Cancel culture? Yes if we are talking penalties. But not in a way that drained the spectacle of life. VAR clobbered Manchester United with the denial of a stout penalty claim and gave the contest its talking point. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cried foul. Thomas Tuchel wondered why the referee needed VAR to establish innocence.
This was the meat, and the heat of it. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s hand came into contact with the ball under a challenge from Mason Greenwood in the 16th minute. The incident framed the tension of the age, the application of VAR and its prosecution of handball decisions. The old red in the Sky commentary box, Gary Neville, advised that it would have been given earlier in the season.
Leading the anti-red faction, former Arsenal full-back Lee Dixon informed his American cable audience that if it’s a penalty the game has gone. Social media frothed commensurately and Tuchel got shirty with Solskjaer on the touchline. Who needs goals to get a party started?
The game crackled with intent, Chelsea seeking to halve the six point gap to United, who in turn recognised the importance of the cushion with a visit to Manchester City looming next weekend. Thus did the match proceed with noses pushed against each other, not an inch given.
The absence of goal-mouth action was a testament to the organisation and commitment of both teams and the failure of the poster boys in red and blue to distinguish themselves. United defended higher and pressed, which is itself an evolution against top-six opposition, a sign that under Solskjaer they are beginning to develop method and understanding, but not yet reliable cutting edge.
They were helped by the absence of Anthony Martial, who, for all his talent, does not have the psyche to bring it to bear at these elevations. Solskjaer anchored his front three around Mason Greenwood instead, a player more given to aggression, and returned Marcus Rashford to his favoured left while persisting with Dan James on the right.
After being penned in by Chelsea’s vigorous start, United finished the first half in the ascendency but the more temperature they brought in the vicinity of the opponent’s goal, the quicker space evaporated.
The early momentum in the second half was again with Chelsea. A break down the left by Ben Chilwell fed Hakim Ziyech, who brought a terrific stop from David de Gea. The ball rebounded to James, who evinced from the redoubtable Luke Shaw an equally remarkable block. United could barely breathe, such was the grip Chelsea held on the game in the opening 15 minutes of the half.
As if coming up for air, United broke on the hour, exploding forward with characteristic pace. Rashford sent Luke Shaw to the byline. His cross panicked the Chelsea defence, the ball broke to Scott McTominay, whose clean strike stung the hands of Edouard Mendy. United were off the ropes, the next ten minutes comfortably theirs.
Mendy spilled a cross from James that might have been costly had Greenwood not been on his heals. With 12 minutes remaining Tuchel sent on Timo Werner for Ziyech. The game was becoming stretched and United’s midfield overworked as they scrambled to resist Chelsea’s lust for all three points. Chelsea pressed but were also lucky not to be pinged on the break. Story of a goalless ding-dong.
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