Goal #4, 81′: Chelsea make it easy for the wrong youth
If the last goal turned Old Trafford into the Theatre of the Absurd, then this goal renamed the Stretford End the Kafka Stand.
Whereas the second goal started with a non-call for a foul on Tammy Abraham, this goal started with a non-whistle for a head injury to Kurt Zouma. Most Manchester United players around their own box, let alone Chelsea players, signalled for Anthony Taylor to blow the whistle so they could go through the performative safety check of the concussion protocol. Unseeing or uninterested, Taylor allowed play to go on with Zouma on the ground.
A 2v2 developed a midfield with Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante. Martial played an around the corner pass to put the ball to Pogba rushing past Kante. Because Zouma was down after the contact and Christensen was, um, elsewhere, Pogba ran into open space with Azpilicueta on his heels and Mateo Kovacic bombing back in support. Kovacic, mind you, started the play about 15 yards into Manchester United’s half.
By the time Pogba laid the pass off to Daniel James, Emerson had come back into Chelsea’s box to square up to James.
As James moves off to Chelsea’s left, Marcus Rashford takes station on the unmarked right side of Chelsea’s box. That is, Rashford is doing the exact thing that opponents did to Chelsea all last season as Chelsea did the thing that undid them all last season, and that Azpilicueta ostensibly guarded against with his positioning on Anthony Martial leading up to the second goal. Rashford knew this was a good option because he could see Chelsea’s right back playing in the centreback position, since the actual centrebacks were in the other half (in part because of Anthony Taylor, in part because of Christensen’s reasons).
Just as the ball comes off James’ foot for his shot, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic enter the picture. That gave Chelsea six players within 25 yards of their goal at the moment of the shot: Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Kante, Emerson, Mount and Pulisic. Both centre-backs and one of the pivot midfielders are missing, only one (Zouma) with a valid excuse.
Cesar Azpilicueta spent much of last season covering for the various defensive lapses of David Luiz and Jorginho, amongst others. If he was involved in the play anywhere but in his territory on the right side of the defence, it usually meant things were in a near-terminal condition. Many things have to go wrong before Azpilicueta is the last man standing between an opponent and a shot, especially from a central area.
Such confluences happened repeatedly at Old Trafford. Azpilicueta is the sort of player you normally want in those situations, but if they happen enough, he can only do so much.
The challenge for Frank Lampard and Chelsea’s defence is making sure that Chelsea are not left in such extreme situations, and, if they are, someone other than the right back is the last one going man-to-man. Lampard has some good reasons for playing his centrebacks in such high positions, but, at least until he has Antonio Rudiger and N’Golo Kante back in the starting XI, he will need to establish more protection in deep areas when Chelsea are in possession.
It’s not that Cesar Azpilicueta can’t handle these situations. He just shouldn’t have to, and not this often. And he certainly should not be handed the blame for situations that are all but foregone before they even reach him.