Daily Mail - 12.08.2019



THE VERDICT: PREMIER LEAGUE

N

ot much chat about

replacement strikers

after this. Marcus

Rashford, Anthony

Martial; Jesse

Lingard and Daniel James

in support. Not so bad when

you think about it. Pace.

that is what terrifies defenders

and it is the quality Manchester

United’s front line now has in

abundance.

the knack of finding the net

against big clubs helps, too. In 49

minutes yesterday, Rashford

scored more Premier League goals

against what would be termed

elite opposition than Romelu

Lukaku managed across two

seasons at United.

Chelsea are not going to be

the force they were minus Eden

Hazard and with a transfer

embargo stifling recruitment, but

even so this was an impressive

scoreline and the goals impres-

sively taken.

For just over an hour, Chelsea

were very much in it and possibly

the better side. David De Gea was

the busier goalkeeper and Chelsea

hit the woodwork twice. Yet the

speed of United’s forward line

reflects the speed with which the

game was taken away from Frank

Lampard’s team. they went from

in contention to 4-0 down in the

blink of an eye.

It was a strange game in that

respect. Leading by a Rashford

penalty at half-time, many thought

United fortunate. their second

goal was a counter-attack that

started with the excellent Harry

Maguire getting the better of

tammy Abraham on the edge of

United’s penalty area. Yet from

there Chelsea crumbled in a way

that will worry

Lampard

intensely.

this was the

worst first-game

defeat for a Chelsea

manager since

Danny Blanchflower

lost 7-2 to Middles-

brough on Decem-

ber 16, 1978. Yet

Chelsea had won

two games all sea-

son before that

point and would

eventually drop from

Division one in bottom place. this

was meant to be the start of a

brave, new and youthful world, a

clean start under a new boss. At

least Lampard should get more

time than Blanchflower. He was

gone the following September

after just nine months in charge.

Y

Et for all of their good

work early on, Chelsea were

trying to find a way back

into the game once Kurt

Zouma gave up a penalty after 17

minutes. It is fair to say that his

first-half performance was so bad

it made one wonder just how much

of a colossal pest David Luiz must

have been that Lampard would

see playing Zouma as preferable to

keeping him.

He had already almost handed

United the lead by passing the ball

to Martial in his own penalty area

after seven minutes. He got lucky,

only because Martial’s shot was

weak and easily saved by Kepa

Arrizabalaga.

Nothing — not the goalkeeper, or

even VAR — could help Chelsea

with Zouma’s second clanger,

though. He was clumsy and care-

less in legging over Rashford after

17 minutes. Referee Anthony tay-

lor pointed to the spot and with no

quibbles from a warehouse near

Heathrow, Rashford took his now

familiar angled run and whipped

the ball deftly into the left side

netting, high and out of reach.

How heartening, also, to see the

end of Paul Pogba’s ego-driven

spot kicks, the pitter-pat atten-

tion-seeking run-up. this wasn’t

about the taker. this was about

the whole, and taking full advan-

tage of the circumstances. United

most certainly did that after half-

time. Counter-attacking has

always been the forte of the best

United teams, and of ole Gunnar

Solskjaer’s first games, too.

the rest of the goals, all three,

came because United can move

the ball from back to front at star-

tling pace. If they can keep and

refine this core philosophy they

will frighten plenty of teams this

season. to that end, it helps to

have an intelligent ball player

in Maguire at the back, and an

outstanding passer like Pogba in

midfield, even if his defensive

work-rate remains questionable

at times. the second goal came

after Maguire rattled Abraham —

who had a quiet game after an

explosive start — and immediately

fed the ball to Rashford. He set off

down the field, blue shirts trailing

in his wake before attempting

to release Lingard with a pass

that was overhit. However, the ball

found its way to Andreas Pereira,

whose low cross was turned in

by Martial.

Barely had the game restarted

when it was as good as done.

Pogba hit a fine pass from deep

that split Chelsea’s defence, falling

sweetly at the feet of Rashford. In

the past, his finishing has been

criticised. Not yesterday. He stuck

IT’S ALL ABOUT

4

0

CHELSEA

Rashford 18 (pen), 67

Martial 65, James 81

MAN UTD

MARTIN

SAMUEL

Chief Sports Writer

at Old Trafford

THE PACE

Rashford’s scorching speed

reduces Chelsea to rubble

DANIEL JAMES launched into an emotional celebration

when he scored just seven minutes after coming on as

substitute on his competitive debut.

James, whose father passed away at the age of 60 this

summer while James was in talks over an £18m move to

United from Swansea, pointed to the skies after hitting

the fourth goal. ‘His summer has been one of ups and

downs,’ said United manager ole Gunnar Solskjaer. ‘to

score his goal in front of the Stretford End must be such

a proud moment for him.’

Daniel tribute to late Dad

THE PREMIER

LEAGUE IN

SIXTY

SECONDS

HOME FROM HOME

LESS ADDED TIME

DESPITE VAR!

ENGLAND’S

RENAISSANCE

Opening weekends compared:

PL 2019-20 2018-19

GOALS 27    25

RED CARDS 1     1

PENALTIES 2     3

ADDED   TIME 75     83

(mins)

19

JACK GREALISH has

lost a record 19

Premier League

games in a row. The

midfielder was on the losing

side in his last 18 games

leading up to Villa’s

relegation in 2016 before

Saturday’s loss at Tottenham.

English managers on opening

Premier League weekend:

2019-20 O O O O O O O O 8

2018-19 O O O O 4

English players on opening

Premier League weekend:

2019-20 ����������������������������������� 96

2018-19 �������������������������������������� 86

9

TEAMS who failed to

score on the opening

weekend. Only in

2005-2006 (10 teams) have

more sides failed to score in

the first round of games.

AWAY    grounds where   

Manchester  City    have    

plundered   the most    goals   

under   Pep Guardiola:  

WEST HAM (London Stadium) 22

WATFORD (Vicarage Road) 13

SWANSEA (Liberty Stadium) 12

WEST BROM (The Hawthorns) 9

C PALACE (Selhurst Park) 8

5

WINS in a row for

Manchester United on

the opening weekend —

their longest such run since

winning six in a row between

1905 and 1910.

BLUES LOOKING UP

WE  may only    be  one game    in  

but Chelsea have    ended   a   

weekend in  the relegation  

zone    for the first   time    since   

September   2000.   This    is  how 

the table   looked...   though  

they    went    on  to  finish  6th!

Team P GD Pts

16 Coventry ....... 8 -6 8

17 West Ham ..... 8 -1 7

18 Chelsea ......... 7 -2 7

19 Bradford ....... 8 -8 6

20 Derby ............ 8 -5 5