Chelsea 0 vs 0 Manchester United
40′ CHANCE! Christensen rises highest in the area following a corner but mistimes his header, instead shouldering the ball over the bar.
39′ Chelsea controlling the tempo of the game and look the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock before the break.
40′ CHANCE! Christensen rises highest in the area following a corner but mistimes his header, instead shouldering the ball over the bar.
39′ Chelsea controlling the tempo of the game and look the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock before the break.
37′ Zappacosta is the latest Chelsea man to try his luck at goal from distance but he, likes the majority of his team-mates, doesn’t strike the ball effectively and it’s another easy save for De Gea.
36′ After starting strongly, Mourinho’s side are struggling to make an impact in the attacking third despite their very clear attacking intent.
34′ An excellent spell on the ball for Chelsea and Fabregas is becoming integral. His latest chip through in an attempt to find Morata doesn’t quite come off but the danger signs are there for Manchester United.
32′ Morata wiggles into some space to find room for a shot at goal but he fails to connect with the ball properly, making it an easy gather for De Gea.
31′ Superb pressure from Young on Zappacosta wins Manchester United a corner but Rashford’s delivery is easily headed away at the near post.
29′ Chelsea perhaps the better side from what we’ve seen so far and they’ve certainly had the better opportunities. De Gea needs to be tested more, although the Blues will be pleased by the amount of space they’re finding in the attacking third.
27′ Still nothing between the two sides as we edge towards the half hour mark but it’s been a very positive performance from each of the teams.
25′ Lofted in by Fabregas, who attempts to find Morata, but the striker can’t latch onto the ball under pressure from Bailly.
24′ Another foul from Bakayoko, who’s been popping up everywhere in the first quarter of the match, and the home fans aren’t pleased with the referee.
22′ Manchester United free-kick in attack after a foul from Kante and it’s pumped long to Matic. The Serbian can’t quite get onto the end of the ball though, with Courtois dealing with the pressure.
T. Bakayoko
Yellow Card
20′ First yellow of the game is handed to Bakayoko after he follows through on Jones.
18′ SAVE! De Gea’s turn to keep the scores level as Eden Hazard works his way inside following a shot corner, cutting onto his left and firing a shot at the Spanish keeper who does enough to keep it out. The rebound fell to Fabregas, who headed into the side netting.
16′ SAVE! Courtois is tested for the first time today as Lukaku turns his man outside the box and blasts a low shot towards the bottom left-hand corner but his compatriot between the Chelsea sticks is equal to the effort.
15′ A very open affair here and both sides will feel they should have found the net, with Rashford and Bakayoko missing glorious opportunities. There’s plenty of space for both teams to work with and it’s set-up nicely for a thrilling clash.
13′ Bakayoko certainly isn’t put off by that miss though and immediately gets involved in the attack again, surging forward and seeing a low shot take a deflection to bobble wide. De Gea punches away from the resulting corner and the sparring match continues.
11′ WHAT A MISS! Chelsea should have the lead! Zappacosta’s low ball into the area misses Morata and finds Bakayoko in acres of space. Leaning back when he takes his shot, the summer signing misses the target when it was easier to score.
10′ An end-to-end start to this game in West London, with both sides going through the gears in the opening exchanges. It’s delicately poised at this stage and both sides have had big moments of note in attack.
8′ CHANCE! Decent build-up play for Manchester United sees Lukaku feed Young out wide and a threatening ball is lofted into the middle. Rashford is there but shuts his eyes under pressure from Courtois, with his header looping onto the roof of the net.
7′ DISALLOWED! Chelsea have the ball in the net as Alonso whips a dangerous cross into the middle where Phil Jones slices into the top corner of his own goal. Morata is adjudged to have pushed the defender over and there was slight contact, although Jones was certainly fortunate.
6′ No signs of Mourinho’s bus here at Stamford Bridge, as Manchester United have started on the front foot and have kept Chelsea quiet in the opening few minutes.
4′ Young wins a corner after surging down the left, which gives Rashford an opportunity to take, It’s played short but the England international whips a cross into the middle after receiving the ball again, though it’s snatched comfortably by Courtois.
2′ Chelsea win an early free-kick out wide on the left as Morata is fouled by Smalling, giving a good opportunity to get the bll into the box. Fabregas steps-up to take and he plays it short to Kante, who drives low from distance but it’s an easy save for De Gea.
1′ KICK-OFF! We’re underway at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United get us underway, kicking from left to right.
Final whistle in today’s other big match at the top means Manchester United enter this game eight points behind their arch-rivals. Chelsea are now 12 points behind, so neither side will want that margin to stay and a draw wouldn’t really change the picture at all.
Chelsea will consider themselves favourites for today’s clash as the Blues have lost just one of their last 15 Premier League matches against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, a 3-2 loss in October 2011. The Red Devils have also lost five of their eight away games immediately following a European match.
Manchester United have made a host of changes from midweek, with six in total. McTominay, Darmian, Blind, Martial and Lingard all drop to the bench, with Juan Mata surprisingly not making the squad. Jones, Young, Valencia, Herrera, Rashford and Mkhitaryan all come into the starting line-up. They are unchanged from their victory over Spurs last weekend though, so Mourinho has opted to return to what seems to be his favoured XI.
Chelsea make three changes to the side that was defeated 3-0 in Rome during midweek, with David Luiz left out of the squad. Pedro and Rudiger both drop to the bench, with Christensen, Zappacosta and Kante restored into the side.
Manchester United subs: Sergio Romero, Scott McTominay, Matteo Darmian, Maroaune Fellaini, Daley Blind, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial.
Chelsea subs: Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, Pedro, Willian, Ethan Ampadu, Danny Drinkwater, Michy Batshuayi.
Manchester United XI: David De Gea; Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling; Antonio Valencia, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Ashley Young; Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea XI: Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Gary Cahill; Davide Zappacosta, N’Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Marcos Alonso; Cesc Fabregas; Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard.
Manchester United are looking to keep pace with league leaders Manchester City, who lead Arsenal 3-1 and look to be set for a ninth consecutive Premier League win, so there’s no room for a slip up today. Tottenham’s win against Crystal Palace this morning also saw the Lilywhites join the Red Devils on 19 points, so their spot in second isn’t even secure.
Sat fourth in the Premier League, defending champions Chelsea haven’t been great this season and have already lost as many matches at Stamford Bridge this season (2) as they did during the entirety of last year’s title winning campaign. Defeat today would almost certainly end their hopes of back-to-back titles, so a response is needed.
Good afternoon and welcome to our LIVE text commentary of Chelsea v Manchester United, as Jose Mourinho returns to his former side and looks to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City. The hosts are looking to close the gap at the top, as well as earning redemption for their 3-0 Champions League defeat to Roma in midweek.