Manchester United came out on top in a chaotic Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday evening at Old Trafford.
Heading into the game, Ruben Amorim needed a win to ease pressure and offer something for fans to get behind, and Manchester United’s performance did just that.
United beat Chelsea 2-1, with a performance that left no doubts that the players are well and truly still on board with the head coach.
It was a performance that will have people talking for days, with controversy in the form of two red cards, but most importantly, two goals for United.
While it ended up being a close game as United faded, the scoreline could easily have been a thrashing in the first half.
United had some impressive performers, with Bruno Fernandes surely taking the man of the match prize. However, another player was something of an unsung hero.
Noussair Mazraoui shines for Manchester United vs Chelsea
Fernandes will be taking the headlines from the 2-1 win as his goal marked a century of strikes in a United shirt, but elsewhere on the pitch, Noussair Mazraoui was quietly having a brilliant outing.
Mazraoui got forward well and caused Chelsea some issues with 12 passes into the final third, but ultimately, it was his off-the-ball quality that impressed in the win.
The Moroccan played 65 minutes, and in this time he contested seven duels against Chelsea players, going unbeaten.
Mazraoui won all six ground duels and his one aerial duel in the game, achieving a 100% record, which showcases how dominant he was on the right.
Estevao wasn’t on the pitch long enough to cause issues, but Marc Cucurella was well and truly pocketed by Mazraoui, with the Spaniard usually a dangerman for the Blues.
Noussair Mazraoui continues to look like bargain of the decade for Manchester United
In the summer of 2024, United paid just £12.6m to sign Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, reuniting him with Erik ten Hag at the time.
It spoke volumes that the German press felt Bayern were ripped off, as United got a player who is multi-talented and excellent across several positions, for peanuts in today’s game.
Amorim is a huge fan of Mazraoui, labelling him as the future of United just two games into his reign at the club.
Looking back now, Mazraoui looks even more like the bargain of the decade, being worth multiples of his fee and proving invaluable to United.
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