Costa rescues late point for Chelsea against Man United
Just as the thought occurred that Manchester United’s title dream might still be alive, Diego Costa struck an injury-time equalizer to deny it a victory it looked to have secured through Jesse Lingard’s 61st-minute strike. The draw leaves United 12 points adrift of Leicester City at the top of the table, and points behind Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in second and third. Even if Leicester stutters in the run-in, that is surely too much to make up.
The issue, anyway, is not just one of mathematics but of quality. Although it improved in the second half, for a long time this was like a historical re-enactment of a famous rivalry, a half-paced, labored version of the epic clashes of old.
United could perhaps take heart from a sense of returning fluency, perhaps predicated on the return at the back of midfield after an ankle injury of Michael Carrick. He brings an instant class and composure and a brain that is adept at finding passing angles.
But ultimately the tenacity of Guus Hiddink’s side earned a point. Chelsea is now unbeaten in 11 games since the departure of Jose Mourinho. Six of the eight league games under Hiddink have ended in draws, but then its focus has long since switched to the FA Cup and the Champions League. More significant than the point was the loss of Kurt Zouma who was stretchered off in obvious agony after his right leg bent horribly backwards as he landed following a clearing header. The immediate reaction of club doctors suggested it was a serious knee injury.
After the match, Hiddink addressed Zouma's injury: "Tomorrow he will have an examination. Not too many speculations but if you’ve seen the images and experience of a hyperextension of the knee joint, it’s very bad. We’ll see."
If he does face a lengthy absence, that makes the role of John Terry ever more significant. After the sustained singing of his name at Watford on Wednesday, the demonstration of support by Chelsea fans for Terry continued with every banner on the Shed End and Matthew Harding Stand that didn’t show his face or bear his name being rolled up. Terry’s contract will expire at the end of the season and the club has indicated it will not offer him a new one until it’s decided who the new manager will be. Terry himself made the issue public last Sunday, presumably in an attempt either to force Chelsea into negotiation or to alert other clubs of his availability.
As it had last April in losing 1-0 here, United bossed possession. Chelsea, though, sat deep, defended diligently and United’s domination of the opening half-hour yielded only a curler from Anthony Martial cutting in from the left flank. His shot, though, was tipped wide by Thibaut Courtois.
Chelsea had the better of the final minutes of the first half, Nemanja Matic drawing a flying save from De Gea with a corner before Diego Costa slid Oscar’s through-ball just wide of the far post. Then, in first-half injury-time, came controversy as a Terry shot was charged down by Daley Blind. The ball did hit his hand, but it was tight against his body and, given how close he was to Terry, there was no way it could have been construed as deliberate. His back arm, though, was raised and it may have been that infuriated players and fans thought the ball had struck that.
The second half brought a renewed assault from United and it took diving saves from Courtois to deny Wayne Rooney and Lingard with efforts form the edge of the box. But within a minute of Zouma going off, United struck. A flowing passing move found the young left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson in space on the left. He crossed for Rooney, who touched the ball off for Lingard and he turned brilliantly, hooking a shot on the turn into the top corner. It was a goal of rather greater quality than the game.
Falling behind sparked Chelsea into life. And midway through the half, a cross from the right dropped for Branislav Ivanovic. He was 12 yards out and could hardly have caught his volley better, but De Gea diving up his right made an stunning parry. The keeper then clawed away a Cesc Fabregas effort and Costa headed a late chance.
But United couldn’t hold out for ever. In injury-time, Fabregas shaped a pass through for Costa, played inside by a dozing Borthwick-Jackson, and he took the ball around De Gea before knocking it into the empty net. Costa might even have won it later on, but De Gea, diving low to his right made an excellent save.
Perhaps somewhere there is still a slight spark of United hope that says a point at Stamford Bridge is a decent result and that seven points is not an insurmountable gap in 13 games if Leicester does suffer a meltdown, but it looks an increasingly distant possibility. The bigger concern now is closing the six-point gap to Manchester City in fourth and securing Champions League football next season.
