Ten Hag and Pochettino givess to conference speech after Man Utd’s victory over the Blues
After losing to Newcastle on Saturday, Manchester United sorely needed a performance, and from the start of that lopsided loss, they were no longer the same team.
They dominated the game from the start, pressing hard both on the ball and in the press. When Chris Kavanagh was sent to the VAR monitor, they had a great chance to continue their winning streak.
He pointed to the spot after seeing Enzo Fernandez’s late challenge on Antony, but two powerful Sanchez hands stopped Fernandes’ weak penalty.
After Mykhailo Mudryk and Garnacho missed chances at either end in an increasingly frantic opening, McTominay saved face by scoring on the rebound after Maguire’s shot was blocked.
He had a chance to add his score before halftime but he blasted a free header straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper. In another of the visitors’ multiple dangerous bursts, Andre Onana earned some personal forgiveness by making a heroic stop at the feet of Nicolas Jackson.
When their equalizer did arrive, Palmer’s individual skill was largely responsible. Easily handling Mudryk’s ball, he took advantage of multiple misses to gain the extra half-yard required to sweep a low finish past Onana’s helpless dive.
Both teams made adjustments at halftime, but Chelsea’s tactical alteration to a 4-4-2 without the ball cost Manchester United the flexibility they had before the break.
In a game lacking much in the way of logic it was when United looked at their least dangerous that they restored their advantage, when Garnacho’s curling cross to the back post was guided home by McTominay once more.
There was still time for Garnacho to miss another glorious chance as Man Utd looked to wrap up a crucial three points, while Reece James’ cross landed the wrong side of an unmarked Fernandez in a rare Chelsea attack.
While Man Utd were left to celebrate their assault on the top four at the full-time whistle, the Blues have now lost more games in 2023 than in either of the previous two years combined – and are only a point closer to Man City than they are the relegation zone.
Ten Hag: Man Utd never felt like a crisis for us
Man Utd manager Erik Ten Hag speaks:
“It hasn’t felt like a crisis for us. We’ve kept calm, worked on the process and we know where we have to build and what we have to build on.
“We’re stepping in the right direction, we don’t get distracted from criticism around us, we are very critical on ourselves and know we are not quickly satisfied, we want to do better. If we do things badly, we want to put that right and want to cuntinue in the process.
“The season is long, we have to improve a lot if we want our plans to be successful, but this team is capable of that.”
Pochettino: We could not match Man Utd’s performance tonight
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino speaks:
“We miss players that would have help, we played nearly with the same players we faced Brighton with, and we were also a man down for 60 minutes. Manchester United had a day more to prepare, and we had many young players on our bench.
“It’s not an excuse, but that’s the reality. I’m not disappointed because we gave everything, but we didn’t match the energy or aggressiveness United brought into the game. We created chances, maybe enough to draw the game.
“Overall, my feeling is they were better than us and deserved the three points.”
The next test that awaits both teams
Manchester United are back in action on Saturday in the EPL as they face Bournemouth, kick-off 3pm. They then play their final Champions League group game at home to Harry Kane’sBayern Munich on Tuesday December 12, kick-off 8pm.
Chelsea are back in action on Sunday when they travel to Everton in the Premier League, kick-off 2pm. They then host Sheffield United on Saturday December 16, kick-off 3pm.
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