Five things learned from Chelseas 1-1 draw with Manchester United: Courtois, Costa & Mourinho feature Five conclusions from another thrilling Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Discipline, discipline, discipline In the end, Chelseas 1-1 draw with Manchester United boiled down to one thing: a lack of discipline. Jose Mourinho was understandably happy with his side after the game. But he wouldnt have been happy with Branislav Ivanovic, whose foul on Angel Di Maria earned him a second yellow and thus red card - and gave away the free kick that led to a late Robin van Persie equaliser. Chelsea earned seven bookings against United and, despite the high intensity it resulted in, that was taking a hard-line approach too far. Courtois is the man Several performers stepped up to the plate for both sides at Old Trafford on Sunday - but arguably the standout individual was Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian was heroic and made several phenomenal saves. Van Persies equaliser only came after Courtois made an initial save from a Marouane Fellaini header. There was little he did wrong. Fitness problems Although Didier Drogba powered home a trademark header to score for the Blues against his old foes, you have to wonder if Diego Costa would have won the game for Mourinhos men. Loic Remy could also have offered more from open play, simply due to Drogbas lack of mobility at his age. The 36-year-old put in a big performance but Costa and Remys fitness problems are a cause for concern at Stamford Bridge. Too defensive? After going a goal up against Man United, Mourinho used a familiar ploy. The Portuguese coach brought John Obi Mikel on and looked to see the game out with a one-goal lead. Ultimately, though, that might have proved too defensive, as the three points were not forthcoming. It was a similar story against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, when Frank Lampard came on to find another late equaliser against the west London side. One point gained - still unbeaten Nevertheless, Chelsea are still top, still unbeaten and have gained a point over title rivals City this weekend after their loss to West Ham United on Saturday. Two away draws in Manchester are the Blues only weakness this season and, looking at the fixture list, most Chelsea fans would surely have taken that before the campaign started.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:42:51 +0000
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