It is the statistic that undermines the good Manchester United have done in the Premier League this season: they have failed to score a single goal in open play against opponents from the so-called big six.
Their only return in what is now seven attempts came from a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 6-1 home defeat against Tottenham. This was their fifth 0-0 draw and, although it was more watchable than some of the others, it illustrated why they lag so far behind Manchester City. In the decisive matches they have not only mislaid their creativity and cutting edge, they have seemed risk averse.
The draw did extend United’s club record unbeaten top-flight away run to 20 games and, more importantly, it kept them six points above Chelsea who are fifth. A Champions League finish is the most likely prize for United’s endeavours in the league and it remains well within their grasp.
Chelsea could be the unhappier at the result, although it continued Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start to life at the club. His run now stands at nine games in all competitions, with six wins and only two goals conceded.
The problem for the new manager has been in front of goal. His team are not scoring enough because they are not creating enough. Hakim Ziyech was denied by David de Gea in the 48th minute when he should have scored and it was difficult to remember anything else of note for them. Tuchel has a wealth of attacking talent in his squad but he cannot accommodate all of it, nor has he been able to find the right combinations. It feels as though the emphasis for him so far has been on forcing mistakes from the opposition high up the pitch rather than crafting openings in a more proactive way. One thing is clear: it has not been thrilling.
Tuchel made a switch from 3-4-2-1 to 3-4-1-2 when he replaced Olivier Giroud with Christian Pulisic on 65 minutes and his reason for doing so was revealing. “We defended with two strikers to block them so that they cannot enter with the ball,” Tuchel said.
The big talking point came in the 10th minute when Stuart Attwell chose not to award United a penalty despite his video assistant suggesting he review an incident in which Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle. United were incensed, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær muttering darkly afterwards about Attwell’s motivation for opting not to reverse his original decision and the pressure he believed had been brought to bear on the official by Chelsea. Full report here
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