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Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United: Will Jose Mourinho turn it around?

Last-gasp goal by Ross Barkley denies United a shock victory

Manchester United celebrate during the Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

Manchester United showed fight in their 2-2 draw at Chelsea, but will Jose Mourinho be able to turn it all around? There is hope once more but defensive problems are continuing to undermine the United boss...

Jose Mourinho called it an "awful result" for Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and you knew what he meant. Chelsea needed a 96th-minute goal to snatch a 2-2 draw and retain their unbeaten record. In doing so, they denied United what would have been only their second win in 17 attempts in this fixture. This was far from 'awful' from Mourinho's men.

Importantly, this was the second game in a row in which they have come back from behind to get a result. While it did not have the positive ending of the Newcastle match in which they came from two down to win, it was all the more encouraging to see United fight their way back against a side that has not lost rather than against one that has still not won.

Barkley levels it late
Barkley levels it late

Ross Barkley's stoppage-time equaliser denied Jose Mourinho's Manchester United victory at Chelsea following a heated 2-2 draw.

Mourinho himself made the distinction afterwards, pointing out that his team was never "not there" on Saturday. Indeed, former United defender Gary Neville noted on co-commentary for Sky Sports that any accusation these players were not playing for their manager did not ring true. The identity of the key performers was a positive too.

As early as the morning of the match there were reports in the media speculating that Anthony Martial wants to leave Old Trafford. But it was the Frenchman's fine finish that levelled things up for United and his sumptuous strike for the goal that put his team ahead was even better - whipping the ball low into the far corner after good work by Juan Mata.

Luke Shaw, fresh from signing a new five-year contract, did well. His fellow full-back Ashley Young, given the unenviable task of marking Eden Hazard, was named man-of-the-match. Paul Pogba was culpable for the first goal, failing to stay with Antonio Rudiger from a corner, but he was one of the driving forces behind United's second-half resurgence.

Anthony Martial celebrates his second Manchester United goal at Chelsea - and his third in his last two games
Image: Anthony Martial scored both of United's goals in their 2-2 draw at Chelsea

"We did not have to think about it, we just had to go for it," was Pogba's explanation for the turnaround at Newcastle when talking to Sky Sports earlier in the week and there is a sense that the midfielder prefers the clarity of purpose that comes with such a scenario. Romelu Lukaku, whose involvement was non-existent in the first half, was another who improved.

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Those names are an indication of the quality that's available to Mourinho if he can just get them to click, something that Sarri had alluded to in the build-up. "Maybe player by player they are the best team in the Premier League," said the Chelsea boss. "At the moment, I think City are better as a team but player by player they really are very strong."

Perhaps that was designed to heap pressure on his counterpart but the events that followed did raise the possibility of a more complete turnaround in fortunes for United under Mourinho. The problem is that while the lack of attacking cohesion has been a concern, it is the team's defensive difficulties that are threatening to scupper their season.

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Highlights from Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League

That's what cost United the points against Chelsea. For the second goal, David Luiz won the first header from Cesar Azpilicueta's cross but Rudiger had far too much space to get to the follow-up and Ross Barkley was still free to score at the third attempt. Organisation at the back is a big issue. Only Fulham have kept fewer clean sheets than United this season.

When the final whistle blew, there were only three teams - Fulham, Huddersfield and Cardiff - that had conceded as many Premier League goals. It is so unlike Mourinho, a man who has built his career on defensive solidity. Nine games in and United have already conceded more than his Chelsea side did in all 38 games of the 2004/05 season.

In fact, in the 14 full seasons of his managerial career, Mourinho has had one of the best three defensive records in the league in each of them. Now his United find themselves with a recurring problem from set pieces. "Everybody knows with closed eyes which man is their man and which zone is their zone," Mourinho told Sky Sports. But it is not working.

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Jose Mourinho spoke to Sky Sports to share his thoughts on the Chelsea game

Was it the high-profile pursuit of a centre-back that has robbed these defenders of belief? Has the confidence been eroded by the lack of consistency in team selection? Or is it just that they remain not good enough to achieve the ambitions of the manager and the club? Those questions will not be going away even after a draw with Chelsea.

What is clear is that a solution is needed if this mini-revival from Manchester United is to amount to something more substantial. But the last two games have shown Mourinho that his players are still listening. That should be enough to encourage him that he still might just be able to coach his way out of this, one of the trickiest times of his managerial career.

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