From joy to despair and now this: Manchester United have certainly shown their addiction to drama in recent weeks; theirs is the story that keeps on giving. If the FA Cup win over Liverpool had left their supporters feeling rosy for weeks, the nature of Saturday’s draw against Brentford was the definition of a reality check. On a crowded field, was this the worst performance of their chaotic season?
The last part was barely believable. From despair to joy and back again – difficult – within one game; it felt like the death of their Premier League season, with Chelsea’s joy spiraling out of control at the very end.
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Cole Palmer aside, the home side were vulnerable, unconvincing for much of the evening and yet not only did they take a 2-0 lead, it could have been three. United didn’t panic. It was all part of the show. And it was Antony, so often the villain, who helped turn things around.
After Alejandro Garnacho punished the woeful Chelsea defender for 2-1, Antony played a role in the build-up to Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser. And it was Antony who produced the beautiful cross after a quick United counter for 3-2, with Garnacho nodding home after the rebound. Garnacho was also impressive.
Game is over? Not at all. This is United. This was Palmer too. After Chelsea substitute Noni Madueke won a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time after Diogo Dalot had fallen behind him, there was no doubt that Palmer would score from the spot, as he had previously done for 2. -0.
A winner in the 101st minute? It was ridiculous, but Palmer made it happen when no one in red followed him around a fast corner and he fired home with the help of a deflection from United substitute, Scott McTominay.
The teams had started in twelfth and sixth place respectively, a far cry from when this was one of the games of the season, the main teaser ahead of the match that would feature Chelsea and United. Nobody knew. They have been terribly unpredictable.
Ten Hag could at least have appointed a recognizable central defense from the start, Raphaël Varane passed a fitness test and stepped in alongside Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Victor Lindelöf were out and Jonny Evans had hardly trained. It still had square pegs in round holes. But if a club does not have a fit, specialized left back, that is also sufficient.
Aware of Palmer’s threat from Chelsea’s right, Ten Hag asked Diogo Dalot to fill the problem position. But when he was sucked in and Kobbie Mainoo lost possession in the early stages, Chelsea saw a huge space to exploit. How they did that. Enzo Fernández worked the ball up there for Malo Gusto and when he made a low cross, the ball came off Varane’s heel and there was Conor Gallagher who flew past André Onana. Casemiro slowly came out to close down on Gallagher.
It was impossible to ignore the big selection decision, that of Ten Hag to exclude Marcus Rashford from his starting XI. ‘Rotation’, the manager had called it, with Sunday’s Old Trafford match against Liverpool in mind. It was easy to delve deeper into the reasons, starting with Rashford’s no-show at Brentford. On the other hand, he was hardly the only United player missing.
Antony started in his place and he looked purposeful. He flickered in the first fifteen minutes. And then he made a mistake in his own area, trying to tackle Marc Cucurella when he was on the wrong side and would probably never get the ball. Cucurella, who had traded tickets with Mykhailo Mudryk, was too cute for Antony. The contact was minimal, but when he went down it looked like a penalty. Palmer, who had heard the cries of ‘City Reject’ from the United fans, would never miss the spot and he enjoyed his celebrations.
Palmer was a threat. There were times when he tormented Dalot with his twinkling toes and sliding movements. Casemiro’s lack of mobility at the base of the United midfield was a major problem and Chelsea advertised a 3–0 goal, namely when Axel Disasi came in unmarked at the far post to meet a Gallagher free-kick. He headed wastefully wide of the goal.
Defensive vulnerability wasn’t United’s sole domain and it was a horror moment from Moisés Caicedo that led the visitors back into it. After Antony, who did not drop his head after the penalty, had done well to keep a Fernandes disc in play, Caicedo tried to go straight at Benoît Badiashile and only found Garnacho. He ran to finish.
After Fernandez pulled a fine save from Onana at the other end, United came back to 2-2. The Chelsea marker at the back post was non-existent and when Dalot crossed, Fernandes headed his header home. It was wild, full of tension and grumbling, and before the break there was time for Gallagher to crash a shot against the near post after Casemiro had lost the ball and Palmer surged forward again.
What about United’s central defensive pairing? Varane had sensed something before the Gallagher chance at the end of the first half, unable to give chase, and he did not reappear for the second half, with Evans replacing him. Incredibly (or perhaps not), Evans would only last until the 66th minute. Willy Kambwala came in his place.
The action was buzzing from start to finish. Chelsea got through to Palmer, who was almost unplayable. United were dangerous on the counter; there were times when they ran through Chelsea with almost embarrassing ease. Maguire fired one shot high, Fernandes another as he was gloriously placed. Rasmus Højlund was denied by a Disasi challenge after a looser pass from Chelsea. Casemiro headed high from a corner.
Palmer had extended Onana with a curler, but it was United who looked the most likely goalscorer. When they took the lead shortly after Ten Hag introduced Rashford for Højlund, it was all about Antony’s desire and ingenuity. He had won the ball to set the break and it was his glorious cross from outside the boot that saw Garnacho head past Djordje Petrovic.