Man United 1-1 Chelsea (November 3, 2024) Match analysis

Moisés Caicedo's fine second-half strike canceled out a Bruno Fernandes penalty to salvage Chelsea from a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday, lifting United's celebrations in their first Premier League game since the sacking of coach Erik ten Hag destroyed.

Chelsea are in fourth place with 18 points, while United, with interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dugout, are in 13th place with 12 points after 10 games.

United captain Fernandes scored from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez caught Rasmus Højlund's foot as he dived for the ball. Fernandes sent Sánchez the wrong way, prompting an elated Van Nistelrooy to jump into the air in celebration.

But four minutes later the mood at Old Trafford quickly changed when Casemiro failed to fully clear Chelsea's corner and Caicedo fired a low volley which André Onana was just able to intercept but was unable to prevent as it went in bottom corner sailed.

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“It was a chance to score a goal. I did it. I’m so happy,” Caicedo told BBC Sport.

“We knew it would be complicated if we waited a long time for the equalizer. I’m so happy to score the equalizer.”

“We deserved to win. We knew it would be a difficult game, but we were prepared for it. I'm so happy for the team. It was a great fight.”

Ten Hag was sacked on Monday while United were 14th in the Premier League. Ruben Amorim was named his successor on Friday and will arrive at the club on November 11th.

A common criticism from Ten Hag has been United's inability to score goals – only Crystal Palace and Southampton have fewer than United's nine – and it was more of the same on Sunday.

Alejandro Garnacho almost broke the deadlock in stoppage time when he fired a long-range shot that went just over the crossbar, before Fernandes missed an opponent seconds later and fired a shot from the center of the box well over the net.

Just before the final whistle, Garnacho played the ball down the left before sending a cross to Joshua Zirkzee, whose shot was deflected over the net by a Chelsea defender, causing the Old Trafford crowd to cheer.

In a back-and-forth first half of a game that won't go down as a classic, both teams barely scored. Chelsea's Noni Madueke headed the post from close range early in the game following Cole Palmer's corner.

Marcus Rashford almost scored in style in the final action before the half-time whistle when Fernandes lifted the ball over Chelsea defender Reece James, but Rashford's side-footed volley bounced off the crossbar.

A heated few minutes of scrum and scrum ensued after United defender Lisandro Martínez caught Palmer's foot, although a VAR review concluded this did not merit a red card.