Moises Caicedo denied Ruud van Nistelrooy a first Premier League win as Manchester United’s interim head coach with the midfielder's goal earning Chelsea a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
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Following a first half that lacked quality, the Theatre of Dreams burst into life when Robert Sanchez hauled down Rasmus Hojlund inside the penalty area on 70 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes, so often United’s main man under former boss Erik ten Hag, stepped up and sent the Chelsea goalkeeper the wrong way to put the hosts on course for a much-needed victory.
But Man Utd's joy was short-lived thanks to a bolt from Chelsea blue, courtesy of the right foot of Caicedo, who sent a 74th-minute first-time volley into the bottom-left corner.
The draw means Chelsea edge past Arsenal and into the top four, while Man Utd – who on Friday confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim – moved up one place to 13th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
10 | +13 | 25 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
10 | +10 | 23 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
10 | +7 | 19 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
10 | +8 | 18 |
| 5 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
10 | +6 | 18 |
How the match unfolded
Clear-cut chances were hard to come by during a tentative first half, though Chelsea went closest when Noni Madueke struck the post with a header from Cole Palmer’s corner.
United also hit the woodwork with an effort of their own in first-half stoppage time as Fernandes’ smart pass found Marcus Rashford, who rattled the crossbar.
While Chelsea continued to threaten, it was United that opened the scoring when Sanchez’s rash attempt to smother the ball resulted in him bringing down Hojlund, with Fernandes scoring the resulting spot-kick.
But just four minutes later, the hosts found themselves level again when Casemiro’s headed clearance dropped kindly for Caicedo, who rifled the ball home.
Enzo Maresca’s side almost completed a remarkable turnaround when Enzo Fernandez fired over a minute later, while Alejandro Garnacho and Fernandes also missed opportunities to snatch the win for United late on.
Plenty to ponder for Amorim
In Man Utd's first match since announcing Sporting CP's Amorim as their new head coach, they gave their incoming boss plenty to review.
The best of their chances saw Fernandes fire over following good work from Rashford, before the England international struck the woodwork.
The hosts then had to withstand a wave of Chelsea pressure but were able to create chances on the break with Rashford again involved, his strike testing Sanchez before Garnacho scuffed a glorious chance into the grateful arms of the Blues goalkeeper soon afterwards.
Their breakthrough came through a combination of Casemiro’s quality pass to Hojlund and the rashness of Sanchez in trying to claim the ball, as Fernandes remained composed from 12 yards.
But Caicedo’s equaliser showed the size of the task Amorim faces when he arrives in Manchester on 11 November, with United now having endured their worst start to a Premier League campaign through the opening 10 matches.
Amorim will hope Van Nistelrooy can mastermind a victory over Leicester City in a week's time before handing over the reins.
Blues impress but just fall short
Chelsea’s improvement under Maresca has been evident so far this season, but the Blues just lacked the clinical edge they have shown in recent weeks on Sunday.
Matthijs de Ligt was on hand to deny Palmer in the opening exchanges with a timely interception, though the Blues failed to trouble Andre Onana in the first half, registering just one shot on target from the six they attempted in the first 45 minutes.
Pedro Neto’s snapshot within nine minutes of the restart was a sign of their intent, but despite their control in possession, they were hit with a sucker punch when Sanchez needlessly brought down Hojlund, allowing Fernandes to open the scoring.
Caicedo’s equaliser was the least the Blues merited from their showing after the break, though they needed their goalscorer to come to their rescue when the midfielder deflected Garnacho’s cross over the bar in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
It is a point that moves Chelsea back into the top four, and there were plenty of positives for Maresca to take before they welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge next Sunday for a tantalising London derby.
What managers said
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "It's an emotional rollercoaster - it's been almost a full week where so many things happened. My job was to steady the ship. The players reacted very well, something to build on in the next two games.
"I came here to help the club in any capacity. After these two games that will continue and hopefully it can work out.
"It's special to be back in the city and at the club. I really enjoy every single minute of it."
Enzo Maresca: "We knew it was a difficult game for many reasons. We scored, we came back. After the goal we tried to win.
"We are happy because we knew how difficult it would be.
"The [Man Utd] players want to prove they're good enough. A new manager with different ideas so we had to prepare a different way."
Club reports
Man Utd report | Chelsea report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Eight of the last 13 meetings between Man Utd and Chelsea in the Premier League have ended level, while this is the fixture with the most total draws in the competition’s history (27).
With just 12 points won, this is Man Utd worst return after 10 matches of a league campaign since 1986/87 (8). Meanwhile, their total of nine goals is their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1973/74 (also nine).
None of the last five managers taking charge of their first Premier League away game at Old Trafford have lost (W2 D3 – Andoni Iraola, Ange Postecoglou, Vincent Kompany, Arne Slot and Maresca); the longest such run in the competition’s history.
Caicedo – who netted Chelsea’s equaliser in this match – has the most combined tackles and interceptions (52) of any player in the Premier League this season.
