Euro 2020(1) Quarterfinals – Two Tense Matches on Day 1

A few days off were needed for travel purposes, but the Euro 2020(1) quarterfinals got underway today with the first two games. Next two are tomorrow. All 8 of the remaining teams went in to the weekend knowing they were only three matches away from European glory. Spain took on Switzerland in St. Petersburg, Russia before the heavyweight fight between Italy and Belgium in Munich, Germany.

Spain vs. Switzerland

The Spanish were favorites coming into this match, as they boasted a lot more talent than the Swiss and are in a very rich vein of form. They have scored 10 goals in their past two matches, which is always impressive at a tournament. The Swiss however will not be afraid of anyone, having already slain the Goliath known as France. Importantly however, their captain and best midfielder Granit Xhaka was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. With Xhaka out, I thought the task just might be a tad too tall for the Swiss today.

It was clear from the outset what each team’s strategy was. The Spanish started out with their traditional possession-based game and the Swiss were quite content to let them have the ball a bit. The Swiss pressed on occasion and were trying to force the Spanish into mistakes high-up the pitch. That’s not a bad strategy as Spain can be prone to mistakes at the back, but it all went to hell for the Swiss less than 10 minutes in when Spain left back Jordi Alba fired a shot from a loose ball into the Swiss penalty area. The shot was somewhat hopeful and speculative, but it was effective nonetheless as it was redirected into the Swiss goal past keeper Yann Sommer on accident by defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria. Alba was credited with the goal initially by UEFA but they later changed it to an own-goal from Zakaria, which was probably harsh on Zakaria as Alba’s shot appeared to be on target. In any event, it was unlucky for the Swiss.

The rest of the half passed mostly without incident. Somewhat tepid, to be honest. Switzerland were again unlucky to see starting forward Breel Embolo go off after 20 minutes with a hamstring injury, and Spain were guilty of wasting a good chance that resulted from a free header by left back Cesar Azpilicueta. Aside from that though, not much else happened in the first half.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first, not a lot between the two sides. The Swiss were starting to ask more questions of the Spanish defense though, and Zakaria was again unlucky to see his header go just wide from a corner. The Swiss had an excellent chance come via midfielder Steven Zuber who forced a fine save from a tight angle by Spanish keeper Unai Simon.

The Swiss got their equalizer however just five minutes after that shot across the bow via Xherdan Shaqiri, a man affectionately known as “The Cube” by supporters due to his box-like physique. Two Spanish defenders (Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte) both went for the same ball and their collision resulted in a loose ball that was pounced on by Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler. Freuler did well to find Shaqiri a few yards to his left, and The Cube made no mistake with a finish along the ground and off the inside of the left-hand post. The Swiss had fought back again, despite not really looking like doing so for good portions of the match.

Freuler found himself in the center of things again a few minutes later, but this time for negative reasons. He went into a tackle with both feet and his feet lifted off the ground, and made some very harsh contact with the Spanish player on the ball. English referee Michael Oliver went straight into his pocket and produced a red card. Upon review it was a rash tackle, and while you don’t always get a red card for such a challenge, it is very risky to try and tackle with both feet. You are inviting danger when you do that, and Freuler was punished for it.

Spain went into the ascendency after that due to the Swiss being down a man, but they could not make the most of their advantage and failed to score another in normal time. Extra time would be needed, which was a significant disadvantage for the tiring Swiss players. Having to play another 30 minutes with 10 men whilst having already played a full 90 is positively exhausting. However, again, Spain could not take advantage, despite some excellent chances falling to striker Gerard Moreno.

Penalties came and it was evident the fatigue being felt by the Swiss players. Spain missed two penalties themselves, but the Swiss could only convert one of them. Simon made two fine saves for sure, but I saw some very tired penalties from the Swiss. They were either hit too soft or blazed over the bar, because when fatigue sets in to the legs it is very difficult to maintain your technique and control when striking the ball. Perhaps if all 11 men had played until the end it would have ended differently, but of course now we’ll never know.

Credit to the Spanish for converting their penalties, but I would be very concerned about the semifinal if I was a Spaniard. The theme of poor finishing and defensive mistakes continued today, and against a more talented side they could have easily lost.

Spain advance to the semifinals at Wembley in midweek, where they await the winner of Belgium and Italy.

Belgium vs. Italy

Loads of talking points for this match, as it probably is the most intriguing fixture of the quarterfinals. Italy have the history of winning basically everything at major tournaments, although up until this tournament started there were questions concerning inexperience among this current batch of Italian players. They’ve done well this tournament, but their previous match against Austria caused some concerns among supporters about their ability to kill of teams effectively.

The Belgians come in with their current “Golden Generation” of players that are absolutely desperate to win the first major trophy for their country of any kind. Center forward Romelu Lukaku was in excellent form, but the major concern for Belgium was the fitness of star players Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. Both of them are carrying injuries, but De Bruyne in particular is key to Belgian success at this tournament. As I have said before, there are serious arguments for De Bruyne being labelled as the best attacking midfielder in the world. De Bruyne did play in this match but Hazard did not.

Two great managers here too – Roberto Mancini for Italy and Roberto Martinez for Belgium. Interestingly, the last time these two managers faced off it was during an FA Cup final at Wembley, with Martinez’s Wigan Athletic pulling a shock upset over Mancini’s Manchester City.

The match was a little slow to start things off, with neither side really threatening the other in the first 10 minutes. Italy had the ball in the back of the Belgian net on 12 minutes though after a free kick found center back Giorgio Chiellini for a tap in, but after a VAR check the goal was correctly disallowed for offside. Chiellini was about a foot ahead of the ball when it came off his fellow defender Leonardo Bonucci. The tempo of the match did increase after that though, as Belgium knew they were given a let off. Romelu Lukaku did well to force a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma low to his right after good work from De Bruyne on a counter-attack. Gauging how this match would go from that point, it was likely that the team that made the fewest mistakes would go on to win. These teams were simply too evenly matched to call it one way or another. Good for the neutral of course, but nerve-wracking for supporters of the two countries.

You could call this fixture a chess match given all the tactical switching and formation changes by both teams throughout the opening half, but people tend to think of chess matches as boring and this game was anything but. End-to-end play that felt at times more like basketball than footie. The pace and energy from both teams was absolutely relentless.

The Italians broke the deadlock on 31 minutes via midfielder Nicolo Barella after a poor giveaway by Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen. The ball fell to the dangerous playmaker Marco Veratti who played in Barella, and he made no mistake with his finish over the top of Belgian keeper Thibault Courtois. Italy were even more energized by their goal and were able to grab another one from winger Lorenzo Insigne 12 minutes later. The first Italian goal was good, but the second one was a work of art from Insigne. He carried the ball about 50 yards, slaloming past a Belgian defender before shooting from the edge of the box. He got a lot of curl on the ball and the pace of it gave Courtois no chance to save. Truly breathtaking and a candidate for goal of the tournament.

The drama of the first half was not over though, as a penalty was awarded to Belgium just two minutes later in stoppage time. Teenage Belgian winger Jeremy Doku did well to beat his marker with pace in the left channel, and he went down inside the box after a shove in the back. The penalty was probably soft by most standards and the Italians were strenuously complaining, but VAR checked and the penalty stood. It’s a bit rich for Italians to complain about players going down too easily anyway, when they are the ones historically known as egregious divers. Lukaku stepped up to the spot and coolly put the ball past Donnarumma after sending him the wrong way.

The chaos continued in the second half, with both sides fashioning good chances but neither being able to finish them. Both Lukaku and Insigne were on fire and there were times when neither defense could get near those two players. There were more injuries and fouls in the second half as well, which wasn’t surprising given the effort and energy being put in by the players. The stoppages were really just temporary lulls in this hurricane of a match.

But the onus was on the Belgians to find an equalizer, and the Italians made subs that indicated they were going more defensive for the final 15 minutes or so, including switching to a back-5. They battened down the hatches and simply let Belgium come at them. It should be pointed out that as the game went on the Italians were engaging in what I like to call “shithousery”, meaning they were doing everything and anything to slow down the game without being penalized for it. They were taking their time with injuries, fouls, substitutions, and just generally wasting as much time as possible. While these Italians might play more attractive football than in the past, they clearly have not forgotten their traditional methods of gamesmanship mastered by their predecessors. I don’t like it as a tactic, but of course every team does it in matches of great importance.

The Belgians just couldn’t fashion another solid chance against the impregnable Italian back line, and the whistle finally blew. Italy held on to win despite a valiant effort from Belgium.

Italy will play Spain on Tuesday, July 6 at Wembley.

Tomorrow

Czech Republic vs. Denmark (9 am PDT)

England vs. Ukraine (Noon PDT)

I like England’s chances against Ukraine but they are a team with nothing to lose. No side should be taken lightly at this point. If a team makes the quarterfinals of a major tournament, that team is there for a reason.

Euro 2020(1) Round of 16, Day 3 – What a Thriller!

Two very appetizing matches happened on the penultimate day of the Round of 16. Spain took on Croatia in Copenhagen, Denmark before France and Switzerland travelled to Bucharest, Romania for their match. What resulted from today was probably the single best day of international football I have perhaps ever seen.

Spain vs. Croatia

This match was so good and so entertaining it almost deserves its own post, but I shall try to summarize effectively. I unfortunately did not get to watch this match due to a work engagement and I’m rather perturbed about that, because this was probably the most entertaining game of the tournament so far.

Most pundits and fans probably would have picked Spain to win this match, but only a fool would have written off Croatia and the result was far from certain. Spain hit 5 goals in their last group match, but before that they were having trouble breaking down more defensive-minded teams. Croatia were runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and still sport some incredibly talented – if old – players. Whenever your team has Luka Modric in it, you have a chance to win.

What transpired was everything a neutral fan could dream for – world class talent, rookie mistakes, and 8 goals scored. Spain made all the early runs and had the better chances in the first 20 minutes, but they found themselves down 1-0 after a fairly routine back pass from the Spanish defense bounced over Spain keeper Unai Simon’s right foot and rolled into the goal. Huge error, and you normally don’t see such a massive kerfuffle at this level. It was clear that Simon took his eye off the ball as it rolled back to him and he just…missed it. I’ve been a goalkeeper at the very amateur level, and I can tell you that there’s no worse feeling in the world than letting an easy one in. Elation for the Croats, though.

That elation didn’t last too long, as Spain were soon equal via midfielder Pablo Sarabia. The ball broke kindly for him in the box and he did well to ride a challenge and lash the ball past Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic. It was probably the fair outcome, given that Spain had dominated the game since going behind and at halftime it was 1-1.

Spain got two more later in the second half via defender Cesar Azpilicueta, and then the other came in the 76th minute from striker Ferran Torres. I bring them both up simultaneously because both goals were scored after some bad defensive errors by Croatia. Azpilicueta was unmarked for his headed goal and couldn’t miss from so close, while Torres went around his defender like he wasn’t there for his goal. At 3-1 no one would blame you for assuming that the game was over for Croatia, given their defensive issues and lack of chances created.

But assumptions are not facts, and Croatia proved they have plenty of fighting spirit. Substitute winger Mislav Orsic put the cat amongst the pigeons by getting a second for Croatia in the 85th minute, and the goal galvanized his team. Croatia suddenly had a lot more energy, and Spain were holding on for dear life in the last 5-7 minutes. They couldn’t quite completely hold on though, as fellow substitute and midfielder Mario Pasalic headed home a cross from close range in the 92nd minute to send the Croatian fans into delirium. It was a stunning sequence of events and it meant that extra time would be necessary. In all honesty, striker Andrej Kramaric was unlucky not to put Croatia ahead 4-3 when his shot was blocked off the line by a defender. Spain were inches from losing this match!

But Spain once again were the stronger side to start the final 30 minutes, and this time their dominance paid dividends. The much-maligned Alvaro Morata put them ahead on 100 minutes, after he smartly controlled a high cross into the box and was able to volley it past Livakovic for number 4. I was happy for Morata, as he has been the target of a lot of criticism from the Spanish press and social media. He had missed a few of his easier chances, but converted the most difficult one at the most pivotal time. Usually when a team goes ahead in extra time they play more conservative, but Spain did not. Attacking midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal but the tie beyond all doubt when he slotted home from close range after another dangerous cross in from the right side. Croatia created some half-chances after that to keep things interesting, but Spain held on until the final whistle.

I hope I covered it all, but no written words can capture the drama and tension of this match. Just a classic, all around. Spain do seem to have defensive issues at times but 10 goals in two matches should make them feel much better about their attacking abilities. Up next, Spain will play the winner of France and Switzerland on Friday in the quarterfinals.

France vs. Switzerland

I didn’t think that this match would come anywhere close to the level of drama in the Spain match, but I was happy to be proven wrong. We got two high-scoring thrillers today, and two such games are great advertisements for this sport.

Most people expected France to brush aside the Swiss fairly easily. France are the reigning world champions and tons of articles have been written about their talent levels – Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, N’golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann – all world beaters. On top of that, they have players on their bench that would probably start for any other country. Such is their strength in depth. The Swiss have some talent in the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, but on paper France should be taking this. But no match is played on paper, and France learned that the hard way today.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the first goal came from Switzerland. France looked uncomfortable in the opening 45 minutes; perhaps even unsettled. I would tend to think they weren’t helped by their tactical set-up, though. For some reason, France manager Didier Deschamps decided to employ a back 3 instead of France’s traditional back 4. I think this led to a little bit of passiveness for France. Why make a tough pass forward from the back when you can just square it to the extra center back? They weren’t used to this set up and I think subconsciously expected the Swiss to roll over for them, however they did not. It was some excellent center forward play from Haris Seferovic that earned the Swiss their goal. He is a big, strong striker and he simply outmuscled the Frenchman marking him to get his head on a cross from the left. Sometimes football really is that simple.

It was 1-0 at halftime and France looked a little shell-shocked. You knew it wasn’t over, but they knew they would need to play much better in order to win this match. France got a little bit of luck when the second half resumed when keeper Hugo Lloris saved a penalty from left back Ricardo Rodriguez. There were questions as to why Rodriguez was taking the penalty as he is not traditionally a goal scorer, and indeed it’s somewhat of a mystery as to why Seferovic or another striker didn’t take it. VAR checked the foul and the penalty call was probably correct, but Lloris showed his own class by making the save. That save energized the French a bit and they soon started playing like how most people expected them to.

Striker Karim Benzema brought France level from close range after a slick pass from Mbappe, and he got a second one only two minutes later after he headed in a cross/shot from Griezmann. France were ahead in a matter of mere minutes, and it was during this time that they really showed what they are capable of. They can just flip a switch and all of a sudden you’re losing. Pogba got a third roughly 15 minutes later, hitting an absolutely sublime strike past Swiss keeper Yann Sommer from about 22 yards out. Pogba really can hit some amazing shots; I just wish he would score like that for Manchester United as often as he does for France!

Again, at 3-1 with roughly 10-12 minutes left, no one would blame you for assuming France had it in the bag. They didn’t play well throughout the match, but most felt that 20-30 minute spell of world-class play would probably see them through. But once again, just like Croatia earlier in the day, the Swiss were not done. Seferovic popped up again with 9 minutes to go and headed in a lovely cross from the right side from close range. He found space between the French defenders this time and was able to get good contact on it. Now only down 1, the Swiss pressed on.

Striker Mario Gavranovic was then the hero for Switzerland, doing well to beat the French defense with a dribble before sliding an equalizer past Lloris in the 90th minute. He received an excellent pass through the middle from Xhaka and went around the closest defender like he wasn’t there. As good as France were for that 20-30 minute period, they were pretty bad in the final ten minutes. No concentration, poise, or game management. I do think a bit of hubris got to them today, especially once they were winning. All credit to the Swiss though for sticking to the task and forcing extra time after being down 2.

The extra time in this match was far less eventful than the early game. Both teams were clearly very tired, and some sloppy fouls by both sides really broke up the rhythm of the play. Mbappe probably should have scored after a sublime pass from Pogba through the middle, but he delayed just a fraction too long and blazed into the side netting. France were also required to make several subs due to injury and fatigue, having to take off winger Kingsley Coman, Griezmann, and goal-scorer Benzema. No goals scored in extra time meant that a penalty shootout would decide things.

Some argue that penalties are a lottery and not really a fair way to decide close matches, and while I can understand that argument, penalties were perfectly appropriate for this back-and-forth nature of this match today. The first nine penalties – 5 by the Swiss and 4 by France – were essentially perfect. Lloris came close to saving one but the ball still slipped past him despite contact with it. The hero of the day though was Sommer, who did very well to parry out the 5th French penalty. Mbappe took that last penalty and most expected him of all people to convert it, but he struck the ball rather unconvincingly and Sommer made a good save diving to his right.

World champions and tournament favorites France are OUT! Huge upset for Switzerland, even bigger than what the Czechs did against Netherlands yesterday. Switzerland earned the privilege to take on Spain in the quarterfinals next Friday.

Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka. Got the game-tying assist and was absolutely everywhere for the Swiss today, both in defense and attack.

Tomorrow

England vs. Germany (9 am PDT)

Sweden vs. Ukraine (Noon PDT)

England really need to beat Germany now. The stars are aligning for a deep tournament run if we can just get past the Germans!

Victory Over Chelsea & The Heroic Harry Gregg

The Premier League returned from its winter break this weekend, and Manchester United were given the challenge of facing Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge in London for a marquee Monday evening (England time) match-up. United have consistently had Chelsea’s number this season, beating them 4-0 on opening day and also knocking them out of the League Cup. I expected us to compete with them especially after 2 weeks off and with new signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo having some proper training time with the rest of the squad. That unfortunately didn’t happen for Ighalo due to him being on quarantine for the coronavirus (of all things!), but he was able to train on his own and appears to be fine after leaving China.

The first half of the match was uneventful in terms of goals until the very end, but that does it not mean it lacked drama. United center back and captain Harry Maguire got himself into serious trouble when he went down out of bounds and left his leg in the air. His studs made contact with the unmentionables department of Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi. Maguire was given a yellow and VAR reviewed the incident for a possible red card, but ultimately Maguire was allowed to stay on. It would not be the last incident of grievance for Chelsea concerning VAR on the evening. As a United supporter I will never advocate for our players being sent off unless someone straight up punches somebody, but in this instance had Maguire been sent off I would have been much more upset with his conduct than the referee’s. Can’t leave those studs in the air like that, man.

The Red Devils broke the deadlock near half-time and somewhat against the run of play, thanks to good work from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He was playing as a right wing back in United’s interesting 3-5-2 formation employed today by manager Ole Gunnar Solskajaer. He got down the right side and pulled off some neat footwork to create space for a cross between him and his marker, Chelsea winger Willian. Anthony Martial had made an incisive run into the box and got his head towards probably the best cross I’ve ever seen from AWB. He’s certainly getting better at it and I am so excited to once again have a United right back who is good both in attack and defense. Martial’s header was quality as well; he put just enough of a deflection on it to ensure it flew into the far corner and beyond the reach of Chelsea keeper Willy Caballero. Martial hadn’t done anything all game until that point, but the moment you sleep on him is the moment he punishes you.

United had all the momentum going into halftime after the goal and came out in the second half playing even better than in the first half. Several half-chances were created but conversely it was Chelsea who ended up having the ball in the back of the net next. They won a corner that was well-taken and after a few deflections the ball fell to center back Kurt Zouma, who struck the ball with some excellent pace and power from the edge of the area and under United keeper David De Gea. I thought Chelsea had their equalizer, but there were protests from United players who were down on the ground. Once again, VAR was called in for a review. Chelsea right back Cesar Azpilicueta crashed into united wing back Brandon Williams as the cross from the corner came in, and a foul was called for the push by referee Anthony Taylor. However, the video also showed that there was contact by United midfielder Fred on Azpilicueta before he crashed into Williams. That further complicated the matter. Should a foul have even been called there by VAR? I’m not sure. A very close call. Yes there was contact, but was it enough to cause Azpilicueta to literally dive into Williams? Whatever the truth is, Chelsea fans were left feeling aggrieved once again with the referee and the VAR referee.

United carried on with their lead and got a second goal from A FREAKING SET PIECE OF ALL THINGS thanks to a lovely ball from a Fernandes corner kick that found Maguire’s massive head on the edge of the 12 yard box. Maguire buried his header (to ad insult to injury for Chelsea fans) and doubled United’s advantage. I suddenly felt much more secure about the result. Yes there was 28+ minutes left but Chelsea hadn’t been able to finish a chance all day, and I felt that United would be able to ride their luck from there on out.

And I was right about them riding their luck! Chelsea substitute striker Olivier Giroud managed to put the ball in the back of the net about 8 minutes later, but a VAR review spotted Giroud’s foot (yes, his foot) was offside when the ball was played to him. I couldn’t believe how close it was, but if the red and blue line graphics are to be believed, Giroud was slightly off just before he scored. The goal was disallowed and Chelsea were once again back down to 2-0. That’s two goals and and a red card that could have been given the other way with different refs on the ground and behind the VAR screen. Chelsea never managed another serious chance, and United substitute Ighalo was unfortunate to not finish a guilt-edged chance in the dying seconds of added time.

Yes United got lucky to a certain extent this match, but we took advantage of our chances when given them and Chelsea did not. For that, we deserve the points. We move up to 7th, normally nothing to be excited about but we are only 1 point of 6th, 2 points of 5th, and 3 points off the Blues themselves in 4th. The race for that 4th spot (and also that 5th spot which could later turn into a Champions League spot) is wide open. Good to see the lads back and in decent form. Fernandes needs to take all corners and free kicks if he is on the pitch from here on out. He’s a different class of footballer and I am so excited to have someone of his quality in the team. Good match for the defense and keeper, especially by Eric Bailly and Luke Shaw. First time “doing the double” (sweeping) Chelsea since 1988!

Next match is against Club Brugge away in Belgium for the first leg of the Europa League 2nd Round on Thursday 2/20/20. Let’s get some vital away goals and set up an easy home fixture at Old Trafford!

*******

Man United FC and all of English football were saddened by the loss of former United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg, OBE on Sunday. He was not only a top class keeper for United in the late 1950s and 1960s, but he was a hero of a man as well. Gregg was one of the survivors of the Munich Air Disaster, a plane crash that killed 23 of the 44 people aboard in February 1958. The death toll would have been higher if not for Gregg. He emerged from the crash relatively unscathed, and decided to go back into the burning wreckage to save 4 more people, including small children. He was the second to last surviving member of a group of men known as the Busby Babes (after the manager Sir Matt Busby), a group of the most naturally talented English players the nation had ever seen. Only Sir Bobby Charlton remains now as the lone survivor of the plane crash.

Gregg had 247 appearances for United and was crucial in helping to rebuild the club under Sir Matt. He also had a successful coaching career at various clubs after retiring as as a player. He will always be remembered in Manchester and across the UK not only for the caliber of player he was but also the caliber of man that he was.

United Get the Season Off to a Flying Start With Victory Over Chelsea

Well I think it’s safe to say that no one was expecting a 4-0 victory for either side, let alone one with United winning. Going into the match I think most reasonable minds expected a tense and low-scoring affair.

And to be fair, that’s what it was for the first 60 minutes or so. Chelsea came out in the first 15 minutes and dominated possession, and it was only thanks to the post that striker Tammy Abraham was denied an opener. Midfielder Ross Barkley looked to be in particularly dangerous form, along with Abraham and winger Pedro. United had to do a lot of defending in that opening period, but despite being on the back foot I was very impressed with new signings Harry Maguire (aka Slab) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (AWB). Both of them were tremendous throughout the match. More on them below.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring from the penalty spot against the run of play in the 18th minute. Chelsea’s French center back Kurt Zouma clumsily fouled Rashford in the box, and a penalty was given. I’m fairly sure United midfielder Andreas Pereira suffered a foul earlier in the build-up as well, but referee Anthony Taylor correctly played the advantage and Rashford dribbled the ball into the box. He was fouled again by Zouma and the ref gave the penalty. Taylor himself had a very good day by all standards and I am happy the referee and VAR were largely a non-factor in this match.

United had to endure a bit more pressure after that, as Chelsea searched for an equalizer. It almost became a game of which team can “out-press” the other. Both teams used their pacy forwards and wingers to press the back lines throughout the first half in an effort to win the ball high up on the pitch, which resulted in some very entertaining (and also nerve-wracking) end to end football in the first 45 minutes. The defense and keeper David De Gea did just enough to keep Chelsea out though, and United got to half time with a slim 1-0 lead despite Brazilian left back Emerson hitting the post again for Chelsea. It was good to be ahead for sure, but the Red Devils were certainly not out of the woods.

More of the same happened in the opening 15 minutes of the 2nd half. Chelsea were on the ball quite a bit, and United had to dig in and defend some more. Emerson once again hit a powerful shot that was pawed away by keeper De Gea. Once the 60th minute hit though, it was all United. Maguire won the ball back outside our own box and played the ball to Rashford out wide on the left. Rashford used his electrifying pace to bring the ball forward, and then played a ball out wide right to Jesse Lingard. By that time, Anthony Martial had made his way into the box and joined Rashford in the penalty area. After a nifty exchange between Lingard and Pereira in the right channel, the latter hit a cross into the box that was bundled over the line by Martial for United’s second. Chelsea’s Spanish right back Cesar Azpilicueta switched off for a second and Martial gained a favorable position on him before he poked it home with his first touch. Martial actually missed it with his right foot but the ball hit his opposite knee anyway and rolled over the line. It doesn’t matter how they go in, as long as they do! A great counter-attack by United. Sir Alex Ferguson was watching from the stands today and you know he would have been very happy with a goal like that.

I think Chelsea’s mentality was very fragile after that. They looked like the better team for large portions of the match, yet still found themselves down 2-0. That’s disheartening for any team. I think that was part of the reason for how quick United got their third.

The match had barely restarted when United won the ball in midfield, and our excellent Frenchman Paul Pogba hit a sublime pass over the top into Rashford, who had made a very intelligent run into a gap between Zouma and Azpilicueta. Pogba had actually been somewhat quiet in this match up until that moment. He looked to be about a half-step behind everyone else in the first half, to be honest. But the talent and quality of Pogba is such that he can play like crap for most of the game but still conjure up a moment of magic out of nowhere. Rashford’s first touch was excellent as he knocked the ball ahead of him, and once the young Englishman is away on the ball there are very few people in the world who can catch him. He took his time, composed himself, and slotted home to his right past keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was an absolutely sublime goal that came completely out of nowhere. Even the match commentators were still talking about the 2nd goal when Rashford was through for the 3rd! After a quick VAR review for offside, the goal was awarded and the United players knew they were free and clear. It was great to see everyone celebrating the goal together as a team. Two goals within 90 seconds of each other are incredibly difficult for any team to come back from.

Chelsea’s misery wasn’t over either. They poured men forward in search of a goal, and in the 80th minute they found themselves with a free kick in an attacking area. The ball played in was crap though and it fell to Scott McTominay in the United box. McTominay saw Pogba peeling in for a pass in front of him, and after receiving the ball Pogba played a lovely 1-2 with Martial in the left channel. After the return pass from Martial, Pogba was free to run forward with two Chelsea defenders attempting to corral him. Pogba played a pass out to the right at the edge of the box to substitute winger (and another new signing) Daniel James. James at first seemed to be unsure if he should shoot or cross it back, but after a mishit he composed himself and unleashed a shot. The ball took a deflection off  the leg of Emerson and wrong-footed Kepa for United’s fourth. It was a goal on his Premier League debut for James, which served as a nice cherry on top of United’s day. Again, it was very good to see the whole team celebrating as one. McTominay in particular was very vocal in leading the celebrations, and everyone was incredibly happy for the 21 year-old. To score in front of the Stretford End for United on your debut is the stuff dreams are made of!

Chelsea didn’t really do much more after that, and the match ended without many further incidents of interest. While Rashford (2 goals), Pogba (2 assists), Martial (goal), and James (goal) all had very good days, I think Man of the Match for me either goes to Maguire or AWB. Along with Victor Lindelof and De Gea, they were fantastic in United’s defense and were very deserving of the clean sheet today. Not conceding in the opening period was very important, as it gave the attackers more time to get involved in the game. Psychologically, if you know you have some very good defenders in your team, you are more inclined to take risks going forward. If it works you can get a goal, and if it doesn’t you know that your defense will help you to recover the ball. Like in many other sports, defense wins championships. AWB won basically every tackle he attempted, while Slab Head was a commanding, physical presence in the box and never looked unsure of himself.

It was not a perfect game for United, but it was about as good as anyone could have expected from the opening match. We do look a little light in midfield, especially when Pogba isn’t playing well, but that didn’t hurt us too much today. It’s very clear that our defense has markedly improved, and our forwards are hungry for goals. When this team puts in the work required, we will be difficult to beat.

I am excited to see where we go from here. I don’t think we will be able to effectively run the high-press for the entirety of this long season, so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have to switch up his tactics slightly for other matches. Of course, this is only one match and it would be foolish to make predictions this early, but this is a fantastic foundation to build on going forward. A 4-0 victory over one of the traditional “top 6” sides is a huge confidence booster for this team. OGS’s summer plan of buying young and hungry players with something to prove seems to have been a wise ploy so far.

On a brief aside, for the American readers of my blog, Christian Pulisic made his Premier League debut for Chelsea today as a substitute in the 2nd half. He was shepherded by AWB for most of his time on the pitch, and didn’t really have a chance to impact the match because of that. He did look to be quick and made a few good runs into the box, but Chelsea’s mentality was gone for most of the time he was on and the ball wasn’t really played to him. I think he needs more playing time before we can decide if he can hack it in the Prem or not.

United travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers for their next Premier League match on Monday. Wolves were a problem team for United last season, so they will be looking to exact a bit of revenge on them hopefully. If we play like this again though, I don’t think Wolves will have the ability to consistently stop us.

Glory Glory Man United!