Red Devils conquer Chelsea
Written By: Robert Halter
Chelsea and Manchester United collided in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, end of October. Scott McTominay got the first caution for going in two footed on Mateo Kovacic. From a Daniel James corner, McTominay curled his strike into the outside netting of the right post in the thirteenth minute. The next yellow card went to Michy Batshuayi for treading on the foot of McTominay. But in the twenty fourth minute, after James went through and was brought down by Marcos Alonso in the area, the Red Devils were awarded a penalty by referee Paul Tierney, and it was left to Marcus Rashford to strike a low spot kick into the bottom left corner, and send Blues keeper, Willy Caballero, the wrong way. In the thirty sixth minute, through an assist by Rashford, a right footed shot by Jesse Lingard from outside the box was saved from Caballero in the top centre of the goal. In the fiftieth minute, from an over the top ball by Alonso, a left footed touch by Callum Hudson-Odoi, missed to the right. Three minutes later, Hudson-Odoi found Christian Pulisic, who dragged his shot wide. On fifty seven minutes, from a deep delivery by Pulisic, the ball was whipped onto the outside roof of the goal by Hudson-Odoi. But in the sixty first minute, Batshuayi led a one man crusade as he won a header from Caballero’s goal kick, raced through and drilled a strike from distance into the bottom right corner. The Red Devils first change was Anthony Martial for Victor Lindelof followed by Andreas Pereira for Jesse Lingard. After a pass by Brandon Williams was sliced wide from Fred, it followed with a double Chelsea change of Mason Mount for Billy Gilmour and Pedro on for Pulisic. But in the seventy second minute, as Pedro fouled Fred, a rasping free kick by Rashford flew into the top left corner, to put the Red Devils within touching distance of the quarter finals. In the last throw of the dice for the Blues, Tammy Abraham took over from Batshuayi. Later on, United switched Rashford with Ashley Young. During the eighty second minute, Hudson-Odoi’s incisive pass went through to Alonso, whose left footed strike was pushed behind by the Red Devils shot stopper, Sergio Romero, and from a Hudson-Odoi corner, a header by Kurt Zouma, flashed wide of the right post. In the eighty seventh minute, Reece James and Mount linked play, before Kovacic, miss fired high over the frame of the goal. On the ninetieth minute through Pereira’s assist, Martial curled the ball over the top right corner, from the left hand side. This followed with a booking for Kovacic for an infringement on Williams. In stoppage time, Abraham caught Marcos Rojo with a late challenge, before Manchester United sealed a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge to set up a home tie with Colchester United in the last eight of the Carabao Cup at the theatre of dreams.