Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester United, putting them fourth in the Premier League after ten games played, an impressive turnaround from the last few years under Todd Boehly.
Enzo Maresca’s side, who average 55.2% possession – the fourth highest in the division – held more of the ball than Manchester United, who usually average 52.3% possession, the seventh highest in the league.
The Blues have scored 20 goals so far this season, with only Manchester City and Tottenham scoring more. But it was defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo with their only goal, putting in a Man of the Match display against the Red Devils.
Moises Caicedo's stunning performance at Old Trafford
Despite scoring his first goal of the season, that wasn’t the only part of Caicedo’s performance that caught the eye.
The 23-year-old had an 84% passing accuracy, completed two of his three long balls, made one key pass, won eight of his 16 ground duels, and made three tackles in the game.
It was a complete performance from the £115m midfielder, who is now really beginning to show why the Blues spent such a high figure on him.
But it wasn’t just the Ecuadorian who impressed for Chelsea, as another one of their expansive signings under the new ownership shone against Manchester United too.
Wesley Fofana's performance in numbers
Wesley Fofana joined Chelsea for around £75m from Leicester City back in August 2022, signing a seven-year deal with the Blues.
Since joining, the Frenchman has had some big injury issues, only allowing him to make 29 appearances for the club, despite being there for over two years now. However, after a rough year or so of it on the treatment table, he’s now showing he means business.
Minutes
90
Touches
76
Accurate Passes
49/58
Long Balls
1/2
Successful Dribbles
1/1
Ground Duels Won
6/9
Aerials Duels Won
5/6
Clearances
6
Blocks
1
Interceptions
2
Tackles
3
Indeed, against Manchester United, Fofana showed exactly the qualities he can bring to the side, earning a 6/10 match rating from the Daily Express, showing physicality in his duels, recovery pace, and overall combativeness.
Although the defender’s positioning was labelled as “clueless” by one content creator for the United goal, allowing Hojlund to find room in behind, the 23-year-old was nearly flawless that moment aside.
He won five of his six aerial duels, won six of his nine ground duels, made three tackles, two interceptions, one block, and six clearances in the game.
His best moment came when United forward Joshua Zirkzee began to run in behind. The former Leicester defender was on the back foot but got back brilliantly, using his powerful frame to get himself in the way of the Dutch attacker.
Chelsea struggled last season from having many different centre-back pairings, with changes in the back four every week under Mauricio Pochetinno, and something Maresca has managed to do, is begin to settle on a preferred defensive unit, allowing a bond between Levi Colwill and Fofana to form.
The aggressive duel-winner type of Fofana compliments Colwill’s controlled cover style, and that is starting to develop game on game, as the players understand exactly what each other wants to do. This has seen Chelsea concede 12 goals so far this term, which whilst still not perfect, looks to be better than their 63 conceded in 38 games last season.
With Reece James back to full fitness too, Chelsea could really start to form a cohesive defensive unit between now and the end of the season, something the club has struggled with for the past few years, and something many fans would be relieved to see.
Saved by Caicedo: 4/10 Chelsea ace let Maresca down vs Man Utd
Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
ByConnor HoldenNov 3, 2024