Manchester United, although in an inferior role and without Cristiano Ronaldo as a starter, have left Stamford Bridge earning a point (1-1) in the grand derby against Chelsea in the 13th round of the 2021-22 Premier League season. It is Jadon Sancho who will remember the past week where he had netted his first goals for United in the Champions League and in the Premier League.
The English international took advantage of the incredible Jorginho howler in the center of the field, bringing the Red Devils a 1-0 advantage. At the very start of the second half, in the 50th minute. Sancho caught Chelsea asleep, forcing Jorginho to make a cardinal mistake, and managed to open the score. An interesting fact is that the guests took the lead in their first direct shot towards the Blues goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy.
However, very soon, in an attempt to clear the ball from a corner kick, defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka kicked Thiago Silva in the leg. As a result, the Euro 2020 winner with Italy, Jorginho eventually turned out to be the savior of Chelsea, as he equalized thanks to a penalty-kick goal in the 67th minute.
Carrick like Pirlo and Solskajer: Drops Ronaldo, subs him on in second half
For the Chelsea derby in London, Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick dropped the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, keeping the Portuguese veteran out of his starting XI. Despite facing the English Premier League leaders, Carrick chose to rest his talismanic No.7, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bruno Fernandes filling aggressive and creative roles.
"A few tweaks and changes from the other night, to change things up a bit. Cristiano is probably our standout name, but it's just a game plan, ideas. I had a good chat with Cristiano actually, he was great, and we have decided to go like that today. He is really looking forward to the game. It is a decision just to pick a team, to be honest. I don't think it needs more drama than that", explained Carrick. The 36-year-old superstar entered the field in the 64th minute, replacing goalscorer Sancho.
It's not the first time this year CR7 has been left out of any club's starting lineup. When putting up his preparations against Everton on October 2, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer adopted a similar strategy. Meanwhile, Andrea Pirlo surprised many by leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out of the Juventus starting XI against Bologna in May. The Portuguese great eventually warmed the bench for the whole 90 minutes.
