LONDON — Chelsea face another nervous 90 minutes at Nottingham Forest next weekend if they cannot come up with a more convincing solution to life without Nicolas Jackson than this.
The Blues’ 1-0 win over Manchester United on Friday keeps them on course — barely — for Champions League qualification, but it was the product of an uninspiring and often fraught evening.
The 71st-minute goal came from one fullback crossing to another. A wonderful piece of skill from Reece James created an opening to deliver the ball into the box where Marc Cucurella planted a header past André Onana.
United boss Ruben Amorim, a proponent of wing-back play, would have approved. So would England boss Thomas Tuchel, watching under his customary baseball cap from the stands at Stamford Bridge. Previously as Chelsea’s manager, he too extolled the virtues of attacking wing-backs and specifically James, who hit the post in the first half with a sublime effort from the edge of the box.
There was precious little quality from Chelsea otherwise. Cole Palmer played in Noni Madueke early on, but he could only blaze his effort over the bar. Palmer’s deflected shot forced Onana into a smart save as the game approached the break, but the Blues were largely stunted as an attacking threat.
And that by a Man United side that continue to rack up unwanted records: This is their 17th Premier League defeat in a season, which will end with their fewest wins (currently 10) and fewest points (currently 39).
For Mason Mount, this was an unwelcome return to west London, booed throughout by Chelsea fans unhappy at his decision to trade blue for red when the club stalled over offering him a contract in 2023.
Of course, all eyes for Man United are on Wednesday’s Europa League final against Tottenham. While Chelsea have their own European showpiece ahead — a Europa Conference League final against Real Betis — now is the moment for Enzo Maresca’s side.
Champions League qualification would come a year ahead of schedule if Chelsea can pull off a win, and it would rank as a huge boost for Maresca, who is still trying to win over the Chelsea faithful, as evidenced by the frustration emanating from the stands at their lack of potency.
Jackson’s red card at Newcastle last weekend means he was suspended Friday and will be again on Sunday’s final day. Although the 23-year-old is yet to silence all doubters, his 12 goals across all competitions has been a useful contribution while Maresca repeatedly cites Jackson’s pressing ability from the front as unrivalled within his squad.
With Christopher Nkunku struggling for fitness and again sidelined, Maresca opted to start 19-year-old Tyrique George for the first time in the Premier League. It was a big call, based on a desire for his No. 9 to run in behind United’s five-man defense, but he struggled to influence play. He had only six touches in the first half and only 14 in the 81 minutes he was on the field.
Maresca’s other options — using Palmer or Pedro Neto through the middle — might not have been ideal, but their greater experience could have made this a more comfortable evening. The Italian put a positive spin on George’s contribution, which threatened to peak when he went down under a 61st-minute challenge from Onana only for VAR to overturn referee Chris Kavanagh’s initial penalty award.
“[George was] very good, very good,” Maresca said. “Brave. He was a threat in behind. Not easy for him because on the other side you have [Harry] Maguire, you have [Victor] Lindelöf, you have [Luke] Shaw. He was fighting against important defenders. But again, we tried to find a solution with a player form the academy and overall In think also he had the penalty moments so he worked quite well.”
Did he show enough to play at Forest if required? “Absolutely yes, 100 percent,” Maresca said.
In fairness, solutions at No. 9 are hard to come by. Just look at United, who endured another anonymous performance from Rasmus Højlund and, in truth, the best finish of the night came from center back Maguire as he fired in from Bruno Fernandes’ 16th-minute cross only for the goal to be ruled out on a tight VAR review call.
On Højlund, Amorim said: “I’m happy. Of course all the team has to improve, but the way he runs, he fights for every ball, loses a lot of duels, wins some duels. He needs to improve the connection, but he is improving so I am really happy with him. He just needs to continue to work hard and better days will come.”
Both clubs will look to strengthen their attack this summer. Both are interested in Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap. Whichever team can offer Champions League football might well end up winning the race for his signature.
“I think that’s where the club belongs, in the Champions League,” James said. “Competing in the best competitions. People like to write us off and call us inexperienced. We played against a very experienced United team today. We were there and we won the game. We got what we needed to do.”
Maresca acknowledged Thursday that Chelsea were working on how to be effective without Jackson. They beat United, but the search continues.
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