Chelsea stun Man Utd to pile pressure on Ten Hag after seven-goal thriller

STAMFORD BRIDGE — Manchester United had barely settled into one of their most chaotic starts yet, and that is a high bar indeed, when Erik ten Hag turned to his bench behind him, head bowed and jolting from side to side. Even in their brighter moments, there is a reason he and Mauricio Pochettino are squinting to see the light at the end of the tunnel when their sides resemble such a disordered mob.

Scrutiny on Pochettino has eased thanks to Cole Palmer’s extraordinary injury time goals that completed his hat-trick – one a penalty, the other scored with the final kick. Ten Hag had hoped for similar respite when he thought United had won it, Alejandro Garnacho pointing to Antony, the outside-of-the-boot assister, after his header.

But relief is only ever fleeting and little wonder when United are defeated in such haphazard circumstances. This was a Premier League classic but the fact is they were 3-2 up in the 99th minute and managed to lose 4-3.

Here, it had taken all of four minutes for the familiar litany of charges to unfold: Conor Gallagher left unattended in the box for the opener, Malo Gusto pinging the drag-back off Raphael Varane, United floundering on the left. Gallagher’s strike was straight down the middle of Andre Onana’s goal.

Then Antony is outraced and outwitted, belatedly lunging in on Marc Cucurella. There is no longer even a semblance of doubt when Palmer steps up to the spot.

What makes weathering the storm so nauseating for Ten Hag is that he does not have that luxury of confidence. In fact questions linger over his every confounding move. He is adamant the trip to Stamford Bridge is must-win before axing Marcus Rashford, a move he insisted was down to “rotation” but which he does not make unless there are wider issues with the forward’s form at play.

Dropping Rashford after his display in the draw at Brentford would have been uncontentious enough in isolation. Still, even if Antony ultimately vindicated his selection over Rashford, Amad Diallo and Mason Mount (roundly booed on his return) by contributing to two goals, Ten Hag lacks the requisite unchallenged authority to make the big calls.

What Pochettino desperately needs meanwhile is poise, epitomised by Moises Caicedo misplacing a pass to Benoit Badiashile into the path of Garnacho with his side in full control, leading to the 19-year-old finishing in the bottom corner. Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo, Chelsea’s £200m+ midfield, were frequently ridiculed by the ever prodigious Kobbie Mainoo.

The equaliser was at least textbook United. Antony picked the correct cross-field pass to Garnacho, who laid off the ball to Dalot. The cross was soon on its way, Chelsea’s defence too preoccupied with Rasmus Hojlund to notice Bruno Fernandes steaming in for the header.

The two managers will say that these are both works in progress. But it remains a case of maximum effort for minimum predictability – hardly conducive to the “project” for either Pochettino or Ten Hag.