Manchester United conceded two late stoppage time goals as they lost 4-3 to Chelsea in a captivating Premier League clash on Thursday night.
Erik ten Hag made three changes from the side that drew with Brentford at the weekend as Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Antony came in for Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford.
It was all undone early on though, when Conor Gallagher fired the home side into a lead after he was left unmarked in the middle of the box from a deflected cross. United responded with some decent build-up play of their own but they were emphatically punished fifteen minutes later when Cole Palmer converted a penalty after Antony had fouled Marc Cucurella in the box.
It looked like Ten Hag’s side would be in for a long night but they were gifted a lifeline before half-time when a Moises Caicedo mistake gifted the ball to Alejandro Garnacho, who finished coolly beyond Đorđe Petrović. Things got even better though and they soon found themselves level when Bruno Fernandes headed in at the back-post after fast flowing counter-attack that was started by Andre Onana.
There were more injury scares as Raphael Varane was forced off with an injury at half-time and the man who replaced him Jonny Evans was also taken off after his own knock after twenty minutes into the second-half.
It didn’t stop United’s momentum though and they completed the comeback when the exceptional Antony raced down the right wing and set-up Garnacho to put his side ahead for the first time in the match.
United were just minutes away from an important win in their quest for Champions League qualification before a dramatic double from Palmer turned the game on its head. First he netted from the spot after a careless foul from Diogo Dalot and added another moments later when a low effort was deflected into the back of the net.
Here is how we rated the players in the match...
1. Andre Onana - 6
Should have done much better with Gallagher's goal. Deserves huge credit for his role in setting up the equaliser. Photo: Getty Images
2. Diogo Dalot - 4
His poor positioning was exploited early on and he had a tough night against Cole Palmer. Redeemed himself with a brilliant assist for Fernandes before conceding a ridiculous penalty. Photo: Manchester United via Getty Images
3. Raphael Varane - 6
Was exposed by the system with very little protection from his teammates. Another worrying injury blow. Photo: Manchester United via Getty Images
4. Harry Maguire - 6
Some decent recovery work but little he could do about the two first-half goals. He grew into the game and was resilient throughout. Photo: Getty Images