Five things we learned from Manchester United’s loss at Stamford Bridge

Manchester United’s title hopes hang in the balance after an abysmal performance in which they lost 1-0 to a very well-drilled Chelsea side.

José Mourinho’s team now find themselves eight points behind Manchester City – a very worrying margin given how well Pep Guardiola’s men are playing. There does not appear any team in the league with the ability to stop them in their tracks.

Here are five things that stood out for Manchester United in their disappointing loss to Chelsea:

Defensive disorganisation

Surprisingly, Mourinho decided to take a more attacking approach to this game at Stamford Bridge. It seemed rather counter-intuitive and, in the end, left Manchester United going home without any points. Completely against what the United boss normally goes for when setting up his team.

A three-back formation, as Mourinho opted for, should shore up the defence and make them a more diligent unit. However, that could not be further from the truth as Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling were frenetic in their approach and lacked any sort of stability when defending Chelsea’s onslaught.

Time after time, United’s defence struggled to keep a foothold on Chelsea’s attackers’ runs, and the goal itself was incredibly poor defending.

As Cesar Azpilicueta picked up the ball in United’s half, unmarked and with a wealth of space in front of him to drive into, Álvaro Morata made a clever run straight into the middle of the box and must have been surprised to find himself unmarked with a free header. The Spaniard powered the header past David de Gea expertly to give Chelsea a deserved lead and eventual win.

It was a poor showing from United’s defence in which Mourinho will be furious with. It has not done them any favours.

David de Gea’s reputation continues to rise

There was a clear reason why Real Madrid, the Kings of Europe, wanted De Gea at all costs. It is because he is one of, if not the best, goalkeeper in the world right now.

De Gea, once again, showed why he is so heavily lauded and highly thought upon with some superb saves against Morata, Eden Hazard and Timeoue Bakayoko. Like in most games, if it was not for De Gea’s expertise, Manchester United would drop an awful amount of points. They might over-rely on the Spaniard, but he is so consistent that he will never let you down.

Man United’s defence might have had their reputations damaged after a very lackadaisical approach to the game, but De Gea’s must only be enhanced after a string of fine saves. The former Atlético Madrid goalkeeper is comfortably the best in the Premier League, but he should now be talked about as being one of the best in the world.

Manchester United struggle with a three-back formation

From start to finish, Chelsea dominated Manchester United’s midfield with always having an extra man to join the passage of the play. Mourinho’s men failed to sustain any kind of possession, as Conte’s men would hound them out quickly and effectively.

Nemanja Matić and Ander Herrera are not the most dynamic duo to have in midfield, especially when there are only two players in the centre of the park. They desperately lack Paul Pogba’s influence over a game and his ability to dictate play.

Even with a three-back formation, United’s defence lacked any type of organisation and strategy. They willingly let Hazard and Morata roam around in-between the lines, free of any type of pressure.

Up front, Romelu Lukaku remains isolated – as he has done for the last month. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not offering support, while Marcus Rashford has not found his partnership with the Belgian international to click straightaway. This system limits Romelu Lukaku and does not play to his strengths – it inhibits him and fails to get him involved, no matter how hard he tries.

Lack of a consistent playmaker costs United

Mkhitaryan has been totally anonymous for Manchester United for a month, yet Mourinho seems to keep opting for the Armenian every week.

The former Borussia Dortmund star fails to assert his presence in games and looks more of a passenger than a partaker in the games he has featured in since October. Given he started the season so brightly, it has been a dramatic fall from grace to get to where we are now with Mkhitaryan.

Nothing is going well for him and he has no creative influence over the game. Against Chelsea, he barely got a touch in the opposition’s half, nor did he create any clear-cut chances for Lukaku. It was a mightily disappointing showing from Mkhitaryan, to which Mourinho agreed by taking him off after 60 minutes.

Juan Mata was left off of the match day squad by the Portuguese boss which is a damning indictment of what he thought the Spaniard could offer in this important fixture. However, it is not just Mata who cannot offer anything for United, it appears to be a current theme for all of their playmakers.

Results v performances

Mourinho has been under scrutiny this season for picking his battles and delivering results when the performances have not been so eye-watering.

It has been a struggle without Pogba, but fans demand swashbuckling football week in, week out. There is no denying that the Portuguese boss has not delivered that in the last month, but he has also been without his key players in Marouane Fellaini, Bailly and Pogba.

And so Mourinho opted to get results. While they could have won at Anfield, they drew, and took home a valid point that kept them on Manchester City’s tails. They also beat the high-and-flying Tottenham at Old Trafford, even though that performance was still not to what United fans ‘expect’.

Man United were far more positive and attacking against Chelsea, but it cost them. They could barely get men on the ball and create anything of note. The Red Devils struggled magnificently and were totally outplayed by Antonio Conte’s men.

When United were more organised and diligent in their defending, it gave the impression that they were in control and it was only a matter of time before they got the breakthrough. Against Chelsea, they failed to get control of the game and were always on the back foot. Mourinho should stick to his instinct and opt for the more tentative approach until Pogba returns.