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HomeNewsChelsea 1 Man Utd 0 – Five Things We Learnt: Kante Dominates...

Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0 – Five Things We Learnt: Kante Dominates £89m Flop Pogba, De Gea Simply The Best…

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Former Leicester City man N’Golo Kante scored the winner as Chelsea advanced into the semi-finals of the FA Cup after they clinched a 1-0 win over ten-man Manchester United.

Man Utd were without their superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic but they fought hard and deployed everything in their arsenal.

However, the Red Devils failed to find an equaliser against a rock-solid Chelsea defence.

And here are five things that we learnt from the high-octane FA Cup Clash.

 Kante vs Pogba: Kante The Real Hero, Pogba Still A Flop

There is exactly a difference of £59million in their transfer fees, but in a duel between Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, the former Leicester City midfielder is the undisputed king in the midfield.

Pogba returned to his former club Manchester United in the summer for a transfer fee of £89million, but he is yet to justify his hefty price tag and has already drawn huge criticism for his lack-lustre performances.

And during Monday’s high-octane FA Cup clash between Man Utd and Chelsea, Pogba was clearly an anonymous figure as he looked completely clueless out on the pitch.

On the contrary, Kante has earned the status of the Premier League’s most complete player after guiding Leicester City to their first ever Premier League tiumph last season and now anchoring the midfield for the current league leaders Chelsea.

He is unbeatable in the middle of the park – he dominates the play, wins most of his tackles, runs up and down all over the pitch and even gets ahead of the front-line when needed.

Two French teammates, but one has found the perfect balance in the Premier League but the other still miles apart from finding his best form.

No Love Left Between Mourinho And Chelsea

None of the Blues fans were happy when Mourinho left Chelsea for the first time back in 2007.

The Portuguese had guided them to Premier League triumph in his first two seasons after having made a switch to the Stamford Bridge from Porto in 2004.

Mourinho made a sensational return to his former club Chelsea after a three-year stint at Real Madrid. He made an incredible start to his second spell at Chelsea by clinching the league title in the 2014-15 season but his downhill ride at Stamford Bridge began in next term.

At a certain point of time it appeared that the Blues would have to fight the relegation battle. The panic button was triggered and the Chelsea hierarchy dropped the axe on the Special One.

But even when he parted ways with the London club for the second time in 2015 – the Blues fans were heartbroken and the majority of them believed that Mouriinho was not at fault for the dreadful start to the season.

But now a switch to league rivals Manchester United have not gone down well with the Blues fans.

And on Monday the world saw the real picture as it was clearly evident that the love affair was definitely over.

Sections of Chelsea fans at the Stamford Bridge chanted “f**k off Mourinho” as he walked up and down the touchline.

And the ‘Master Of Mind Games’, Mourinho lifted up three fingers to remind them that he had won them three Premier League titles.

David De Gea Undoubtedly The Best Goalkeeper In The World

The Spanish goalkeeper had arrived at Old Trafford in June 2011 for a transfer fee of £18.9million but he was not an instant hit. He took time to settle at the club and worked tirelessly on his weaknesses to reach the level where he is now.

De GeaMany had doubted his potential initially but now he has answered all his critics after holding on to his spectacular form for the last few seasons.

And now it is widely believed that he is the best goalkeeper in the world.

And on Monday in the FA Cup clash, the Spaniard made two incredible saves – the first one from Hazard when managed to get the slightest of a touch to guide the ball for a corner.

But the second save was even better. The ball picked Gary Cahill in the box. He launched a venomous effort that could have found the net, but all thanks to De Gea.

Known for having the strongest hands in the game, the Spaniard diverted the ball from its natural path.

And many now believed that De Gea has stolen the crown from Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer over the last few seasons.

Ander Herrera Needs To Stay Cool

Only Mario Balotelli might be an exception but it is a gospel rule for any player that he has to keep his calm after already seeing the first yellow – to prevent a red card coming his way.

Despite protests from the Spaniard and his manager Mourinho, Hererra was shown the first yellow in the 20th minute for a foul on Chelsea’s Hazard.

Just fast-forward 16 minutes and the Spanish midfielder was given the marching orders as he headed down the tunnel after receiving a red for another foul on Hazard.

And pundits now believed that he was foolish to receive both his bookings for fouls on the same player.

N’Golo Kante saves his Best For Manchester United

Since his move to Chelsea in the summer for a transfer fee of £30million, Kante has scored only two goals and both of them came against Manchester United.

In their first meeting with Man Utd at Stamford Bridge back in October this season, Kante scored his first goal for the Blues and added more spice by making it a 4-0 humiliating defeat for the Red Devils.

And on Monday he again proved a point against Mourinho’s side as he launched a brilliant effort to beat even the world class stopper De Gea.

It is now believed that he likes to play more upfront against Man Utd than any other club.

Anirban Das
Anirban Das's journey to Delhi via Kolkata involves football, music, curiosity (which one day can kill the cat) and food. Following global football opens up an infinite space within him in both the conscious and subconscious self, away from the din and bustle of the madding crowd. Supports Manchester United & Barcelona

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