Fred, Daniel James 4/10 as Man United fail to find any rhythm

Manchester United were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw in a tactical stalemate against Chelsea on Saturday night.

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Marcus Rashford came closest to scoring in each half but in the end, Edouard Mendy proved to be the difference-maker on a wet night at Old Trafford.

Positives

There was a gradual increase in attacking output from United and in the last half hour they were starting to make some progress in the final third. They never seemed to really panic on the ball and their tight defensive line for the most part ensured that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were able to neutralise Chelsea’s star-studded forwards at every available opportunity.

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Negatives

At times United did allow Chelsea too much space, which meant the visitors could walk through gaps in midfield and, on another day, could have exploited that. United’s hesitancy to shoot also appeared costly on several occasions, giving Chelsea the opportunity to get numbers back behind the ball.

Manager rating out of 10

5 — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named a starting XI that raised a few eyebrows, with Paul Pogba abd and Greenwood on the bench. It was clear that he had requested a slow and steady start to the game from the Red Devils. He made the necessary changes in the second half but didn’t use Donny van de Beek. Overall, there just wasn’t enough urgency on display from the hosts, and that’s why they didn’t secure all three points.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK David de Gea, 6 — It was the definition of a quiet day at the office for the Spaniard who rarely had to get involved in the action aside from a few tame saves.

DF Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 8 — A selection of key interceptions, blocks and tackles highlighted a performance that warranted a Man of the Match award for the full-back.

DF Victor Lindelof, 7 — Never went out of his way to create any risks and, overall, stuck to his task well in a solid defensive showing.

DF Harry Maguire, 6 — While Maguire may not have put a foot wrong in his centre-back duties he was certainly fortunate not to concede a penalty in a first half challenge on Cesar Azpilicueta.

DF Luke Shaw, 5 — His tendency to leave space on the left was paired up nicely with his inconsistency in overlapping whenever United pushed forward.

MF Fred, 4 — It was a flat display from Fred as he couldn’t get into a rhythm with his passing or his positional play.

Fred struggles to keep tabs on Chelsea’s Kai Havertz. Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images

MF Scott McTominay, 5 — Battled hard and kept things ticking along in midfield but didn’t strive to drive his team into more positive attacking positions.

AMF Juan Mata, 6 — Dictated the pace of the game well with quick and concise distribution and produced one of the better shots of the evening when forcing a nice save from Mendy just before half time.

AMF Bruno Fernandes, 6 — Showcased a one-touch ability to keep the ball moving but didn’t have any major clear-cut moments.

AMF Daniel James, 4 — The winger never really found his way into the game and constantly struggled to create opening when put up against Reece James.

FW Marcus Rashford, 5 — Rashford carried the ball well but missed his best chance of the game with a low effort in the 35th minute, although he also came close with a curling 91st-minute effort that was kept out by Mendy.

Substitutes

MF Paul Pogba, 5 — In addition to an early injury scare after coming on, Pogba wasn’t really able to get into a flow during his 30-minute cameo.

FW Edinson Cavani, 6 — The former PSG star almost made an immediate impact with a great flicked shot at the near post in the 59th minute but, outside of that, he didn’t get the service he required.

FW Mason Greenwood, N/A — Threw himself around the pitch in a desperate attempt to get on the scoresheet but his efforts were in vain.