Alejandro Garnacho scored a brace and the hosts were sleepwalking themselves into making more unwanted history. Yet their summer signing Cole Palmer, a boyhood Manchester United fan, completed a hat-trick with two stoppage-time strikes to seal a dramatic three points for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea – having relinquished a two-goal cushion – deep into the night in west London.
Palmer pivotal again, as Blues complete great escape
- Making strides: Palmer’s penalty strike to give them an early 2-0 first-half lead meant he became the first Chelsea player to score home and away against United in the same season since Juan Mata (2012-13)
- On his late heroics after going behind, the England midfielder said: “I don’t know, 2-0 up and like I said last week, silly mistakes. When the eight minutes got added on it gave us a lift – madness – we need to try to win as many games as possible, there’s nothing better than winning like that.”
- This dramatic result means gap between 10th-placed Chelsea and United in sixth is just five points, the Blues have a game in hand (29 played) and Erik ten Hag’s side suffer their 12th league defeat of the campaign
Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United
Palmer 19 (pen), 90+10 (pen), 90+11, Gallagher 4 — Garnacho 34, 67, Fernandez 39
JOHN Champion declared these two sides incapable of caution and control on commentary, so it proved in dramatic fashion at Stamford Bridge.
This was a frantic game, as most Chelsea vs. Manchester United contests have been over the years, though the backdrop of two under-fire managers felt fitting given the volatile nature of their players’ performances. Here was no different.
One moment the hosts were purring as Cole Palmer strutted his stuff early on, the next they fell silent after Bruno Fernandes’ header across goal made it two apiece before 40 minutes had elapsed. How could their lead have evaporated so easily?
Two goals in four first-half minutes saw United back on level terms without warning, first after £115m summer signing Moises Caicedo’s sloppy failed backpass to Benoit Badiashile saw Alejandro Garnacho intercept before staying composed to slot home.
Then Anthony’s sweeping crossfield pass saw the Argentine touch-and-tee up Diogo Dalot, who looked up and produced a perfectly-placed ball for their captain to steer goalwards on the counter-attack moments after another Chelsea chance went amiss.
Chelea captain Conor Gallagher hit the near post, some 45 minutes after opening the scoring himself as Malo Gusto benefited from a defensive communication mishap between Dalot and Garnacho which saw space open up invitingly down the channel.
Palmer, mere minutes after being heckled by visiting supporters as a Manchester City reject, doubled Chelsea’s lead from twelve yards after Anthony’s lazy knee-on-knee challenge caught an overlapping Marc Cucurella. Soft perhaps, he didn’t complain.
Blues boss it early, but United – and Antony – make amends
You wouldn’t have known but the 21-year-old grabbed another penalty – his eighth of the season – deep into second-half stoppage-time. There would be more late drama too but long before then, plenty of half-chances were fashioned by both.
Axel Disasi headed over the bar from a well-struck Gallagher free-kick to the back post, and the unmarked defender should’ve given Chelsea a three-goal cushion.
The speedy sight of Nicolas Jackson didn’t disappoint in transition, trailing United midfielders caught napping, but Mykhaylo Mudryk was forced wide by Harry Maguire and feebly fired into the side netting from a promising opportunity.
Ten minutes earlier, the England international had to be saved by his defensive partner Raphael Varane after missing an overzealous sliding challenge on Jackson. A more incisive touch in the final third and that mistake would’ve cost them dearly.
Varane, struggling with a pre-match knock, could barely break into a sprint and was mercifully replaced at half-time for Jonny Evans. The veteran made four defensive interventions, including a last-ditch challenge to thwart Enzo Fernandez, before himself being hooked through injury for French academy teenager Willy Kambwala.
The second-half was chaotic but Antony soon had reward – a long-awaited assist – for his industrious display, firing an outside-of-the-boot pass on a plate for Garnacho, who steered his cushioned header beyond an onrushing Dorde Petrovic.
At that stage, 25 minutes plus stoppages still remained and the end-to-end contest was all to play for. Mauricio Pochettino made a double change, off came Mudryk and Caicedo for Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka, while academy products Alfie Gilchrist and Trevoh Chalobah slotted into central defence minutes later.
The tale of three subs
2020-21 Champions League winner Mason Mount was given an icy welcome back to Stamford Bridge, nine months after leaving his boyhood club for £55m.
“He left cos your shit,” United fans proudly bellowed as the 25-year-old playmaker tried to get himself involved as best he could, yet it was the introduction of Noni Madueke which sped up a seemingly improbable comeback in stoppage-time.
Madueke advanced beyond a jaded Dalot, who lost his footing and appeared to catch the back of the England U21 winger’s heel as he went down.
Australian referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot and after a lengthy VAR review, the decision stood without any need for him to re-assess at the monitor.
Palmer, who else, again sent Andre Onana the wrong way and still there was time for another twist to typify Premier League football. Chelsea bombed players forward intently, aware they could still conjure up one more moment and Mount’s last-ditch interception didn’t deter Chukwuemeka from curling an effort narrowly wide.
Onana was rooted to the spot, as he would be from a subsequent short corner taken quickly as Fernandez fed Palmer. He let fly with his ninth shot of the night and having had four blocked earlier, this one took a wicked deflection off substitute Scott McTominay to win it at the death in some style for the Blues.
They were minutes away from losing at home in the league for the first time after going 2-0 up, yet their top goalscorer ensured that didn’t happen and Pochettino could breathe freely again with United left to lick self-inflicted wounds once more.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via Premier League
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