by From joy to despair and now, Manchester United have certainly shown their penchant for drama in recent weeks; with them the story that continues to unfold. If Liverpool’s FA Cup win sent their supporters into raptures for weeks, the nature of Saturday’s draw at Brentford was the definition of a reality check. In a crowded field, was it the worst performance of their chaotic season?
The latest installment was hardly believable. Desperation to joy and back again – hard – within one game; It felt like the death of their season in the Premier League, the joy of Chelsea running wild at the end.
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Cole Palmer aside, the home side were vulnerable for much of the evening, indecisive and yet they not only had a 2-0 lead, they might have had three. United did not panic. It was all part of the show. And it was Antony, the villain so often, who helped change things.
After Alejandro Garnacho punished a merciless Chelsea to make it 2-1, Antony had a hand in the upgrade to Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser. And it was Antony who would make the perfect cross after a quick United counter for 3-2, Garnacho slotting home the rebound. Garnacho was great too.
Game over? Not at all. This is United. This was Palmer, too. After Chelsea substitute Noni Madueke scored a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Diogo Dalot having fallen into his own goal, there was no doubt that Palmer would score from the spot, as he had done earlier for 2 .-0.
A winner in the 101st minute? It was hilarious but Palmer got it right when nobody in red found him at a quick corner and he headed home with the help of a deflection from United substitute Scott McTominay.
The teams had started in 12th and sixth respectively, which was a long time ago when this was one of the games of the season, the main pre-match teaser taking on Chelsea and United to come ones. No one knew. They are extremely unpredictable.
At least Ten Hag were able to name a recognizable central defense from the start, with Raphaël Varane undergoing a fitness test to step in alongside Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Victor Lindelöf out and Jonny Evans barely trained. Square pegs in round holes still existed. Then again, when a club doesn’t have a suitable specialist left-back, he will.
Mindful of Palmer’s threat on the Chelsea right, Ten Hag asked Diogo Dalot to fill the problem position. But when he was dragged in and Kobbie Mainoo lost possession early on, Chelsea could see huge space to exploit. How did they do so. Enzo Fernández then worked the ball up to Malo Gusto and, when he crossed low, the ball came off Varane’s heel and Conor Gallagher was there to slot past André Onana. Casemiro was slow going out to shut down Gallagher.
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The big selection decision, Ten Hag’s decision to exclude Marcus Rashford from their starting XI, could not be ignored. “Rotation,” the manager called for, including Sunday’s Old Trafford side against Liverpool. It was easy to look deeper into the reasons, starting with a Rashford-less show at Brentford. On the other hand, he was hardly the only United player missing in action.
Antony started in his place and looked with purpose. It flickered in the opening 15 minutes. And then he made a mistake inside his own area, trying to tackle Marc Cucurella when he was on the wrong side and unlikely to get the ball. Cucurella, who exchanged passes with Mykhailo Mudryk, was too smart for Antony. The contact was minimal but when it went down, it looked like a penalty. Palmer, who heard chants of “City reject” from United fans, never missed a beat from the spot and enjoyed his celebration.
Palmer was a threat. There were times when he tormented Dalot with his twinkle toes and gliding moves. Casemiro’s lack of mobility at the base of the pitch was a major problem for United and Chelsea made it 3-0 when Axel Disasi got in unmarked at the far post to meet Gallagher’s free-kick. He missed the target.
Defensive fragility was not United’s only defense and it was a moment of horror from Moisés Caicedo that brought the visitors back into it. After Antony, who did not let his head drop after the penalty, did well to keep Fernandes’ chip in play, Caicedo tried to square to Benoît Badishile and only found Garnacho. He raced away to finish.
After Fernandez drew a fine save from Onana at the other end, United found themselves 2-2. The Chelsea marker at the back post was not there and, when Dalot crossed, Fernandes steered home his header. It was wild, heavy on thrills and spills, and there was time before the interval for Gallagher to crash a shot against the near post after Casemiro lost the ball and Palmer surged forward again.
What’s that about United’s central defensive pair? Varane felt something before Gallagher’s chance at the end of the first half, unable to attack, and did not reappear for the second half, replaced by Evans. Amazingly (or maybe not), Evans would only last until the 66th minute. Was replaced by Willy Kambwala.
The action impressed from start to finish. Chelsea pushed through Palmer, who was close to unplayable. United were dangerous on the counter; There were times when they ran through Chelsea with almost embarrassing ease. Maguire blasted one shot high, Fernandes another when he was positioned gloriously. Disasi’s challenge was denied by Rasmus Højlund after Chelsea got looser. Casemiro headed high from a corner.
Palmer had extended Onana with a curler but it was United who looked the more likely scorers. When they found themselves in front, shortly after Ten Hag introduced Rashford for Højlund, it was Antony’s keenness and intelligence. He had won the ball to flash the break and it was his glorious cross outside the boot that Garnacho managed to get past Djordje Petrovic.
