Thriller a reminder of the way things used to be
Chelsea and Manchester United enjoyed a bit of old school football fun at Stamford Bridge, delivering an end-to-end seven- goal fest that reminded us of what this fixture used to be and showed their may be life in the old dogs yet - even if the level of defending was way off standard. Cole Palmer was the star of the show for Chelsea as he scored a remarkable hat-trick, including a penalty and a deflected winner in injury time to leave United, who had come back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2, demoralised and deflated.
It leaves Erik ten Hag under intense pressure coming straight after a miserable performance at Brentford last weekend.
It was an extraordinary game, no doubt about that.
But before Chelsea fans get too excited, this victory, however enjoyable, still revealed defensive frailties in a match that was hugely entertaining but still a long way away from the days when the Red Devils and the Blues dominated English football.
Memories of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson squaring up on the touchline sprung to mind during the build-up in west London, along with John Terry’s missed penalty that led to United glory in Moscow in 2008 and Didier Drogba’s FA Cup Final winner in 2007. Not to mention a plethora of title-deciding moments across almost a decade.
Roll forward to 2024, however, and the level is not the same – but the entertainment was still there.
The first half was almost comical in its openness.
When Chelsea scored after only four minutes with a strike from Conor Gallagher (one that United goalkeeper Onana should have done better with) and doubled it through a Cole Palmer penalty (given away by Antony) the roar from the Matthew Harding Stand still felt guttural. But the meaning of it all wasn’t the same.
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