In the closing stages of the Premier League, Manchester United welcomed Chelsea in a direct battle for the Champions League spots. Solskjærs team tried to get out of their negative form and return the good atmosphere by winning against their biggest competitors in the race for a place in Europes best club competition next season.
The Blues wanted to keep going down the Sarriball route and to continue with their progress under the Italian manager, but Uniteds approach kept them from three points in this game. In this tactical analysis, you will see how both teams failed to perform under pressure and how every single one of their pre-game plans fell apart due to bad on-field implementation.
Line-ups
The home team started the game with their strongest squad using the 4-1-2-1-2 formation with Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford at the top of it. They tried to override Chelseas midfield numerically with four players in that line of the team and Juan Mata as a main creative force. Herrera and Pogba provided width and support.
The team from London went into the game in their usual 4-3-3 formation with no big surprises. Their attacks once again depended mostly on Eden Hazards creativity, and fluidity of the ball organised by Jorginho. Mateo Kovačić started the game instead of Ruben Loftus-Cheek in order to bring more discipline to the team when in defence.
![Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace [1–1] (8 vs 7 P) – EFL Cup 2025/2026: Failure Of Attacking Transitions – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Arsenal-Vs-Crystal-Palace-tactical-analysis--350x250.png "Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace [1–1 (8-7)] – EFL Cup Quarter-Final 2025/2026 – Tactical Analysis 8")
