Manchester United and Chelsea played out a stale 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, with both teams playing it safe in an extremely dull affair.
The first half passed without incident, although Marcus Rashford was presented with a good chance to break the deadlock, but Edouard Mendy was up to the task and parried his shot away from goal. The second half was equally as tame, with neither side seemingly intent on winning the match.
It ends goalless at Old Trafford. ?#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/T0ut5FFplZ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2020
Man Utd and Chelsea both had half-chances as the game progressed, and Rashford almost snatched the points with a last-minute curler, but Mendy once again kept his side level.
The referee finally put us all out of our misery with the sweetest of final whistles, and the two teams had to settle for a point each for their limp efforts.
Let's take a look at the player ratings from a painful evening at Old Trafford.
MANCHESTER UNITED
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
David de Gea (GK) - 6/10 - Didn't really have a lot to do for large periods of the match. No major saves or moments of note in the first half. Same goes for the second.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) - 7/10 - Tasked with marking the drifter, Werner, who floated around the left side of the pitch. Did an excellent job, especially with Pulisic in the mix.
Harry Maguire (CB) - 7/10 - Somehow got away with a mild assault on Azpilicueta in the penalty area - no jokes, please. Other than this huge let off, defended very solidly in open play.
Victor Lindelof (CB) - 7/10 - A better display and a much-needed one, too. Struggled at times with the running of Werner, but did a decent enough job in a cagey match.
Luke Shaw (LB) - 7/10 - Picked up a first-half yellow for trying to professionally-foul James - twice. Looked solid and prevented Havertz from causing any problems.
2. Midfielders
Scott McTominay (CM) - 6/10 - Shielded the back four with physical aggression and determination. Didn't add a lot in terms of progression up the pitch. Nothing, in fact.
Fred (CM) - 6/10 - An underrated little scrapper. Got stuck in and broke up Chelsea's counter-attacks with venom. Forward passing was not great, to put it mildly.
Bruno Fernandes (CM) - 6/10 - Able to play out from any nook or cranny with unerring ease. Produced some lovely cross-field balls, but nothing incisive.
3. Forwards
Juan Mata (RW) - 5/10 - Hoped to provide that extra guile and trickery that the front three needed. Stung Mendy's palms with a nice effort before half-time. Subbed.
Marcus Rashford (ST) - 6/10 - Spurned a great chance when clean through on goal early on. Drove at Chelsea's defence and gave them no rest. Almost won it at the end - unlucky.
Dan James (LW) - 5/10 - Very fast runner. Not so good at football. Got into some dangerous positions, but struggled to get the better of the equally rapid James. Subbed.
4. Substitutes
It's time.#MUFC #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/mzzNDCErnw
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 24, 2020
Edinson Cavani (ST) - 6/10
Paul Pogba (CM) - 6/10
Mason Greenwood (RW) - 6/10
CHELSEA
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - 7/10 - Can't kick the ball with his left foot, that much we've learnt. Smart stop to deny Rashford in the first half. Pulled off a better save in the dying minutes to take a point back to London. Bravo.
Reece James (RWB) - 7/10 - Had Dan James' number from the off, and not afraid of taking on Shaw on the offensive, either. A combative and committed performance.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - 6/10 - Should have earned a penalty with his tenacity in the opposing box. Enjoyed the battle and got stuck in. Expect nothing less.
Thiago Silva (CB) - 7/10 - Relished the challenge of keeping up with Rashford, and seemed much more comfortable than in previous displays. Point-saving tackle on Cavani late on.
Kurt Zouma (CB) - 7/10 - Did his job well. Defended the counter-attack, got tight to his man and won the ball more often than not. Can't ask for much more.
Ben Chilwell (LWB) - 7/10 - A confident showing. Always looking to bomb on and overlap on the left flank, while never shirking his defensive duties. Not spectacular, but impressive, nonetheless.
6. Midfielders
Kai Havertz (RM) - 5/10 - In the team to create and provide an outlet for his teammates. Did neither of those things, really. Very blunt, very isolated and definitely misused.
N'Golo Kante (CM) - 7/10 - Dynamic, solid, and tireless. Ran the game, threw himself into every tackle and came out the other side smiling.
Jorginho (CM) - 6/10 - Performed his usual trick of passing the ball about very well. Didn't blow us away with anything revolutionary, but did a steady job.
Christian Pulisic (LM) - 6/10 - Drifted inside and tried to create, but cut a pretty frustrated figure with those around him. Found himself in dangerous positions on occasion, but his teammates failed to supply the goods.
7. Forward
Timo Werner (ST) - 5/10 - Looked incredibly isolated despite the amount of attacking talent surrounding him. Pulled to the left to try and drag players out of position, but found little success.
8. Substitutes
A double substitution. ?
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2020
? 0-0 ? [72’] #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/3WjO3PPRnS
Mason Mount (RM) - 5/10
Tammy Abraham (ST) - 6/10
Hakim Ziyech (LM) - 6/10
Source : 90min