Manchester United vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Manchester United brought an end to their four-match losing streak on Monday after drawing 0-0 against Chelsea, but the stalemate means Louis van Gaal's men have now gone eight games without a win.  

The Red Devils hit the Blues' frame twice in the first 20 minutes and tested opposition goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois regularly, but they were unable to break the duck and earn all three points.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink saw his side come on leaps and bounds in the second period and will likely have been pleased to leave Old Trafford with a share of the spoils after surviving an early wave of pressure.

Red Devils captain Wayne Rooney made his return to the United XI after starting on the bench in Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Stoke City, while Eden Hazard deputised in Chelsea's attack for the suspended Diego Costa.

In the end, the two goalkeepers took the plaudits in a game of glorious highs and embarrassing lows. Jenny Brown of WhoScored.com described it as a dull meeting:

Star goalkeeper David De Gea was called into action early on after John Terry directed a fifth-minute header toward the Spaniard from a corner, and United's talisman proved equal to the threat.

There was an apprehensive mood around Old Trafford heading into Monday's clash, but Manchester United were anything but in the opening phases as they proceeded to take the threat straight to Chelsea.

The flanks played a big role in the home side's progress, too, as Juan Mata cut in from the right before lashing a long-range effort against Courtois' crossbar.

Then came Anthony Martial's turn to cut in from the opposite wing, beating Branislav Ivanovic and whipping a low, rasping shot off of Courtois' right post. The Mirror's Liam Canning piled special praise on the French youngster:

United did a fine job of suppressing Chelsea's midfield. They forced their guests to play a long-ball game, sniffed out most attacks before they could gain much traction and edged out the first half in dominant fashion.

Aside from the entertainment on the pitch, both sets of fans engaged in an amusing head-to-head off it, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. While Chelsea highlighted their opponents' participation in the Europa League as a weakness, the Red Devils hit back by making fun of the Blues' relegation-threatened status:

Hazard found himself targeted by several United players as he looked to spearhead the visitors' attack, but perhaps Chelsea could be glad to have merely been level heading in at the break.

De Gea was once again called to arms early on after the restart, and he kept the hosts in the matchup with a brilliant double save, first denying Pedro before rejecting Cesar Azpilicueta's attempt from close range. Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker emphasised exactly how good United's No. 1 is:

Hiddink's men were much more positive in their passing for the early passages of the second period, as fans were treated to a wonderfully open encounter. For a second, both sets of supporters might even have forgotten the miserable circumstances under which their respective teams entered the fray.

Luckhurst suggested referee Martin Atkinson was feeling the pressure after what appeared to be a Willian handball in his own area didn't result in a penalty just seconds after Courtois parried Ander Herrera's bullet attempt:

But then came Chelsea's turn to threaten, and Hiddink was left dismayed when Nemanja Matic escaped the marking of Matteo Darmian, bombing down the left flank only to sky his one-on-one effort over De Gea's bar.

That proved to be the best opportunity of the half, and Rooney rued a missed chance of his own after Cameron Borthwick-Jackson fizzed a begging cross across Courtois' box in the dying minutes.

Despite any lessons the Red Devils might have learned, Canning insisted there were positives to take from such a display against this "diabolical" Chelsea team:

In what was very much a tale of two halves, United could look to their first-half performance for inspiration, but yet again their inability to finish chances in front of goal let them down.

On the other hand, Chelsea will be glad to claim their first league clean sheet since November's 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, continuing their unbeaten run under Hiddink and showing some signs of improvement.

Post-Match Reaction

Jon Super/Associated Press

A goalless draw against Chelsea on any other occasion might be seen as a positive result, but considering the west Londoners entered Monday's match in 16th, perhaps United can be glum to have missed out on three points.

Van Gaal had as much reason as any to be upset, but despite an eighth successive game without a win, he told BT Sport he won't resign from his position amid growing pressure at Old Trafford:

What's more, the Dutchman insisted his players continue to back him as their leader, per the official Manchester United Twitter account:

Rooney made a very encouraging return to United's starting lineup after being benched on Saturday and was nominated man of the match due to the role he played in igniting the team's attack.

The end product didn't come, but Rooney told BT Sport after the stalemate that his side will "keep fighting" to get back to their old standards (h/t BBC Sport):

"

We created a lot of chances but didn't manage to take one. The crowd were excellent today and you could see how much it meant to the players. It's a disappointing result because we dominated the game but that is football.

A lot of people say a lot of different things. We would be letting ourselves down if we didn't go out on the pitch and give our all. We will keep fighting and we will come back.

"

Van Gaal's side were the more domineering outfit when it came to asserting themselves on the opponent's net, and Courtois said Chelsea will soon rediscover their "winning flow" (h/t BBC Sport):

"

They wanted to win in front of their fans. From the start they put high pressure on us. Without a striker, it wasn’t easy for us to find depth but we had chances and David [de Gea] played well. The team showed progression, which was good.

It’s a pity Matic doesn’t score. It’s more difficult for us than last year, but I think we are getting into a flow to win games. You cannot think it’s not possible to get relegated, but we look forward, and we think that soon we will get the winning flow.

"

Another contender for man-of-the-match honours was shot-stopper De Gea, who was again in impregnable form to keep his side level throughout what became a testing clash.

Per BBC Sport, the Spain No. 1 believed United were the superior outfit, adding: "Both teams had chances but I think we played better than them. We didn't have the luck we need to win these games. We have to keep focused on only football and try to win the games ahead."