Chelsea’s form at Old Trafford has been dismal in recent years to say the least, but under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues would be hoping to turn their fortunes around.
MUN: Onana; Shaw, Lindelof, Maguire, Dalot; Amrabat, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Antony; Højlund
CHE: Sánchez; Colwill, Silva, Disasi, Cucurella; Fernández, Caicedo; Mudryk, Palmer, Sterling; Jackson
With Bruno Fernandes seeing his penalty saved after nine minutes of play, it looked set to be a long and arduous night for the hosts – but when Manchester United and Erik ten Hag needed a hero, it was Scott McTominay that stepped to the fore on a gloomy night under the floodlights at Old Trafford.
Embed from Getty ImagesStriking home a rebounded effort from twelve yards out in the first half, the Scottish midfielder put the Red Devils on course for victory against a wasteful Chelsea side that couldn’t take advantage of their plethora of chances.
Cole Palmer did well to restore parity just before the interval with a remarkably composed finish from inside the penalty box, nestling into the bottom-right corner past a despairing André Onana – who could merely watch as the ex-City forward caught him off guard.
But McTominay’s goalscoring exploits weren’t over, and in the 69th minute, he arrived on scene at the far post to slam Alejandro Garnacho’s cross past Robert Sánchez – cueing euphoric celebrations amongst the home support.
Embed from Getty ImagesPerhaps he was unlucky not to add a third after wonderful buildup play from Antony, but the midfielder’s wait for his first career hat-trick continues. His manager won’t mind all too much though, with a win over Mauricio Pochettino’s men easing the pressure on Erik ten Hag’s tenure.
