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No surprise to see Wayne Rooney restored to Man United’s starting XI, while it looks like Eden Hazard will lead the line for Chelsea in the absence of the suspended Diego Costa.
They’re already selling Jose Mourinho scarves at Old Trafford.
Another Mourinho supporter spotted…
We’re underway..
So close! Inside the opening two minutes, a powerful strike from Mata hits the woodwork.
That’s got the crowd going immediately.
Blind’s slip allows Hazard to break down the right, before Ashley Young makes a good interception to play it out.
From the ensuing corner, De Gea produces an excellent save from a John Terry header.
It’s been an exciting start to this game.
Not everyone inside Old Trafford is a Mourinho supporter…
More positive play from United.
Rooney lays the ball off to Schneidirlin, whose swerving shot goes just wide.
Alex Ferguson poses for a selfie in the stands.
Of course, there are two other Premier League games happening at the moment.
You can follow all the action elsewhere here.
You’d think Chelsea were the team who had lost four games on the bounce judging by how they’ve started this game.
They’ve been poor, and Hazard has unsurprisingly struggled to hold the ball up in attack.
Another close call for Chelsea, as Martial’s shot hits off the inside of the post and somehow stays out.
The visitors are reeling.
Ivanovic is struggling to cope with Martial at the moment.
Man United need to get the ball to the talented French youngster as often as possible, as he looks to be their biggest threat currently.
This is virtually a siege on the Chelsea box at the moment.
Martial goes down after running into Zouma, but the referee correctly ignores calls for a penalty.
Courtois gives a kick straight to Herrera, but his cross is cut out by Terry.
Chelsea’s defence is looking nervy and their young goalkeeper is lacking options for kick-outs, given Hazard’s lack of height up front — a dilemma that partially caused him to make the aforementioned error.
Chelsea defenders stand off and Rooney’s powerful shot is parried away by Courtois.
The Man United captain has responded well to being dropped at Stoke, looking sharp at the start of this game.
Chelsea are still struggling with no target man up front.
Man United have comfortably had the better possession and territory so far in this game.
Crisis? What crisis?
The tempo for this game has become much slower and it’s been far less open in recent minutes.
It’s probably inevitable, though, given that the rapid start to the match was hardly sustainable.
Banter…
A cross is half-cleared and the ball breaks to Schweinsteiger on the edge of the box, but the German international blasts his attempt well over.
For all Man United’s positive play, their lack of goals and shortage of class in the final third remains an issue.
Willian’s free kick has just been lofted straight into the hands of David de Gea.
The cagey, uninspired affair that many people expected from the start is belatedly beginning to materialise.
HALF-TIME: MAN UNITED 0-0 CHELSEA
So an intriguing first half in many ways.
Given United’s lack of confidence coming into this game, having lost four matches on the bounce, it’s surprising how passive Chelsea were in that first half.
United capitalised on the Blues’ slow start to an extent, creating some decent half chances and playing most of the football.
Without Diego Costa, Chelsea have struggled, as Eden Hazard is plainly ill-suited to the target man role.
Guus Hiddink’s side have struggled to retain possession as a result, and have looked nervous at the back at times to boot, but as has generally been the case this season, United’s lack of a cutting edge in the final third has meant they haven’t been able to fully take advantage of the Londoners’ inept first-half display.
The second half is underway…
Six of Willian’s seven goals have come direct from set pieces this season, but the Brazilian has not been doing well tonight in that regard.
Not for the first time, he fails to beat the first man with a delivery into the box.
Fantastic stuff David de Gea!
First, he stops Pedro’s shot from the edge of the box, before he saves Azpilicueta’s weak shot on the rebound.
Interestingly, Willian and Pedro have switched wings in the second half.
Clearly, something needed to be done, as Chelsea were relatively ineffectual as an attacking force in that first half.
Great save by Courtois!
Martial breaks free down the left and crosses for Herrera, but the Belgian international gets down well to deny the midfielder.
Martial is still causing Ivanovic serious problems down Chelsea’s right.
Even with the more defensive-minded winger Willian now on the right side, the visitors continue to look vulnerable in that area.
Matic has just wasted the best chance of the game.
Chelsea break and Pedro finds the Serb in plenty of space. However, he blazes it over the bar when one-on-one with De Gea.
United can feel aggrieved at not having a penalty, after Willian subtly controls the ball with his hand in the box.
Interestingly, Martin Atkinson has yet to give a penalty in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea make a change as Willian is replaced by Ramires.
You get the sense that Hiddink is worried about United’s left side and in particular, the lively Martial.
Meanwhile, Borthwick-Jackson has replaced Darmian for Man United.
Hazard is booked for a late challenge on Young.
It’s been a frustrating afternoon for last season’s PFA Player of the Year.
Mata plays through to Rooney, who miscues his attempted shot. It would have been offside anyway.
Someone from the Man United bench has just shouted ‘Memphis,’ and the youngster is about to come on.
Mata, who came so close to scoring in the early stages, has been replaced by Memphis Depay.
The Spanish international rarely seems to complete games these days.
Daley Blind has now been replaced by Phil Jones.
That’s presumably injury/fitness-related, given that it’s hardly a substitution that will help United win this game.
Young beats Pedro, but then frustratingly, his cross is straight at Azpilicueta.
The England international’s delivery has been really poor this evening, epitomising United’s ineffectiveness in the final third in the process.
Big chance!
Herrera’s backheel finds an onrushing Borthwick-Jackson. The youngster’s pinpoint delivery into the box finds Rooney, but he blazes his first-time attempt over from close range.
The Chelsea fans are sarcastically chanting “attack attack attack” now.
Looks like Van Gaal’s United are set to draw another blank.
Three minutes of added time will be played.
Rooney is fortunate not to be sent off for a very bad challenge on Oscar.
Wayne Rooney has been named man-of-the-match.
He should have been sent off and didn’t score, but he has looked sharper compared with previous performances this season.
Chelsea wind the clock down by replacing Oscar with Loftus-Cheek.
FULL-TIME: MAN UNITED 0-0 CHELSEA
That’s that so. It was an improved display from United, compared with the shambles in Stoke.
Martial, in particular, looked a threat, but Chelsea held firm, and the Londoners will be happy with a point judging by their relatively unambitious approach to the game.
The first-half performance was the best 45 minutes United have produced in quite some time, but frustratingly for Louis van Gaal, they faded in the second half and again, their lack of creativity in the final third has meant they’ve struggled for goals.
Consequently, it’s the sixth time in total this season that Man United have failed to score at Old Trafford.
Right, that’s it from me, but we’ll have more reaction to come.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
