Manchester United are no closer to the elite than when Erik ten Hag took charge | manchester united

TOAt first there was no sign of panic on the part of manchester united. They played it well after this bafflingly one-sided game reached eight minutes into stoppage time. They seemed to be in control of the situation, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount calmly ran the clock defending possession on the left flank, Chelsea's frustration mounting as they approached a 3-2 defeat that would have been entirely their fault. .

Ultimately, however, Erik ten Hag's United are anything but certain. The initial composure faded, the form disappeared, Noni Madueke had one last chance to run at Diogo Dalot on the right. A slip, a fall, a blow of the referee's whistle and suddenly the mood changed. Cole Palmer, unmoved from the penalty spot, made it 3-3 with his second penalty of the night. United were going to have to settle for a point.

Only, on a night when chaos was the constant theme, there was still time for United to press, for Chelsea to fight back, and so that Mauricio Pochettino ends up walking around the field long after the end, hugging everything that moved, waving his arms in front of a public that cannot exactly be described as adoring, wallowing in madness after seeing the deflected shot of Palmer passing by André. Onana.

Of course, this could be the turning point in Chelsea's season. This 4-3 victory took them to the heady heights of tenth place, five points adrift of United with nine games remaining, although it is worth maintaining a sense of perspective. There is a reason why Pochettino seemed so tense and irritable before the dramatic change, even when his team was 2-0 up after 19 minutes. After all, how would you feel if you were in charge of the dumbest, most illogical team in the Premier League? Would you relax if you had to watch Axel Disasi's attempts to faint from behind? Would you be full of life's joys after watching Moisés Caicedo, your £115m midfielder, give United some wounded hope by passing straight to Alejandro Garnacho?

Chelsea, which has conceded at least two goals in each of its last six games, did everything it could to lose. The 2-0 became 2-2 before the break, Garnacho halved the deficit after an error by Caicedo and Bruno Fernandes equalized after a counterattack. Chelsea, so vulnerable defensively, were a disaster at times.

United's second goal was hilarious. Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella was on the right when Dalot crossed. Benoît Badiashile scored twice at the far post when Fernandes headed past Djordje Petrovic. Chelsea, so poor without the ball, were six behind when United broke. It still wasn't enough.

Pochettino still has problems to solve. At one point, Disasi lost possession to Rasmus Højlund, who almost scored. At times, as the game lurched from one end to the other, Chelsea seemed to be playing without a midfield. Then in the 67th minute they trailed 3-2 after a weak pass from Badiashile allowed Antony to send in a beautiful cross for Garnacho to head home.

But what would it have meant if United had held on to a victory that would have boosted their hopes of beating Tottenham and Aston Villa for a Champions League place? This was Antony's first assist in the league this season and he still had to use the outside of his left foot to achieve it. His right foot remains irrelevant and that makes him predictable. Not all teams will find it so daunting to mark the Brazilian winger.

At least Antony showed courage to recover from the penalty committed in Chelsea's second goal by tripping Cucurella. But United were terrible during those first moments. They were behind when Kobbie Mainoo lost possession, Enzo Fernandez released Malo Gusto and Conor Gallagher's shot beat Onana too easily.

Chelsea were good during those first 30 minutes, the intensity was high and Gallagher's pressure was crucial. United were at the other end of the spectrum. It is generally accepted that running is important at this level. The best teams have a strong backbone. United, who do not know how to press, play at a pace more typical of a Legends Game.

That's why their rivals have so many shots on goal (Chelsea had 18 here). Nobody protects the defense. Mainoo is 18 years old. At one point, Casemiro produced a moment of striking anti-athleticism, walking close to Nicolas Jackson and looking less like a Premier League footballer than a fan who had paid for a premium VIP ticket that gave him the right to watch from a safe distance as the Chelsea striker advanced through the middle.

In that context, the late collapse was not a surprise. Ten Hag has been at this job for almost two years. United are no closer to the elite than when they hired the Dutchman. Ten Hag cannot complain if the new owners decide to look for another coach this summer.