2-3 to 4-3! Manchester City's old hat-trick, Chelsea countdown the second, Manchester United have no hope of fighting for the top four
This season's Premier League is still the most exciting of the top five leagues, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal battling it out for the title, while Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United are also battling it out for the last remaining Champions League spot. In the 31st round of this week, Tottenham and Villa dropped points one after another, giving Manchester United hope of narrowing the gap, the latter went to play away to Chelsea, and the Red Devils have won 7 and drawn 5 in the league to remain unbeaten!
The giants were unapologetic on both sides, sitting at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino set up a 4-2-3-1 formation, Petrovic continued to be in goal for Chelsea, Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile and Cucurella formed a back four, Caicedo and Enzo were in the back, Mudryk, Gallagher and Palmer lined up, and Jacques stepped forward.
Ten Hag also responded 4-2-3-1 to the opposition's turf, with the in-form Onana as United's starting goalkeeper without any suspense, Maguire and Raphael Varane partnering in central defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot on either side, Casemiro and rising star Maynu in midfield, and Fernandes, Garnacho and Antony as the forward Hojlen.
As the referee's whistle blew, Chelsea, playing at home, got off to a fantastic start. Only 4 minutes into the opening game, Mudryk made a direct pass from the front of the penalty area, Gusto hit the bottom triangle pass on the right side and hit Varane's leg, Gallagher outflanked in the middle, and swept the goal with his feet unmarked, 1-0!
In the 18th minute, Manchester United suffered another heavy blow: Mudryk crossed the box on the left, Antony stretched out his leg in the box to bring down Cucurella, and the referee signaled a penalty. Palmer struck with ease to make it 2-0 for the Blues!
In the 34th minute, Caicedo's cross from the back was broken, Garnacho smiled and gave a big gift, carrying Disasi to score with a low shot, Manchester United pulled one back, 1-2! Last summer, in order to intercept Caicedo from Liverpool, Chelsea smashed a team record 120 million euros. But after the sky-high price landed at Stamford Bridge, Caicedo failed to become the second Kante, but made frequent mistakes, and fans regarded him as a parallel import!
5 minutes later, Onana threw the ball at the back to launch a counterattack, Antony cut the ball inside on the right side and passed diagonally, Dalot crossed from the left, B Fei outflanked the header into the net, Manchester United scored 2 goals in a short time, 2-2!
In stoppage time, Chelsea had a chance to take the lead, but Conor Gallagher's shot from a tight angle hit the post.
After returning to the court, the two teams opened up and attacked. In the 53rd minute, Caicedo crossed into the penalty area, Jacquesson burst into the box from a small angle, and Onana responded with a world-class save.
In the 67th minute, Manchester United played a quick counterattack, Antony crossed with the outside of his foot on the right side, and the landing point was just right, Garnacho grabbed the header before the goalkeeper and scored another goal, completing a brace, and the Red Devils let two chase three, 3-2 to overtake the score!
Despite being an Argentina international, Garnacho has always made no secret of his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, and after scoring the goal, he sat on the billboard on the sidelines again to pay tribute to the president's classic celebration. However, in the 97th minute, there was a magical plot on the field, Madueke entered the penalty area and fell to the ground under Dalot's defense, and the referee immediately signaled a penalty!
Palmer's eight crosses from penalty spots this season have now registered 18 goals and 12 assists in all competitions since joining Chelsea from Manchester City, and have been directly involved in 30 goals, on par with Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham.
In the 101st minute, Chelsea continued to work hard, Enzo drove a tactical corner, Palmone cut into the net, scored a hat-trick, the Blues completed the 4-3 stunner, and also avenged the defeat in the first leg!
After losing this game, Manchester United is still 11 points behind fourth-place Villa with one game in hand, and the hope of fighting for the fourth place is getting slimmer!