Chelsea will have to be more clinical against better teams than Man United

Chelsea created far more chances than Manchester United en route to a 1-0 win. The Blues must improve their finishing before facing teams with greater offensive drive.

Jose Mourinho’s attempts at cleverness sometimes put so much spin on his version of events that they curl right back and hit him in the face. After Chelsea defeated Manchester United on Sunday, Mourinho said the Blues scored their lone goal “in the only period where they were on top of the game.”

Yes, this is true. Chelsea were on top of the game between the 1st and 88th minute and, just like Mourinho said, their goal came during this span. Over the course of their 54% possession, the home side took 18 shots to Manchester’s 10, with an 8 – 2 advantage for shots on target. The quality of Chelsea’s chances similarly dwarfed United’s, as the expected goals (xG) finished 2.47 – .89 in Chelsea’s favour.

However, this speaks as much to Chelsea’s inability to convert as it does their dominance in pressuring and creating chances. Tiemoue Bakayoko was the most notable offender on offense. Bakayoko led the Blues with four shots, two of which he shot wide on clear goal-scoring opportunities.

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Early in the first half a deflected cross from Davide Zappacosta found Bakayoko unmarked 10 yards in front of David de Gea’s goal. He booted that shot high over the opposite side of the net. Midway through the second Bakayoko tackled the ball near midfield and barreled at United’s defence. Chris Smalling shouldered Bakayoko away from a strong shooting angle, and Bakayoko blasted his shot wide.

Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard both had several chances that should have been an easy conversion for them. Other than his goal, most of Morata’s shots were low power and straight at David de Gea. De Gea made a top save on a Hazard cannon, but beyond that the Belgian’s opportunities were easy work for the United keeper.

Chelsea had the better of Manchester United on offence and thoroughly pocketed them on defence. Romelu Lukaku had a single touch in Chelsea’s box, and only Marcus Rashford created a decent chance.

The Blues will not face many other top-six clubs that will create as few quality chances as Manchester United did. And given Chelsea’s struggles to maintain clean-sheets (struggles which Andreas Christensen will likely soothe), the opposition will likely convert more of those chances. This means Antonio Conte’s men must do a better job at finishing their opportunities.

Alvaro Morata’s goal will hopefully restore his confidence and scoring mojo. Late in the second half he took several touches too many when a one-time shot would have been a strong scoring chance. That is the sign of a striker not fully confident in his ability to find the back of the net. Once he starts taking those chances first time, he will convert more of them to give Chelsea a greater cushion.

Likewise, Eden Hazard had another strong game (as he usually does against Mourinho’s United) as he continues to work his way back to pre-injury fitness and skill levels. He, too, will start scoring at his usual pace as he finds that final step or quickness on the turn that opens up a clear shooting lane.

Tiemoue Bakayoko’s offensive thrust was one of the best revelations of the United game. With N’Golo Kante back in the lineup, Bakayoko could play more freely in forward positions. The degree to which he missed his shots should not overtake the importance of him being able to take them. It is easier to develop the finishing touch than it is to learn how to get in those positions.

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If Bakayoko can convert a reasonable percentage of these new scoring chances, Chelsea will have a powerful and somewhat unexpected source of goals. That could give Chelsea the edge they will need to overcome a much more prolific opponent like Tottenham, Liverpool or Manchester City.