Chelsea v Manchester United: Key stats and talking points

Decisions in defence for Carrick

While he's not struggling to the same extent as his opposite number, Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick suffered the biggest setback of his Old Trafford managerial career in Monday night's 2-1 defeat to Leeds United.

The first half performance, in particular, will be a major worry for Carrick as Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro – starting a league game together as a centre-back duo for the first time – struggled to cope with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's physicality and hold-up play.

Martinez was subsequently sent off for violent conduct after tugging Calvert-Lewin's hair, meaning he is likely to miss the next three games of the run-in.

Coupled with the absence of Harry Maguire, who has received an additional one-match ban for swearing at an official following his red card at Bournemouth last month, and the injured Matthijs de Ligt, Carrick finds himself with a defensive headache.

That could mean an untried pairing of Yoro, 20, and Ayden Heaven, 19, not ideal when you consider United have kept just one clean sheet in their last 21 league away matches.

[BBC]

The Red Devils have won just one of their last four matches but remain third in the table as the battle for the Champions League spots reaches its crescendo. Both teams had a different head coach when United took the spoils with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in September.

Only Bournemouth and Leeds United have drawn more league games than United's 10 this season and this is a fixture that often has little to separate the sides. Chelsea versus Manchester United has ended in a draw more often than any other match-up in Premier League history – some 27 times.