Please Chelsea, use the Man United win to finish the season strong

Chelsea produce a sensational comeback to beat Man United – now they need to use this victory to chase European football

By Jon Turner | April 5, 2024

Anyone absolutely exhausted after last night?? My goodness, talk about putting fans through the wringer!

A thrilling, chaotic, bonkers 102 minutes of football ultimately ended in euphoria at Stamford Bridge, but it certainly didn’t look like it would finish that way.

At 3-2 up and entering the final few minutes of extended injury time, Manchester United were actually keeping the ball quite well; effective in killing the tempo and winding down the clock.

The supporters became increasingly resigned to another morale-sapping result in what would have been a major blow to our hopes of securing any kind of European football for next season.

How different the mood was compared to 80 minutes earlier when Chelsea looked comfortable at 2-0 up following Conor Gallagher’s early opener and Cole Palmer’s 19^th-minute penalty.

Yet, once again the defensive and game management frailties of this team opened the door for United, who levelled through Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes, before Garnacho struck again in the second half.

Then it happened. Or more specifically, Cole Palmer happened. A brilliant bit of skill and run from substitute Noni Madueke to draw a foul from Diogo Dalot earned Chelsea a second penalty, and of course Mr Cold himself calmly slotted home the equaliser.

The Bridge was bouncing once more but the stadium would soon be sent into total meltdown just 80 seconds later.

From a last-second corner, Enzo Fernandez found Palmer on the edge of the area, he took a touch to set himself then lashed the ball towards United’s goal. A lovely deflection off Scott McTominay sent the ball past Andre Onana to earn the Blues one of the most remarkable wins in Premier League history.

A perfect morale-booster

If any game, if any result, can finally provide the morale and momentum boosts this Chelsea side needs then surely this is it. To beat United by scoring four goals and in the manner of Thursday night, the players must be bouncing into training the next day and buzzing to go again away at Sheffield United on Sunday.

The problem we’ve seen all season, though, is that previously impressive results haven’t provided the bounce we’ve hoped. The 4-4 against Manchester City – a performance that saw the Blues play aggressive, high-tempo, and clinical football – was expected to be a catalyst, but inconsistency soon set in again.

Again, later in the campaign, three straight wins over Crystal Palace, Luton, and Fulham showed a side capable of digging out wins while not playing their best. That run was followed by defeats to Liverpool and Wolves with eight goals conceded.

Of course, there’s going to be some inconsistency with this new and young team – most fans begrudgingly accept that – but with a trip to the bottom side on Sunday followed by a home game against Everton next Monday (April 15), the Blues must pick up six points.

“For us it was really important because it was a must-win game if we wanted to reduce the gap to the teams above us,” Mauricio Pochettino said. “The three points today was so important.”

Match stats: Chelsea v Man United

The Good

Cole Palmer

What is there left to say? Just when we think he’s already hitting the sort of heights beyond the capabilities of his teammates, he goes and does this.

We all saw how ice cold he was with his last-minute penalty against former club City earlier in the season, and there was never any concern about this late spot kick, either. Then that late winner that sent every Blue on earth delirious.

Palmer now has 19 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, including 16 goals in the Premier League to sit joint-second behind Erling Haaland (18) in the race for the Golden Boot.

We all knew Chelsea had signed a special talent last summer, but even the most optimistic Blue couldn’t have predicted this sensational level of brilliance.

The only concern is that Chelsea don’t progress at the same speed. The club needs to be fighting for top honours soon or risk losing their star boy sooner or later.

Team spirit

There were plenty of familiar problems on display against United, not least this team’s knack of folding at the first signs of pressure. Imagine the 2004/05 side getting jangly when leading 2-0?

They may have left it uncomfortably late, but it was great to see the players refuse to give in, fighting to the very end to turn the game around. Fernandez, in particular, during injury time was constantly demanding the ball and trying to drive his team up the pitch. If only the Argentine had done that for the rest of the match!

“Football is like this, but until the end we always kept believing,” Pochettino said. “When we scored the equaliser we were saying to our players that there was still two minutes and we believed that we could still score the winning goal.”

Mason Mount

We should have more class than to kick an opponent when he’s down, but let’s make a brief one-time exception for former Chelsea golden boy Mount.

Having decided to jump ship, believing United’s project represented a better career move, Mount’s debut season has not gone at all too plan due to several unfortunate injury setbacks.

He was fit enough to come off the bench for the final few minutes on his first return to the Bridge and made more of a contribution for us than his current employers. Berated by the Bridge crowd, Mount offered nothing to United until an excellent lunging block to deny Carney Chukwuemeka a possible goal-scoring chance in the final minute.

Unfortunately for Mount, that block led to the corner from which Palmer scored the famous winner! Thanks Mason, you’re welcome back anytime.

The Bad

Defensive shambles

Chelsea have kept just five clean sheets this season – only four clubs have kept fewer – and while a shutout against United might have been unlikely, the defence is leaking goals like a sieve.

The central partnership of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile has not worked for the last two games; with Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana both out injured, it leaves Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah as Poch’s other available options. The gaffer clearly doesn’t fancy Silva anymore and Chalobah is still making his way back from a lengthy injury.

But it clearly goes beyond just the players and pairings. Moises Caicedo and Enzo operate best when playing close to each other and the pair have been overrun too many times in midfield this season, leaving the defence exposed.

So, is there perhaps a case that, to prevent shipping so many goals and solidifying the centre of the pitch, Chelsea could move to a back three? Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell (or Marc Cucurella) would operate as wing-backs; Enzo, Caicedo, and Gallagher (in a more advanced role) in midfield; Palmer in a free role behind Nico Jackson?

Pochettino has never really played a wing-back system, so it’s unlikely. Just a thought.

Game management

While the players deserve plenty of praise for their belief and spirit to turn the game around and complete this mind-boggling comeback, the fact they got themselves in this position (again) needs to be addressed.

With a 2-0 lead against a United side struggling for form and confidence, that should have effectively been game over. Instead, this team loves a collapse, and after Caicedo’s silly mistake to play through Garnacho for United’s first, that’s precisely what happened. Before long, United had equalised and then led until the very death.

Why does this keep happening on an almost weekly basis? Responding better to moments of setback, remaining positive and focused, refusing to panic after conceding – all these things must be worked on by Pochettino and his staff with the players.

We can all point to the inexperience within the squad as a valid reason, but only to a certain extent. With each passing game, the squad is becoming less inexperienced and will need to learn the lessons from this United game to take forward for the rest of the season and beyond.

What’s Next?

A trip to Sheffield United and a very different sort of challenge.

Unless Chelsea score early and force the hosts to be more expansive in search of an equaliser, then the game at Bramall Lane could be similar to many the Blues have struggled in this season: where they’ve needed to break down teams with low defensive blocks who rely on set pieces and long balls for goalscoring chances.

But in the afterglow of a famous night at Stamford Bridge, let’s be optimistic and say the Blues are going to take another step towards Europa League football with a win!

“On Sunday, we need to be ready,” Pochettino said. “We need to think about recovering and approaching the game in Sheffield with the right mentality, because it’s going to be tough.

“We already know that when we play against teams like Sheffield United, Burnley or Nottingham Forest, the teams that are battling relegation, we need to match their energy, desire and hunger. It is going to be a good opportunity if we are improving.”