Moises Caicedo’s first away goal falls short as Old Trafford curse continues | OneFootball

Both teams entered this match in contrasting form: United are preparing for the arrival of new head coach Ruben Amorim, who will officially take over on November 11. Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to break into the Champions League spots.

Erik ten Hag’s dismissal following last weekend’s loss at West Ham led to his assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, being appointed as interim manager. However, the club legend was unable to steer United back to winning ways.

It meant for the 27th time, from 64 meetings, this fixture ended with the points shared, the most drawn in Premier League history. In a game that started slowly, United eventually broke the deadlock with a penalty scored by Bruno Fernandes. This marked his first goal of the season after 31 attempts.

Interestingly, he’s now scored more goals in a single game under Van Nistelrooy than in nine matches under Ten Hag in the Premier League this season.

Fernandes has also scored 32 of his 36 penalties for United (89% – excl. shootouts), with his three penalty goals versus Chelsea being his joint-most against any opponent (also three vs Aston Villa).

But the hosts couldn’t hold on and were pegged back four minutes later when Moisés Caicedo levelled after United could not clear their lines following a corner. This marked the Ecuadorian’s first away goal, with half of his Premier League goals (2 out of 4) coming against today’s opponents.

Ultimately, a draw seemed like the appropriate result, with Caicedo being a standout player. He made one interception and successfully completed two out of three tackle attempts, leaving him with the highest total of combined tackles and interceptions (52) in the Premier League this season.

In fact, the Chelsea midfielder entered this match averaging the most tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes for Chelsea since N’Golo Kanté, with an impressive average of 5.8 in the 2020/21 season. The French World Cup winner, whom Caicedo has previously mentioned as a role model, also has a notable history with Manchester United, as his first Premier League home goal came against them.

“Caicedo has been really good. The best Chelsea player on the pitch,” was Gary Neville’s verdict on Sky Sports, and he would later award him the Player of the Match award, but his strike could not inspire a comeback, as United are now unbeaten in their last 12 home league matches against Chelsea (W5 D7).

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