Chelsea versus Manchester United – English Premier League Player Ratings (Part 1)
A match that can be termed as a season defining one for both the teams involved at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea outfought Manchester United for a remarkable 2-1 win at their home turf on 1st of March, 2011. Whether the Blues can take heed from their latest win and build onwards to a credible title charge to retain their English Premier League crown remains to be seen. However, now it is time to shed some light on how all the players performed for their respective teams on Tuesday night in London.
Edwin Van Der Sar
The Dutchman was impervious yet again for the visiting side and despite the fact that Manchester United lost the game, Van Der Sar was on top form once again. In the first half after Manchester United took the lead thanks to a blistering strike from Wayne Rooney, it was the ex-Juventus shot stopper that kept them in front thanks to a double reflex save from Frank Lampard’s free kick and the follow up shot by Branislav Ivanovic. In the second half, when United were trying to play their way back into the game, Van Der Sar showed once again that he is one of those few goal keepers who are comfortable with the ball at their feet. Rating: 8/10
John O’Shea
O’Shea was solid enough in the first half of football between Manchester United and Chelsea. The Irishman allowed Malouda to skip past him on a couple of occasions in the first 45 minutes but the Frenchman’s wasteful delivery meant that the veteran Manchester United full back was let off the hook. In the second half, O’Shea once again held his own but his carelessness played a major role in Chelsea’s second goal which came through Frank Lampard’s spot kick. It was O’Shea who was sucked in towards the ball and left Drogba unmarked on the right side of Manchester United’s penalty area. The Ivorian striker played in Zhirkov as a result who was fouled by Chris Smalling inside the Manchester United penalty area. Rating: 6.5/10
Chris Smalling
Inexperienced or not, Fulham’s ex center back has shown time and again this season that he is more than suitable replacement for the habitually injured Rio Ferdinand. In the first half, Smalling maintained total defensive dominance over Nicolas Anelka. When Fernando Torres came to the right side of Manchester United’s central defence, Smalling dealt with the Spaniard’s pace as well. His only moment of weakness came in the second half when he tripped Zhirkov inside Manchester United’s penalty area. Fully recognizing the fact that it was indeed a soft penalty to concede, Smalling was at fault for the unnecessary tackle on the Russian winger. Rating: 7/10
Nemanja Vidic
A rock at the center of Manchester United’s defence, it was almost inevitable that the Serbian defender would have his seasonal melt down sooner rather than later. Before his sending off against Chelsea on Tuesday night, Vidic had made a habit of seeing red against Liverpool. In the first half of the encounter at Stamford Bridge, Vidic was as steady as steel. He dealt with Torres who drifted out wide to exploit Patrice Evra’s runs down the left wing for the Red Devils. In the second half, Vidic was comfortable once again until Drogba’s introduction in the match for the home side. Manchester United’s captain was cautioned in the first half for a late tackle on Michael Essien and in the second half he was booked again by Martin Atkinson for a shirt tug on Ramirez. The second yellow card obviously meant an automatic ejection for the Serbian who will now miss Manchester United’s trip to Anfield against Liverpool on the weekend. Rating: 6/10
Patrice Evra
As usual, Patrice was efficient in defence and active in attack for the visiting side. His runs down the left side were a constant source of headache for Ivanovic. Not only that, it was his overlapping run near the 30th minute mark which created sufficient space for Rooney outside the Chelsea penalty area to score the opening goal of the encounter. In the second half, Evra was withdrawn due to as a precaution because of a minor knock to his knee during the matchup. All in all, it was yet another reliable display by the Frenchman. Rating: 7.5/10
In the next installment of this featured player rating series, we will take a look at how the rest of the Manchester United playing eleven fared against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
(The views expressed by the writer are his own and do not reflect the editorial policy of www.bettor.com)
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