Man Utd are a better team without Marcus Rashford - and finally Erik ten Hag can see it! Winners and losers as Red Devils come out fighting without misfiring forward to leave sorry Chelsea in the dust
The England star was benched at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and in his absence, the Red Devils put in an energetic display
After events of the past week, Erik ten Hag desperately needed a performance from his Manchester United team against Chelsea. Anything less than an improved display from Saturday's pathetic showing at Newcastle, and the knives would have started to sharpen for the Dutch coach.
With that in mind, and reports of unhappiness within the United squad beginning to swirl, Wednesday's 2-1 win at Old Trafford was a clear sign that the bulk of Ten Hag's players remain behind the boss as United dominated for almost the entire game, forcing their visitors into sloppy error after sloppy error as a result.
Scott McTominay was the hero on the night as the Scotland international scored goals either side of Cole Palmer's equaliser, but he was far from the only hero wearing red. Ten Hag's side pressed high from the first minute and created numerous good chances, with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez one of the few players heading back to west London with any credit.
That such an energetic display came on the night when Marcus Rashford was finally dropped from the United line-up will not have gone unnoticed, and performances remain at this level, then the forward might find it difficult to force his way back into the reckoning.
Rashford wasn't the only England attacker to have a disappointing evening, as Raheem Sterling was one of a number of Chelsea players who underperformed on the night, with Mauricio Pochettino seemingly powerless to figure out a way of forcing United to back down. As such, the Blues remain mired in mid-table as they continue to take one step forward followed by two back.
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