pogba pulls the strings
Goal one came just after half-an-hour, a quick burst up the left-hand-side of the pitch, Paul Pogba cut back and sent in the sort of ball that few players in the world have the ability to match, and it dropped on to Ander Herrera’s head to nod in.
A minute before the break they had their second — even punchier than the first. Pogba won the ball back in midfield, sent Marcus Rashford down the right flank and then hurtled as fast as possible into the box, so that when Rashford crossed Pogba was there — diving — to head the ball beyond Kepa. Chelsea’s goalkeeper should’ve saved the effort on positioning alone, but the sheer power of the header forced the ball through his hands.
If you had thought seven Labour MPs quitting their party in protest to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership was going to be the only major split of the day, then you had clearly not bargained for Chelsea’s defence last night.
Watching on were England manager Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland, who noted Rashford’s pinpoint delivery for the assist and his ferocious chasing down of everything and nothing and a refusal to give up on a lost cause. For Chelsea’s players, it must’ve been like playing against a Jack Russell with ADHD.
Chelsea on top
It was required of a forward in a game in which really at every point in the half bar those 10-second attacks Chelsea looked the likelier to score (a theme that continued into the second half). Sergio Romero, in for David De Gea for the Cup, pulled off a double save, punching out David Luiz’s awkward free-kick then catching Pedro’s rebound. Eden Hazard hit one of those low ones towards the bottom right corner, which more often than not go in, wide. Gonzalo Higuain headed inches wide from a long-distance header.
Higuain is already offering more than Alvaro Morata, who often played as though he was quite bored of football, but is way off anything like his peak. At one point, with the score goalless, the Argentine appeared to have been played through on goal, but was too slow to take advantage, and freight ships have turned faster than when, realising he didn’t have the pace, he tried to cut back to make space for a shot.
On the Chelsea bench was 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi, wondering what it would be like had he joined Bayern Munich already.
Since Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri described Hudson-Odoi as the “future” of Chelsea, the teenager has played 19 minutes, coming on from the bench against Huddersfield, in the Premier League, and Malmo, in their Europa League tie last Thursday.
Hudson-Odoi did not even make an appearance last night, while Pedro was replaced by Willian and Mateo Kovacic by Ross Barkley, a repetition of substitutions that have now become a running joke.
No joy for Hudson-Odoi
Until last night, Hudson-Odoi had played every minute in the FA Cup for Chelsea, but had to make do with the dugout instead, perhaps a harsh lesson for the forward; that handing in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a £35million move to Bayern Munich will not be accepted on Sarri’s watch. Either that, or confirmation that he must ensure he leaves for the Bundesliga in the summer.
For two managers whose futures will be decided in the summer, it was a blow struck by Solskjaer; yet another example of what United, even with the current group, can be and a step closer to a trophy that would make it impossible not to give the job to him full-time.
For Sarri, it was another match looking slightly lost out there. The players not entirely sure of the system, Sarri with seemingly no inspiration to change it in any way at all.
As United crave a return to their past, Chelsea are still desperate for a brighter, alternative future.
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