Some random comments for the game:
Thrilling thrilling game. Loads of fun for the neutrals, I definitely enjoyed it, especially the closing minutes of every half.
For the first goal, I will attribute it to the naive-ism of Oriol, who seemed to want to continue advancing and refused to pass back to the goalie even though he was surrounded by United players.
Second goal. Simple. Defender was not as good as the attacker, Buttner thought he was fast enough but Moses was much faster.
Sixth goal. Definite penalty.
Ryan Gigg's challenge on Victor Moses was atrocious and totally uncalled for. Not a naughty clip at the heels or anything, it was more of a tackle that could have got Moses injured. Not sure whether I am being in accordance with the rulebook here, but I would have sent Giggs off for aggressive behaviour. I must admit I was hoping he would miss the penalty a minute later, such was my disdain for his act.
United's defensive frailties continue and their attacking powers were unable to make up for those this time round. All in all, it makes for very attractive viewing but their fans might be worrying a bit about their title chances if they continue leaking goals at this rate.
Now for the main emphasis of the article: Javier Hernadez
Hernandez has impressed whenever he played for United, yet he has been kept out of the team by Van Persie and Rooney. I watched this match to ascertain whether this was the correct choice by Sir Alex Ferguson. I will first like to point out the three type of typical goals that Hernadez tends to offer up.
1. Running between and behind defenders to beat offside traps combined with a well timed pass to put him clean through on goal
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In this game, he showed glimpses of each instance though the effectiveness differed in each case as we shall see below. I looked not just to focus on his shooting opportunities but also to investigate his other aspects of play, the lack of which has been the main criticism of his game. The minute by minute description of his main contributions might be a bit messy but I feel that is the most apt for this profiling of the player.
2nd min - Good hold up play and simple pass to set Nani running in space.
8th min - The midfield tussled for ball near him but doesn't look to run back towards goal to provide a passing option.
16th min - Ran into own half to receive a pass but failed to control properly. Even then, there were not many good options for him at that moment as that position was swamped by Chelsea defenders. He has not been getting into good positions and even when he has, has not received a good pass from his team-mates.
17th min - Tried to let the ball roll past slightly for him to get past his marker(didn't catch who it was) but failed as he was not playing off the last man, there was a covering defender.
35th min - Did not look a willing receiver of ball with back against goal and opted to let Nani take the ball away from under his feet.
38th min - Able to advance with ball towards goal as no defender closed down on him. provided a clever pass for Welbeck to the side, allowing himself to get into space in the middle.
43rd min - Embarked on another of his behind the defence runs and the pass was timed perfectly. Once he got to that position, there was no doubt as to the result and he executed a cool cool finish. Typical Hernandez option 1 goal.
51st min - Does a simple pass to the feet of the team-mate(again, not sure who it was so let's name him A) who receives the ball facing away from goal and cannot do much with it. A is then wrongly flagged offside. An interesting aspect of Hernandez's game which I will talk more about below.
His passing ability is where he pales in comparison to the other strikers United has at their disposal, namely Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney.
As A recieves the ball, he will need one touch to control it, a second to turn and a third to shoot. By the time he gets to the second touch, he would already have been closed down by the opponents. This is where the brilliance of Van Persie and Rooney surpass that of Hernandez. Both the other two strikers have the vision and ability to execute a chip pass or showcase quick feet to find space to slide in a better pass that will allow A more space and a simple one touch shot into goal.
58th min - Receives the ball to the left of the box and dribbles along the edge of the penalty area before passing the ball out. Eventually, Nani dribbles the ball into the box and scores with a delicate chip.
60th min - A good chance for him spurned as he tried to curl into the top corner with Cech flinging himself but would have been unlikely to get the ball. Unexpected miss by Hernandez really. It can be blamed on his poor first touch(not poor per say, but poor for his high standards as he usually gets the shot in before anyone reacts) which required him to curl the ball past Chelsea. A first time shot would have served him better with the goal at his mercy.
69th min - His passing causes the team problems again as his failed pass to Nick Powell stops a flowing move by United.
78th min - Very unlike Hernandez, as he was very slow in getting back to an onside position after Chelsea pushed up and looked lazy in the penalty box. Perhaps a tinge of frustration that his runs behind the defence have not always received the through passes they deserved?
79th min - Looked full of running again, perhaps the laziness might have been a deliberate ploy by the hitman to stay in an advanced position and wait for United to advance the ball, giving him a headstart over the Chelsea defence.
91st min - Falls over easily from a challenge by Luiz. Hernandez has done his part now and for the last 10 minutes, has not had much of an impression of the game as Chelsea continued attacking.
ET 1st min - A long ball comes over the top, which Hernandez elects to leave and let it bounce over him and David Luiz before turning to run into space. Once again, his plan was foiled as Chelsea did not allow him to play off the last man and Gary Cahill was behind covering.
ET 6th minute - Good twisting and turning in the box to allow himself space for a shot but not smart enough to maneuver past all the defenders, resulting in the shot getting blocked.
ET 13th min - Good slid in through pass for Nani down the left flank.
ET 29th min - Earned a penalty here, but not say of his own brilliance. He just happened to be at the right place and was bundled over. Kudos to him though, for not acting excessively.
Verdict: Hernandez played a good game and showed that he can finish off the chances given to him clinically. Other than his miss in the 60th minute, his performance was adequate. This is where the problem comes in, United needs spectacular stars and Hernandez does not as yet have that magical ability. However, his consistency(which I really rate) and knack of scoring important goals should place him in Fergie's thinking. This analysis has certainly given me food for thought and do look out for a possible upcoming article on who I feel will be United's best possible strike force.
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