MANCHESTER, England – Moisés Caicedo halted Manchester United's mini-resurgence under Ruud van Nistelrooy by earning a Premier League point for Chelsea with a spectacular second-half volley in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday .
Van Nistelrooy, who is in charge as interim head coach following the sacking of Erik ten Hag last week, inspired United to a 5-2 victory against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in midweek in their first game. And although Bruno Fernandes put United ahead with a 70th-minute penalty to give them hope of a crucial victory, Caicedo canceled out the goal with one of his own four minutes later.
Van Nistelrooy will temporarily remain in charge for next week's matches against PAOK Thessaloniki in the Europa League and against Leicester in the Premier League next Sunday. Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim will arrive on November 11 to become United's sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, but will need to inspire quick change to get United back on track this season. –Mark Ogden
Ten Hag's caution still leaves United scars
Van Nistelrooy's natural attacking instincts have already made the difference for Manchester United during his two games in charge, but the scars of Ten Hag's cautious approach still run deep.
United's ineffectiveness is confirmed by the fact that they have led for a total of 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, and 55 of them were against Southampton.
Only Fulham, Southampton, Brentford and now Chelsea have fallen behind against United this season. Incredibly, for a club of their resources, only Southampton and Crystal Palace have scored fewer goals than United in the league.
The Red Devils' five-goal display in the midweek win against Leicester was an example of the team playing with more freedom under Van Nistelrooy, and they also played with style against Chelsea. But while United were often trapped when attacking under Ten Hag, they were also laborious and deliberate when playing out from the back, and Van Nistelrooy was quick to end any repeat of that against Chelsea.
The former United striker clearly wants his players to look forward whenever they have the ball, but a crucial failing of Ten Hag's team was that players too often opted to play the ball backwards, prioritizing safety. When defender Matthijs de Ligt did exactly that in the first half, opting to pass the ball back to goalkeeper André Onana rather than pass it to Alejandro Garnacho, Van Nistelrooy berated the Netherlands international on the touchline and urged him to pass towards go ahead next time.
There were other occasions when Van Nistelrooy pointed forward, but when a team has struggled like United, players tend to take the easy option to reduce the risk of making a mistake. That's an issue that still plagues this side of the United States. -Ogden
Caicedo showing why Chelsea coveted him
Had things been different, Caicedo could have lined up in United red on Sunday instead of Chelsea blue. Instead, he scored a fantastic equalizer that gave Enzo Maresca's team a valuable point.
United attempted to sign Caicedo from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador before his move to Brighton & Hove Albion. From there, he joined Chelsea in a deal worth £115 million in 2023.
The huge fee brought with it additional pressure, but after a stop-start first season at Stamford Bridge, he is finally starting to look like the player who was so effective at Brighton.
His goal against United was a marvel; a volley from the edge of the penalty area from a ball falling from the sky. It's a difficult skill, but Caicedo executed it perfectly and Onana had no chance: he almost passed him before he had time to react.
Caicedo's overall performance earned him the player of the match award. He left at the end after winning the battle in midfield against Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte along with his midfield partner, Romeo Lavia.
Chelsea are still a work in progress under Maresca, but if Caicedo can find this level consistently, it will help them take a big leap forward this season. -Rob Dawson
Amorim is the one who most resolves United's central quartet
Amorim has a lot waiting in his inbox when he officially takes charge of Manchester United on Monday, but few are more crucial than the problem the current Sporting manager will have with his central defenders and midfielders.
The new manager will almost certainly quickly impose his favored 3-4-3 formation on United, but he needs the personnel to make it work. When you watch this match again, you will be alarmed by the deficiencies in defense and midfield.
The central quartet formed by defenders De Ligt and Lisandro Martínez, and midfielders Casemiro and Ugarte, are enough to give Amorim nightmares.
De Ligt is too slow and reckless to impress Amorim, and the former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich defender was trapped too often against Nicolas Jackson.
Martínez, for his part, will alarm Amorim for his decision-making and his unhealthy habit of turning a routine situation into a dangerous one. For some reason, Martinez takes too many chances with overzealous challenges, and was lucky not to give up a penalty for a push and foul on Levi Colwill in the first half.
Martínez was booked for a foul in stoppage time on Cole Palmer that could have been a red card. The tackle at knee height was reviewed by the VAR, but Martínez avoided further punishment. That kind of rash challenge happens all too often with the Argentine defender and, at some point, he and United will pay a heavy price.
Ugarte is also unreliable in midfield and was substituted late in the game when, after a series of fouls following a booking, it looked like he was going to be sent off for a persistent offence. The summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain is struggling to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, just as Casemiro has always found it difficult since his arrival in 2022 from Real Madrid.
Four expensive signings in key areas and Amorim cannot count on any of them. -Ogden
Palmer's Mancunian roots
Palmer had a quiet game at Old Trafford, but there are many at United who remain hopeful he can visit the stadium more regularly in the future.
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Michallik: Chelsea's key players had 'horrible' games against Man United
Janusz Michallik criticizes the performances of Chelsea's biggest names after they failed to get a shot in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
He went through the Manchester City academy, but has been a United fan since childhood. He has also returned regularly to see family and friends in Manchester since moving to London 18 months ago.
It won't be easy to lure Palmer away from Chelsea, who have the 22-year-old England star under a mammoth contract until 2033. That hasn't stopped some of United's recruitment staff from believing there is a chance he could one day end up in the club, however.
Being young and English, Palmer is exactly the type of player United sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox are looking to attract to spearhead a new era under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
United fans were quick to remind Palmer of his City past, particularly when a tame pass went under his boot and he was out of play in the first half. If he arrived at United and had the impact he already had at Chelsea, all those years at the Etihad Stadium would be quickly forgotten. -Dawson
Where does Enzo fit in Chelsea's midfield?
Enzo Fernandez began this season as Chelsea captain after being controversially handed the armband by Maresca despite being accused of “rampant racism” by teammate Wesley Fofana for singing a derogatory song while on international duty with Argentina. The £105million signing is now out of the squad and wondering when he will make his next Premier League start after Maresca again named him among the substitutes at Old Trafford.
Fernández has been excluded from the team for the last three League games by Maresca, with Caicedo and Lavia being chosen to play in midfield. That pairing is showing signs of a positive midfield combination, and Fernández will struggle to regain his place.
He made a brief appearance off the bench in the dying minutes, but Chelsea are now starting to look more settled under Maresca, and Fernandez must now find a way to fight his way back into the team.
When he signed from Benfica in January 2023, Fernandez was considered a major capture by Chelsea, but he has not lived up to expectations. Now he faces a real battle to prove he deserves a starting job. -Ogden
Van Nistelrooy does no harm to job prospects
Van Nistelrooy will not get the top job at Old Trafford, but the Dutchman is improving his chances of landing another managerial role elsewhere.
The 48-year-old was looking for a number one job in the summer and spoke to Burnley before United came calling with an offer to become Ten Hag's assistant. Van Nistelrooy said at the time that the only assistant job he would accept would be to return to Old Trafford, where he had an impressive playing career between 2001 and 2006.
His immediate future once Amorim arrives is up in the air. He still has a contract, but Amorim has already made it clear that he will bring his own coaches from Sporting. If Van Nistelrooy has no role in Amorim's staff, his interim role at United should open other doors.
They started the job with a convincing 5-2 win over Leicester on Wednesday and emerged from a test league match against Chelsea with a creditable draw. United's first 30 minutes were good and a step up from what we've seen in recent weeks from Ten Hag.
Those performances will not have gone unnoticed by Premier League and Championship clubs, who could be looking for a new manager in the new year. -Dawson
