Key events
7 min It’s been a bright start from both teams. Man Utd are seeing plenty of the ball at the moment.
5 min: Chance for Chelsea! Palmer threads a wonderful through pass that is shinned over on the run by Madueke, 10 yards from goal. I think he was offside so it wouldn’t have counted, but the pass from Palmer was exquisite.
3 min A delicious first-time cross from Fernandes on the right is heading towards Mount at the far post when James stretches to boot the ball somewhere, anywhere. It loops up and is claimed by Sanchez. That was a really important touch from James, without which Mount would have had a stooping header at goal from about eight yards.
1 min Peep peep! Man Utd kick off from left to right as we watch, and Mason Mount’s first touch is greeted with a paean to Joe Root.
“I never thought it could get worse than the Moyes Season,” says Christopher Faherty. “Then I never thought it could get worse than The Ragnick Interrignum. Now we’re here. Further to fall?”
Always.
“‘We will retain Amorim even if we do not win the Big Vase’ (more alarming when they play Spurs) is not a statement that boosts someone’s confidence, does it?” says Krishnamoorthy V. “What must one old Scot be thinking these days? Should he come back for an encore?”
He’s probably thinking: ‘You think this lot are bad, you should have seen my team in 1989-90.’ I can’t get away from the fact that, had modern values prevailed in the late 1980s, Alex Ferguson would have won precisely no trophies at Manchester United, and he’d probably still be plain old Alex Ferguson. We’ve all gone mad. I went mad in 2006 so I can’t really criticise anyone.
These gentlemen are about to take the field.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; George.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Bettinelli, Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Anselmino, Badiashile, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Amad, Mount; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Amass, Fredricson, Heaven, Collyer, Eriksen, Mainoo, Ugarte, Garnacho.
Referee Chris Kavanagh.
There are some games, like now – the one or two, three games we have – that tactics are important but it’s also other aspects. That is players taking responsibility and also showing desire to bring this club – we said many times – where it has to be.
The Joy of Six: Chelsea v Manchester United
This one’s from the archive, but Scott Murray is always worth reading.
Ron Harris had many qualities, but subtlety was not one of them. Here he is heaving into view from way out, belabouring George Best’s ankles with a proper old-school reducer. It’s a textbook piece of uberviolence – a vicious sliding tackle perfectly timed and executed, as graceful as brutality can ever get – but it was all for naught. Best ignored Chopper’s galoot-isms, somehow retained his balance – despite being kicked almost horizontal in mid-air – and continued his run.
Beauty and the beast. As the willowy, long-haired Best sashays round the keeper and calmly slots home, as androgynous as you like, Harris, bloated with testosterone, picks himself heavily off the turf.
Enzo Maresca’s pre-match thoughts
[On see Tyrique George making his first Premier League start] He’s a young talent who can give up lots of energy. We need to attack in behind and he can do that.
[On leaving out Chalobah and Lavia] It’s just the gameplan. We try to pick the best XI for each game and hopefully we’ve done that tonight.
Two games to go. It’s just on us; hopefully we can the first game tonight and then focus on the next one.
Ruben Amorim on his team selection
We have five days to prepare for the final. We are focussed on this game. Sometimes the best way to prepare for a final is to play and to compete; we’ve had problems in that area so I want to see the team compete. They need the time to prove they are ready for the final.
The biggest [injury] problems we’ve had this season have been in training – Amad, Kobbie Mainoo – so you never know where the danger is.
I saw so many good things against West Ham but I don’t want to share them when we are losing games because it’s hard for our fans to understand. I am still confident. I know what to do for this team. This is not the moment for that. This is the moment to share the pain with our fans.
People don’t understand how things are changing in Carrington. We need to finish this season and then let’s see.
Follow Aston Villa v Spurs
Both Europa League finalists are in action tonight. Spurs kick off away to Aston Villa at 7.30pm – you can follow that game with Yara El-Shaboury.
Team news
Tyrique George makes his first Premier League start, covering for the suspended Nicolas Jackson, as flagged by ‘Scoops’ Steinberg below. Reece James and Tosin Adarabioyo also come into the side in place of Romeo Lavia and Trevor Chalobah.
Manchester United’s team is stronger than expected, with maybe nine of the XI that will start the Europa League final on Wednesday. There are five changes from the tame defeat at home to West Ham on Sunday: Andre Onana, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Patrick Dorgu replace Altay Bayindir, the injured Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Harry Amass and Kobbie Mainoo.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; George.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Bettinelli, Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Anselmino, Badiashile, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Amad, Mount; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Amass, Fredricson, Heaven, Collyer, Eriksen, Mainoo, Ugarte, Garnacho.
Referee Chris Kavanagh.
Nicolas Jackson’s ridiculous red card against Newcastle leaves Enzo Maresca with a problem in attack. Chelsea have lost their main striker to suspension for the rest of the league season and need to adjust when they host Manchester United. Options are thin on the ground. Christopher Nkunku is unwanted and has been unavailable in recent weeks, the inexperienced Marc Guiu is returning from a hamstring injury and Jadon Sancho is ineligible against his parent club. Sancho would not have played up front but having him available would have meant there was an experienced alternative on the flanks should Maresca have repeated a solution from previous times of need and moved Pedro Neto into a central role. As it is Chelsea will probably have to place their trust in the exciting teenager Tyrique George. Jacob Steinberg
Preamble
Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea v Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. On current form we could probably have given this one to the pools panel and saved everyone the bother. Chelsea are in desperate need of points and have won seven of the last eight league games at Stamford Bridge; Manchester United, who haven’t won a Premier League game in two months, only have eyes for next week’s Europa League final.
Football is a funny old game, so you never know. But Chelsea need it to be ultra-serious tonight: if they fail to win, a Champions League place will be out of their hands.
Kick off 8.15pm
