Casemiro struck late to rescue a point for Manchester United against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, in a Premier League game which saw the vast majority of its drama come in the final ten minutes.
It was a first half dominated by the visitors, as they forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a number of strong saves, as the hosts looked under pressure for an extended period of time, much to the frustration of their supporters.
The introduction of Mateo Kovacic swung the momentum back in the way of the west London side, and for the rest of the game it was the Blues that appeared to be on top, controlling the ball for much of that time.
They were rewarded for their dominance when Scott McTominay fouled Armando Broja in the box, resulting in a penalty, which was duly tucked away by Jorginho, seemingly giving Graham Potter a big win late on at home.
There was more drama yet to come however, as deep into added time Casemiro headed the ball towards the back post, where, despite Kepa’s best efforts, he could not prevent it crossing the line, leading to pandemonium in the away end.
A fair result, given the balance of the game, after a 90 minutes which left a little to be desired, but yet another draw between these two teams in the top flight - the third 1-1 in as many games.
Mateo Kovacic makes the difference
For the first 36 minutes of this game, most Chelsea fans would have been watching in horror as time and time again their midfield was bypassed by the onrushing red and white shirts, with Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both seemingly powerless to prevent it.
It was obvious something was wrong, and to Graham Potter’s credit, he recognised as such, sending Mateo Kovacic onto the pitch in place of Marc Cucurella, switching the Blues into a three-man midfield in the process.
Instantly, it was clear that the Croatia international had altered the balance of play: all of a sudden, it was Chelsea who were pushing forwards and breaking up play in the middle of the park, before the referee blew for half time.
After the break, his impact was only more noticeable, as he consistently remained a pivotal figure in Potter’s system, helping the hosts dominate possession throughout the second 45 minutes.
He may well have had more praise, if Chelsea had held on for all three points, because the contrast between how they were playing before his introduction and after he came on was recognisably stark.
Potter referenced an ongoing knee injury when asked why he had not been starting as of late, but it seems clear that, even with a potential setback, he is still a crucial component of the recently arrived head coach’s team.
Casemiro proves his worth
If Chelsea’s star player was someone in modified, Man United’s was certainly in the equivalent position, with Casemiro finally making a clear impact after his arrival in the summer transfer window.
The Brazilian was instrumental for his side, completing 44 out of his attempted 54 passes, while also putting in four tackles and making three interceptions, contributing both in the attack and at the back too.
His most important impact though came in the 93rd minute, when he rose highest to head the ball towards the back post and, despite Kepa getting a hand to the ball, he could not prevent it rolling in, as confirmed by the goal line technology.
The 30-year-old has faced much criticism in his opening couple of months as a United player, but he showed just why he has been part of Champions League-winning sides when playing for Real Madrid, making a huge difference for Erik ten Hag’s team.
In order to fully justify his huge £70 million transfer fee he will need to have at least a few more performances such as this one in the capital, with showings up until now being relatively subpar by most standards.
But if this is a sign of things to come, then United fans can be optimistic not just about the future direction of this midfield maestro, but about the fate of their team in general, as he continues to play an important role.
Blues left frustrated by inability to hold lead
When Jorginho tucked away his spot kick in the 87th minute, it seems likely that there were more than few Chelsea supporters convinced they had just picked up a massive three points near the end of a game in which they had been toiling as the better side for nearly an hour.
There was palpable relief in the stadium as soon as the ball nestled in the back of the net past David De Gea, from both players, coaching staff and fans alike, with a win against the Red Devils for the first time in nearly five years apparently almost confirmed.
But such is football that a combination of an extended period of injury time (six minutes in total), and some poor defending from a set piece led to Potter’s team conceding a very late equaliser, and having to settle for a point.
Had the game gone in a different pattern - say, United had taken the lead in the first half only for Chelsea to grab a point - then a draw would not have seemed like the worst result at all as far as the Blues were concerned.
Yet the manner of the equaliser, and indeed the timing of it, made it feel like even more of a sucker punch for those who were hoping that Chelsea may have finally overcome their ‘hoodoo’ against Man United in the Premier League.
Being unable to hold onto a lead, especially in such a big game, will be a concern for Graham Potter, and while it may be a fair result given the overall balance of the game, it is undoubtedly the visitors who will have walked away the happier of the two teams at the final whistle with the result.
Ronaldo's exclusion justified for ten Hag
After Man United’s impressive win in midweek against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, ten Hag would probably have been hoping that the back pages would have been lauding his tactical ability and his team’s exemplary performances recently.
As it was though, the newspapers ended up reporting just one story, and it was that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics during the match where he refused to come on as a substitute, before leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle had even gone.
It led to questions marks over whether the Portugal international was really a true ‘team player’, or whether the Dutch manager was actually mistreating a man who is one of the all time greats of the sport.
The conclusion ended up being the former line of reasoning, as United confirmed that the 37-year-old would be training with the youth team for a few days, as well as being excluded from the matchday squad against the Blues as a form of punishment.
Now, regardless of whether you believe this was the right decision, it certainly did appear to be justified as, particularly in the first half, United looked fluid and dangerous in possession, something they haven’t been in either of the two Premier League games which Ronaldo has started.
Simply writing off one of the greatest players of all time would probably be inadvisable, and he certainly is still capable of moments of magic, but ten Hag not being afraid of showing him that no one player is bigger than the club will prove beneficial for United in the long run.