What Enzo Maresca did at half-time and how Chelsea's plan will evolve with Reece James fitness

Scrolling down the X timeline at half-time, there was a fairly unanimous call from the majority of Chelsea supporters. Malo Gusto to be hooked.

Goalless at the break, the Blues had rarely threatened the Manchester United goal despite the hosts being very sloppy in possession at Old Trafford. It felt as if the Red Devils were there for the taking but Chelsea themselves needed to drastically improve.

There were a number of instances in the first 45 minutes where the visitors found themselves in a dangerous attacking position but the final ball was not on point. Gusto, tucking into the attacking midfield role on the right-hand side of the pitch as he has been doing in recent matches, was particularly wasteful in possession.

The Frenchman, who overall has been brilliant since moving to Chelsea in the summer of 2023, could not complete the 'killer' pass, the one that would set Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke or Pedro Neto up. It was not working for Gusto and Enzo Maresca answered the fans' calls at the break, taking the 21-year-old off with Marc Cucurella replacing him.

Frank Lampard, the former Chelsea head coach, was in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday and said this on Gusto's performance: "It's a big part of the game, moving the full-backs particularly higher up the pitch. Gusto has been doing it very well.

"He got into some good positions in the first-half without being effective in the final bit."

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Chelsea then changed their shape. It allowed Cucurella to play in a similar role to what Gusto was doing and it felt as if Chelsea had more control in the game during the second period. Cucurella is one of the Blues' strongest players on the ball and he is very effective at keeping the game ticking over - something Maresca wants from those in midfield.

It also saw Reece James, who started the match at left-back again, move over to the right-hand side of the pitch. Some supporters believe James' skillset would be an ideal fit for the attacking midfield role that Cucurella and Gusto have found themselves in, but it is important to remember that Maresca is easing the captain back into action.

A real positive from Sunday's match was seeing James complete back-to-back Premier League games from the start to the very end. The last time the 24-year-old did that in the top-flight was back in April 2023. Asking James to play in a more demanding role within the team is something Maresca will undoubtedly look at once the club believe the skipper is in peak physical condition, with James still limited to one game per week currently.