That is, at least, until Pogba went sleeping from Willian’s corner. The Frenchman was charged with marking Rudiger but the German got a run on Pogba and the defender used Victor Lindelof to buy himself an ocean of space so he could head past De Gea.
Arms flung up, eyes rolled to the back of his head, Paul Pogba was searching for someone – anyone – to blame but himself.
The margins are fine in any match but they’re especially tight in the ‘big’ matches. Mistakes are, more often that not, punished and a player of Antonio Rudiger’s aerial prowess barely needs half the space that Pogba afforded him midway through the first half to capitalise.
It was the fourth goal United had conceded from a corner this season and they’re fifth from a set-piece. The goal threatened to disintegrate United’s brittle confidence and Chelsea were ontop for the remainder of the opening 45 minutes but half-time came at a perfect moment for Mourinho’s side. The Red Devils emerged from the interval sniffing an opportunity but a combination of luck and determination gifted them an equaliser.
