Chelsea vs. Manchester United score: Goalless draw suits neither side in Premier League race

The Blues and Red Devils held each other to a goalless draw Sunday at Stamford Bridge

The Premier League's big game of the weekend dissolved into the dampest of squibs as Chelsea and Manchester United played out a dreary 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. In a first half low on drama, Manchester United were denied what they felt was a penalty when the ball hit Callum Hudson-Odoi's hand after Edouard Mendy had parried Marcus Rashford's free kick. In open play they created little but Chelsea were scarcely any better, though Hudson-Odoi's tempting cross from the right ought to have been converted by Olivier Giroud.

The second half brought with it the feintest increase in attacking thrust with David de Gea saving well from Hakim Ziyech at close range. Chelsea dominated possession but as United's defense dropped deeper they struggled to charm their way through whilst the attempts at counter-attacks from the visitors never really got close to testing Edouard Mendy until he parried Bruno Fernandes' late shot from range.

A point each arguably suited neither side, Chelsea failing to leapfrog West Ham and move into fourth whilst what little hopes United might have had of catching Manchester City look even more slim with a 12-point gap to make up in as many games. Here are the key takeaways from the game:

Chelsea and United cancel each other out

Under new management Chelsea have been nothing if not tactically intriguing and once more Thomas Tuchel changed up his approach, most notably dropping Timo Werner after an impressive display against Atletico Madrid for Ziyech. In truth he might have wished he had kept the German in the team with United leaving his side plenty of space to attack in behind and down the flanks.

That space looked like costing them dearly early on but Luke Shaw did just enough to flick Mason Mount's cross away from the head of Olivier Giroud. There were avenues aplenty to drive into against the opposition's deep line and twice center-back Antonio Rudiger found a seam through which he could advance the ball high.

Playing against a more immobile forward in Giroud rather suited United's backline but there was one occasion where the Frenchman nearly made Victor Lindelof pay for lax marking but he made contact with David de Gea's left post instead of a tempting cross by Hudson-Odoi. That was a rare moment of quality to cut through either defense in a half where both teams rather canceled each other out effectively, the returning N'Golo Kante on hand to plug any gaps in Chelsea's back five at the other end.

Possession without punch for Chelsea

It has become a recurring theme of the early weeks of Tuchel's Chelsea reign that his side simply cannot get enough of the ball. On occasion you wonder whether they are so reluctant to give it up that they refuse to score because it means the opponent gets the ball for the kick-off.

Of course that is not quite the case, the domination of the ball is as though Tuchel is looking to build solid foundations to his Chelsea stronghold, after which he can add embellishments to their attacking movement. That will take time.

Yet there is so degree of conservatism early on that makes it hard for Chelsea to convincingly win these games. Take a stirring run from Mount on the hour, where he drove past Fred and into the box. Look up and what did he see? Olivier Giroud with about four defenders between him and the ball. Ziyech had come in the side presumably to help craft a way through a low block but he's far more comfortable on the edges of the penalty area than in it. He and Kovacic are delicate players with no little quality but they do not stretch the play.

Indeed on occasions it seemed that the only Chelsea player capable of beating a man was Rudiger, perhaps Mount as the game wore on. Equally it was all too often the case that Kante would win the ball back in midfield, pass it on to a midfielder and his team would just stop. They still look some way from finding the instinctive attacking interplay that will make them a real force.

[Feb 28, 2021 at 1:05 pm ET · James Benge]

I tell you what, this is pretty dreadful now. Chelsea have very little idea what to do beyond keep the ball. United have never had much of an attacking identity beyond Fernandes worldies and counter-attacks. So here we are.

[Feb 28, 2021 at 12:56 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Giroud is off, and Pulisic is on. Interesting decision that.

[Feb 28, 2021 at 12:55 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Pulisic is coming on for the Blues.

[Feb 28, 2021 at 12:51 pm ET · James Benge]

A brilliant low cross from Shaw, whose delivery from the byline is so dangerous. United seem to have soaked up the hardest moments of Chelsea possession and in truth did not really look all that threatened. A few flashes have come their way since, Greenwood and McTominay hitting the ball ferociously but not on target just yet.