Manchester United’s dreams of winning the Mickey Mouse treble are done and dusted after losing 1-0 against Premier League leaders Chelsea in their FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge.
It was a tightly-contested encounter in the first half, with Marcus Rashford surprisingly starting for the Reds after recovering from illness. José Mourinho’s men lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, mirroring Antonio Conte’s side and they matched each other blow for blow up and until referee Michael Oliver sent off Ander Herrera for two yellows close to the end of the first half.
From then on, it was always going to be an uphill task for United to get anything out from the encounter and their rearguard was broken early in the second half, as N’Golo Kante rifled the ball past David de Gea from 25 yards to break the deadlock.
United would have a chance to level matters moments later, as Marcus Rashford bore down on goal after turning Gary Cahill inside out, but his shot was turned away in what turned out to be the Reds’ one and only clear-cut chance.
Still, Mourinho will have been proud of his side’s valiant display and attentions will now switch to Europe, with Rostov travelling to Old Trafford in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash.
Here’s four things we learned from Stamford Bridge:
Herrera's red pivotal
Ander Herrera’s first-half sending off changed the whole complexion of the game, as up to that point United had matched the Blues blow for blow. And arguably, you can make the case that it wasn’t a red card!
The first yellow is a dive from Eden Hazard, as he runs straight into the back of Herrera (who’s protecting himself from the impact) and the second barely warrants a booking, with Herrera making minimal contact with Hazard. Horrendous officiating from Michael Oliver all-round.
Pogba needs to step up when it counts
Despite some promising performances so far on his United return, it’s fair to say Paul Pogba hasn’t really performed well on the big occasions.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended for this clash, United really needed Pogba to step up to the plate and drive his team forward. He started well, but faded quickly as United went on the back foot.
And arguably, he may have been at fault for the goal itself, losing N’Golo Kante in the build-up and allowing him a free shot on goal.
I accept that he’s 23 and it’ll take time for him to make his mark on the big occasions, but he’ll have to do it fast with most of the United fanbase breathing down his neck.
Rojo and Valencia epitomise United's spirit
It was always going to be a hard slog for United once they went down to ten men and their battling performance was encapsulated by Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo.
Valencia was there time and time again to deal with the dual threat of Willian and Eden Hazard down the wings, while Rojo put his body on the line on several occasions to defend the United goal, shackling Diego Costa in the process.
A team effort it was indeed and plenty of positives to take for the rest of the season.
Rashford deserves run up front
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney suspended and injured for this clash, Marcus Rashford overcame a bout of illness to start up front and despite having little to work with, did well.
Having been isolated after Herrera’s sending off and the removal of Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Marouane Fellaini, Rashford never stopped running and carved out a decent chance for himself, which took a fine Thibault Courtois save to keep out.
With Zlatan suspended for another two games and Mourinho praising his young charge for ‘putting himself on the line’, Rashford deserves a chance to lead the line for the next two encounters.