Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech fritters chance to turn up heat on Manchester United
It is the statistic that undermines the good Manchester United have done in the Premier League this season: they have failed to score a single goal in open play against opponents from the socalled big six.
Their only return in what is now seven attempts came from a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 6-1 home defeat against Tottenham. This was their fifth 0-0 draw and, although it was more watchable than some of the others, it illustrated why they lag so far behind Manchester City. In the decisive matches they have not only mislaid their creativity and cutting edge, they have seemed risk averse.
The draw did extend United’s club record unbeaten top-flight away run to 20 games and, more importantly, it kept them six points above Chelsea who are fifth. A Champions League finish is the most likely prize for United’s endeavours in the league and it remains well within their grasp.
Chelsea could be the unhappier at the result, although it continued Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start to life at the club. His run now stands at nine games in all competitions, with six wins and only two goals conceded.
The problem for the new manager has been in front of goal. His team are not scoring enough because they are not creating enough. Hakim Ziyech was denied by David de Gea in the 48th minute when he should have scored and it was difficult to remember anything else of note for them. Tuchel has a wealth of attacking talent in his squad but he cannot accommodate all of it, nor has he been able to find the right combinations. It feels as though the emphasis for him so far has been on forcing mistakes from the opposition high up the pitch rather than crafting openings in a more proactive way. One thing is clear: it has not been thrilling.
Tuchel made a switch from 3-4-2-1 to 3-4-1-2 when he replaced Olivier Giroud with Christian Pulisic on 65 minutes and his reason for doing so was revealing. “We defended with two strikers to block them so that they cannot enter with the ball,” Tuchel said.
The big talking point came in the 10th minute when Stuart Attwell chose not to award United a penalty despite his video assistant suggesting he review an incident in which Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle. United were incensed, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer muttering darkly afterwards about Attwell’s motivation for opting not to reverse his original decision and the pressure he believed had been brought to bear on the official by Chelsea.
Mason Greenwood challenged for the ball after Édouard Mendy had beaten away a swerving Marcus Rashford free-kick, leaning towards it with his shoulder, and at that point Hudson-Odoi appeared to nudge it away with his hand. Attwell went to the pitchside monitor and it felt as though the penalty was inevitable. Not so.
United’s strategy was also to win the ball in the final third and it was noticeable how high Solskjaer asked his front four to press. The visitors were determined not to allow Chelsea to hog possession and dictate the tempo. It was extremely tactical; systems and ideals over individual matchups with no forward-thinking player leaving much of a mark.
That said, the tempo was consistently high and the players’ technical ability in tight spaces and with little time was tested. Defensively, the levels were impressive, the strength and decision-making beyond reproach on both sides.
Tuchel gave starting opportunities to a trio of players he has not yet counted on in the league – Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kanté and Ziyech – and his team’s best moment before the interval came when Antonio Rüdiger switched the play with a long diagonal from left to right for Hudson-Odoi. His whipped cross was just in front of Giroud. Ziyech also shot at De Gea while Hudson-Odoi lashed off target.
Hudson-Odoi did not reappear for the second half – he was spotted with a strapping on his knee – and Ziyech’s golden chance arrived when
Chiwell’s low cut-back came through to him. The connection was clean but De Gea, who was moving in the opposite direction, threw back a strong hand to save. Ziyech needed to pick out a corner. On the rebound Hudson-Odoi’s replacement, Reece James, saw his shot blocked by Luke Shaw.
It was clear that one moment or one error would likely be decisive. Could either team force it? United were slightly more threatening in the second half, with the off-colour Fernandes missing a pass to Rashford on the counter, Greenwood whipping a shot too high, Scott McTominay shooting at Mendy and Fred curling just past the angle of post and crossbar.
Mason Mount had one darting run for Chelsea which ended when McTominay made a challenge but it was a day when excitement was in short supply.
Gordon Elliott, the trainer of dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll, confirmed on Sunday evening that an image circulating widely on social media, which shows the trainer sitting on a dead horse on his gallops, is genuine, while also providing what he said was “some context” surrounding the circumstances in which it was taken.
Elliott said on Saturday evening that he was “cooperating fully” with an investigation into the image by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB), but offered no further comment until 24 hours later, when he issued a statement to say that he wished to “address the speculation and rumours” that had been “rife since an old photo of me began circulating on social media” on Saturday afternoon.
The statement continued: “Firstly, I apologise profoundly for any offence that this photo has caused and can categorically state that the welfare of each and every horse under my care is paramount and has been central to the success that we have enjoyed here at Cullentra [in County Meath].
“The photo in question was taken some time ago and occurred after a horse had died of an apparent heart attack on the gallops. I appreciate that an initial viewing of this photo suggests it is a callous and staged photo but nothing could be further from the truth.
“At what was a sad time, which it is when any horse under my care passes away, my initial reaction was to get the body removed from where it was positioned. I was standing over the horse waiting to help with the removal of the body, in the course of which, to my memory I received a call and, without thinking, I sat down to take it. Hearing a shout from one of my team, I gestured to wait until I was finished.
“Such background information may seem trivial at this time and will not allay the concerns of many people both within and outside the world of horse racing. However, I feel it is important to provide people with some context surrounding this photo. To the racing community, to anyone who has worked with and loves horses and to anyone offended by this image I cannot apologise enough.”
Elliott concluded his statement with a further apology for his actions. “Horse welfare and the care and attention to detail involved is absolutely at the core of everything we do here and both myself and all of my team pride ourselves on those standards,” he said. “Again I apologise for any offence caused and ask people to consider this statement as opposed to the various falsehoods and misinformation being circulated on social media. At this time I would like to stress that I continue to extend my full cooperation with the ongoing IHRB investigation.”
If Elliott’s licence is suspended or revoked, a new trainer would need to take responsibility for the horses at his stable in County Meath, including Tiger Roll and more than 100 more horses with entries at the Cheltenham Festival, which opens on 16 March.
Elliott’s confirmation that the photograph is genuine comes just two weeks before he is due to send a large team of horses to the Cheltenham Festival, where he was the top trainer in both 2017 and 2018. His runners at the meeting are due to include Envoi Allen, the odds-on favourite for the Marsh Novice Chase, and Zanahiyr, the 5-2 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle.
He is also due to saddle Tiger Roll, the winner of the Grand National in 2018 and 2019, in the Festival’s Cross Country Chase on 17 March, ahead of a possible attempt to emulate the legendary Red Rum with a third success in the Grand National on 10 April.
The IHRB has still not added further comment to an initial statement on Saturday evening that racing’s regulator in Ireland was “aware” of the image and that it had launched an investigation.
Following Elliott’s confirmation that the image was not faked, a hearing before the IHRB’s Referrals Committee – the equivalent of the British Horseracing Authority’s disciplinary panel – seems likely to be convened within days.