Ross Barkley Saves Chelsea in 2-2 Draw with Anthony Martial, Manchester United

Ross Barkley scored a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw for Chelsea against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to preserve the Blues' unbeaten Premier League record.

Antonio Rudiger took advantage of some poor defending from the Red Devils to head the hosts in front midway through the first half.

However, the visitors improved after the break and levelled when Martial pounced on a loose ball and fired home 10 minutes into the second half.

The French forward then curled home his second in the 73rd minute after good work from Marcus Rashford.

The Red Devils looked set for victory until Barkley fired home from close range in the sixth minute of added time to secure a point.

Mourinho Won't Last if United Can't Fix Defense 

Manchester United's defensive weaknesses were on show once more at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho again shuffled his central defence with Victor Lindelof partnering Chris Smalling, with Eric Bailly on the bench. 

Yet again the Red Devils conceded from a set piece, as Rudiger escaped Paul Pogba's attention and headed home the opener.

Miguel Delaney at The Independent highlighted the Red Devils' record at set pieces:

Chelsea's second goal came from a late scramble in the box that saw Barkley react quickest to put the ball away with 96 minutes on the clock.

The equaliser sparked wild celebrations that seemed to antagonise Mourinho:

Mourinho said after the game that he had forgiven coach Marco Ianni for his celebrations, in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t ESPN).

"I am not annoyed with anything," he said. "What happened with [Maurizio] Sarri's assistant, Sarri was the first one to come to me and say he will resolve it. The assistant has already come to me and apologised. I told him to forget it. I have made a lot of mistakes in my career."

The Manchester United boss' frustrations are obvious with his team looking destined for an important win before being denied right at the end. 

The Red Devils showed real signs of progress in the second half, as they improved on a poor first-half display and took the lead. However, their defence remains a concern, and the team will continue to struggle if they keep on leaking goals.

Morata Needs to Regain Lost Confidence, Learn from Barkley's Heroics

Alvaro Morata had another afternoon to forget for Chelsea. The striker looked short of confidence, lacked sharpness and wasted the few sights of goal he had.

One shot was weak and was comfortably saved by De Gea, and another flew well wide of the goal. His positioning was also poor, as he failed to get on the end of some quality delivery into the penalty area.

Oliver Holt at the Mail on Sunday was critical of the Spaniard:

It was little surprise to see Morata eventually replaced by Olivier Giroud on 79 minutes. However, the winning goal came from another substitute, Ross Barkley.

The midfielder continued his recent resurgence with the equaliser for his second goal of the season. 

Goal's Nizaar Kinsella highlighted his threat from midfield:

Barkley has had a tough time at Chelsea since signing from Everton in January. The midfielder has had to be patient and overcome injury setbacks, but he has managed to take the rare chances afforded to him and impress Sarri.

His performances have been rewarded with a recall to the England squad, and he is becoming an increasingly important figure at Stamford Bridge with the attacking threat he possesses.

The same cannot be said of Morata, who has managed just two goals in 11 outings for club and country. He needs to match Barkley and show the determination and desire needed to succeed at Chelsea if he is to rediscover his confidence and goalscoring touch.

United Must Play Aggressively from the Start

Manchester United toiled in the first half but looked a completely different side after the break as they played far more aggressively.

Samuel Luckhurst at the Manchester Evening News explained the improvement:

Their performance bore similarities to their win over Newcastle United last time out. The Red Devils went 2-0 down before producing a stirring second-half comeback to win 3-2.

The Red Devils did not do quite enough to take victory, but it was still a positive performance that suggested Mourinho's reign at the club is not quite over, per James Robson at the Evening Standard:

However, United cannot afford to keep starting matches so slowly and going behind. The team need to be on the front foot from the start and show the spirit that was on display in the second half at Stamford Bridge from the first whistle.

What's Next?

Chelsea take on BATE Borisov in the UEFA Europa League at Stamford Bridge on Thursday. Manchester United face Italian champions Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday at Old Trafford.