London. Chelsea vs Manchester United and a cool October evening when Cristiano Ronaldo was left out in the cold.
The two clubs do battle again tonight as Erik ten Hag’s side chase the certainty of a top-four finish. Rewind seven months and the United groundwork was very much still being laid.
Casemiro rescued a point for United with a last-gasp header after Jorginho put the home side ahead from the spot with three minutes remaining. The result left United fifth, a point behind Chelsea. The Blues are now firmly in the rear view mirror as Ten Hag’s side chase the point they need to confirm Champions League football next season. If the Reds finish their campaign with three more wins they’ll claim third spot and the FA Cup, denying Manchester City the chance to emulate the United treble of 1999.
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Given the Carabao Cup is already under lock and key in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet, that would represent a superb first season at the helm for Ten Hag. He’s had bumps in the road along the way, and summer recruitment and an improvement in United’s abject away from against the leading sides will be key to how next season pans out. But the Dutchman is building a competitive and balanced squad in his image. He’s the manager and the boss and things are done his way. Those traits were most evident in the dispatching of earlier in the season, with the Ten Hag path crystal clear on that Autumn evening at Stamford Bridge.
Ronaldo was left out after refusing to come off the bench against Spurs in the previous match. Ten Hag was bowing to no-one and displayed the strong hand required to deal with the game’s greatest ego.
Chelsea away was a pivotal early season fixture with United playing catch up following successive defeats at the start of the campaign. It would have been easy to call on Ronaldo, a seasoned big game player, given the circumstances but Ten Hag made his point and United earned theirs.
"We don't talk about that (the Ronaldo situation), we keep it quiet inside, we have to deal with that inside and no one else has to know what we think what we want or what will happen," said Ronaldo's team-mate for club and country Bruno Fernandes after the game.
The Portugal international returned to start four more matches but his second coming was approaching the bitter finale. Ten Hag and United bid farewell ahead of the World Cup with the Old Trafford chief content to push on with his team in his way. The signing of Wout Weghorst in January emphasised it further, the Dutchman hasn’t been a success but he was a Ten Hag signing for a Ten Hag team.
That draw at Stamford Bridge in October was a sign of things to come. And as United prepare for the reverse fixture, the progress is clear to see.
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