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Chelsea clinched a wonderfully thrilling contest with Manchester United on a drama filled night at Stamford Bridge. The Blues took the lead through Conor Gallagher in just the fourth minute as the hosts looked to impose themselves on the game. Things looked even better as Cole Palmer slotted home a penalty after Antony fouled Marc Cucurella in the box.
The first half continued in blistering fashion as Manchester United looked to fight back. It took a misplaced pass from Moises Caicedo to get United back into the game. Alejandro Garnacho took control of the ball, dipped into the box and scored past Dorde Petrovic.
Bruno Fernandes added the equaliser a few minutes later completing a fast and sweeping move with a header from the back post and the teams headed into the break on level terms. Garnacho’s next goal looked to have settled things in United’s favour but Palmer had the final say.
When Diogo Dalot brought down Noni Madueke in the tenth minute of stoppage time, Palmer slipped in the penalty before latching onto a corner a minute later and blazing a deflected strike into the back of the net. Chelsea took the match and Stamford Bridge erupted in jubilation.
“It’s a pivotal moment in his [Marcus Rashford’s] career now,” said Rip Ferdinand, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. “He’s not a kid anymore.
“A lot of people look at potential and talent. He’s 26 – what were you [the panel] doing at 26? We were still making mistakes, don’t get me wrong, but on the football pitch you had it locked down, you knew what you were doing, you knew what you were about, who you were.
“There’s a big decision to make for him. He’s got to look at who is around him. I know his family play a big part with him, which is great, but who are the external people around that? Are they the right people, are they enabling him to make excuses for himself behind closed doors, or are they saying, ‘Look at yourself, and be accountable for what you are doing’? He needs to look at that and own that and make big decisions.
“When I joined Leeds United, I could’ve gone to Chelsea, and they were probably the club I preferred to go to at the time. The reason I left [West Ham] to go to Leeds was because it was out of London, and the external people around me, I needed to get away from. He’ll need to either decide to get rid of them and stay in Manchester or leave Manchester and get rid of those people. It might be an accumulation of different things, but that could be a big part because the people around you do have a big influence on how you are – especially accountability.”
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:45
Rio Ferdinand reveals how Marcus Rashford can save his career
Rashford has been badly out of form this season, with the majority of his eight goals and six assists coming in a month-long spell around the turn of the year where he appeared to have turned a corner, only to regress and struggle again in recent weeks.
It’s a far cry from the 30 goals and 11 assists he racked up last season or his 35 goal involvements from the 2021 campaign and his struggles have coincided with Man United’s as they’ve fallen out of contention in the race for a Champions League spot, with Erik ten Hag unable to extract any consistency from his team.
Rashford has floundered this season as Manchester United have struggled for consistency under Erik ten Hag
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:40
Chelsea vs Man Utd
Manchester United are looking to complete the Premier League double over Chelsea for just the second time, previously doing so in the 2019-20 campaign.
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:30
Poch ‘not happy’ after Burnley draw
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t happy with his side’s performance in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Burnley and wants to see his players ‘behave like Chelsea’ against Manchester United this evening.
“Football is about players with talent and the right mentality,” he said. “Mentality means you can deal with the pressure and express your talent with freedom, without limitations in your environment.
“It’s about playing the same way you played as a child when you play at Chelsea in front of 40,000 people, with the cameras, and because you need to win a title.
“We have experience of this. We have worked with many big players when they were young and they evolved to be the top players in the world. We also have met world champions, so we know how to identify this type of player.
“It is a combination of mentality, heart and talent. That is the combination. So we need to push them and it’s about helping them reach their real level.”
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:25
Phil Foden v Wayne Rooney – how do the two players compare?
Phil Foden’s stunning hat-trick against Aston Villa stirred up memories of a young Wayne Rooney as the Manchester City midfielder continues to impress this season.
The 23-year-old starred on Wednesday night, restoring City’s lead just before half-time with a free-kick and adding a second in the 62nd minute before completing his treble shortly after.
His performance drew comparisons with Rooney post-match, with TNT Sports host Laura Woods saying: “The third goal, especially. We were chatting about this a second ago, Rio (Ferdinand) was saying it was almost like your Wayne Rooney moment, that something doesn’t go right, you get angry, and you bang in a goal.”
Foden replied: “You know it’s funny you said that because as I was celebrating I was walking with Jackie (Grealish), he also said about the Wayne Rooney goal, said ‘that’s what it reminded me of’.”
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how the two players compare:
Both English players have hit the headlines early in their careers.
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:20
Pochettino on motivation to succeed
Mauricio Pochettino gave an insight into his way of working and explained how he is motivated to succeed with Chelsea.
“When I was at Espanyol, my first experience as a coach, I was in at 7am at the training ground every morning,” Pochettino explained, “Then I moved to Southampton and was there at 6.30am every morning. At Tottenham, I was in at 7am or 7.30am.
“At Paris Saint-Germain, it was 6am. Here at Chelsea it is 6.40am or 6.45am – and you can ask the guys at security. I’m not going to change because after 15 years my motivation and passion is still football.
“After 15 years of working, I’m not in a comfortable zone where I arrive at 9am and leave at 2pm. I keep pushing myself and my coaching staff because we want to win and be competitive.
“It’s not that you arrived at Chelsea and believe you are so good – or that people believe you’re are so good – that you do the minimum effort. No, the responsibility is more now. For us, we feel that and it’s why we try to deliver on the job.”
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:15
Chelsea vs Man Utd
Chelsea are winless in the last 12 Premier League meetings with Manchester United - seven draws, five defeats. It is their longest run without a league victory against the Red Devils.
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:10
Chilwell likely to miss United match
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell is likely to be absent for this evening’s game after falling ill while recovering from a knee injury. The left-back has been a crucial player for Mauricio Pochettino and will be a big miss if he cannot take to the field.
Defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto should be fit to play, while goalkeeper Robert Sanchez may also return.
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:05
Erik ten Hag reveals what’s to blame for Manchester United’s injury problems
Erik ten Hag defended his training schedule and his decision not to bring a fitness coach with him to Old Trafford as he blamed Manchester United’s injury problems on an accumulation of fatigue from his first 18 months in charge and international football.
United have had senior players sidelined by 53 injuries or illnesses already this season and Ten Hag believes he needs more footballers with the robustness of captain Bruno Fernandes, who has played 98 of the 103 games in his reign.
Ten Hag believes the workload on top footballers is too high and warned that standards are dropping when key players are ruled out because of injuries.
United have had senior players sidelined by 53 injuries or illnesses this season but Ten Hag has defended his record
Mike Jones4 April 2024 18:00
Schedule to blame for injuries claims United boss
Manchester United have only played 13 games in 2024 – an average of one a week – but Erik ten Hag blamed international football for some of their injury problems and pointed out that some of their rivals have lost just as many players.
“You can’t prevent [it],” he said. “It’s not only us who’ve had this. The standards of the Premier League from an intensity perspective are so high, the overload of the schedule and international football is so huge.
“We have internationals in our squad. [Manchester] City, Liverpool and Newcastle have problems, many other teams. In this moment, especially the defensive department [have injuries] but the midfield and frontline the players are available.”
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