Manchester United aren’t a thirteen-time Premier League winner for no reason and they had proven that yet again in their clash against Chelsea in the final round of 16 match in the Carabao Cup – the match ended 2-1 – where they played amazing football against their London counterpart. It was a total battle of supremacy between the two seeing they had beaten Chelsea 4-0 at the beginning of the season and the Blues were out for revenge and to redeem themselves.
Manchester United did not just look prepared for the game but played prepared, taking charge of the game with the end result to show for it. All the Red Devils’ players had been on top of their game but some ran the show and their brilliant performance should be applauded.
Let’s take a look into the performance of some players who impressed us and ran the show.
Daniel James – From secret weapon to deadly in attack
Frank Lampard is not new to the threat Daniel James posed because he had seen him play and knows the damage he is capable of causing. He came off the bench on the opening day match and was a bother to the Chelsea team. It was only a fair thing to be very careful while facing an opponent like him.
For a player who was seen as a low-cost transfer risk – he was brought in during the summer for £15million – Daniel James has been able to transform his career, quickly becoming one of Manchester United’s best signings.
When Ole Gunnar decided to start him against Chelsea, we should have known he decides to pressure the Chelsea squad every way possible. The qualities he possesses is crucial and it showed throughout the match. His lung-busting pace coupled with his low centre of gravity made him the worst nightmare for Chelsea to play against.
The McTominay and Maguire pairing
Ole Gunnar made just four changes to the side that trashed Norwich over the weekend and the fans would have expected almost the same performance but the defence had been even more aggressive. How physical they had been made a strong Chelsea team look somewhat feeble.
The manner in which the duo conducted themselves is enough to show the discipline of the team. This is not to say they didn’t irritate the opponents all through the game, but they also found the balance to do it with disciplined performances which gave Manchester United the foundation to form a strong and lethal counter-attacking play.
The gem in Williams
We see youth team players get the chance all the time but it’s not every time we see them impress so well they get praised for it. Williams’ cameo appearances have been impressive so far and he has shown how much of a quality player he can develop to be.
In the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, he showed how useful he can be for the United team in the long term. Even though it was Rashford that scored the goals, it had been Williams’ defensive work that ensured the opponents didn’t get the chance for a comeback.
He successfully added rapid energy down the left and he is one of the players who lived up to the physicality of the fight Manchester United brought to Stamford Bridge.
Conclusion
With the look of things, we might be seeing a new Manchester United in the coming days. A team with bursting energy too hot for opponents to handle and a team that will dominate games that it will be hard for others to catch up.
