Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Chelsea took another giant step toward securing the Premier League title on Saturday by beating Manchester United, 1-0, at Stamford Bridge.
An Eden Hazard strike in the first half, poked through the legs of David De Gea following Oscar's slick backheel, was enough to settle a tense game in which tactical nullification played a major part.
Despite the loss, Louis van Gaal was positive about his team's performance, per Get West London's Dan Levene:
"We played the best match of the season. But in football you can lose in spite of the other team. We are in a process, and I see my team always growing; improving every week. It is amazing how we have played here."
So who stood out in the match, be it good or bad? We've got it covered.
Winner: Luke Shaw, Who Destroyed Branislav Ivanovic on the Left
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The Daily Mail's Neil Ashton wrote a moving article this week on the struggles "home boy" Luke Shaw has faced settling in at Manchester United this season. He's a teenager, it's a big stage, and injuries have dampened his spirit.
But, after being forced into the XI on Saturday after a bout of injuries to first-choice players, Shaw stepped in despite recently returning from an ailment and gave Branislav Ivanovic the test of his life.
Time and again, Shaw stormed down the left, outpaced the Serbian and swung in dangerous crosses. Had the finishing and decision-making in the middle been better, he may well have picked up an assist.
Loser: Ander Herrera, Who Struggled in a Slightly Different Role
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Manchester United's midfield dominance over the past four weeks has been predicated on key cogs, one of which has been Michael Carrick. His absence from the game rocked the side's confidence and changed the approach; Wayne Rooney and Ander Herrera, both dropping back to fill his responsibilities, struggled to replicate the effect.
In particular, Herrera's forward-thinking game was blunted, his chances to attack were more limited, and he gave up two notable hospital passes to play Chelsea in on the counterattack.
Not his finest hour and a half.
Winner: Jose Mourinho, Whose Tactical Plan Worked Perfectly
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Some will call it negativity, but this 90-minute match went exactly how Jose Mourinho would have drawn it up. Manchester United threatened, particularly from the left, but Chelsea scored the goal and battened down the hatches to seal the win.
Mourinho wasn't scared to respect the Red Devils, and in particular their in-form player Marouane Fellaini. He stuck Kurt Zouma on the Belgian to lessen his aerial effect, played Nemanja Matic in a destroyer role and asked his centre-backs to fight for every inch.
Later in the game, he adjusted. Cesc Fabregas' role changed so he could cut out forward passes, and Ramires was brought on to help Branislav Ivanovic deal with Luke Shaw.
Loser: All of the PFA Player of the Year Candidates Not Named Eden Hazard
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Eden Hazard was once again in sparkling form, deciding the match with a brilliant goal and smacking the crossbar with a karate-kick effort in the second half.
His performance was likely met by groans from every other player in contention for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award, as it's showings like these, against the best teams in the country, that cement Hazard's status as the clear front-runner for the award.
Hazard should win Player of the Year—he deserves the accolade more than anyone else—and performances like this really leave little doubt about that.
Winner: Kurt Zouma, Who Nullified Marouane Fellaini
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We mentioned Kurt Zouma's role in this match when discussing Jose Mourinho's tactical mastery, but the Frenchman deserves his own section after a really impactful display.
Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville referred to his work on the day as "the dog's role," but Zouma won't mind putting in the hard yards if it results in a team victory.
Fellaini has battered Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City in consecutive weeks, but at Stamford Bridge, Zouma man-marked him and challenged him for every aerial ball.
The Saint-Etienne product, fearless and committed, gave every ounce of energy to ensure his opponent couldn't put his stamp on the game.
A resounding success.
