Ruud van Nistelrooy He headed down the touchline to celebrate, jumping while punching the air. But what still threatened to be an opportunity for glory for a great striker was replaced by an occasional occurrence. Chelsea Pledged £115 million Moises Caicedo partly due to their tendency to overpay many players. However, this was definitely not in line with his ability to find the network.

But fees of this magnitude Demanding that a player have a transformative impact and unexpectedly the biggest signature Premier League history has done this. A beautiful volley was fired and settled in the corner of the goal. Manchester United open. Van Nistelrooy had just four minutes to enjoy a lead which he countered in dramatic fashion. Chelsea had a point at Old Trafford and given their last league win while Sir Alex Ferguson was still manager, that might have been the best they could achieve.

Their superiority in the first half showed otherwise. Welcome to Caicedo’s equalizer Enzo MarescaThere was one aspect of this game that was a missed opportunity: for all the progress they had made under Italian management, they were unable to achieve a definitive result during his tenure. This could do that. Still, Caicedo’s goal meant they moved into the top four, picking up points against Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa at the weekend. However it could have been better.

Same goes for the audience Sir Jim Ratcliffe and those waiting Reuben Amorim Alejandro Garnacho came agonizingly close to victory with a half volley just over the bar in the 89th minute. “We had a better chance,” Van Nistelrooy said. But it may be a relief that they have avoided a hat-trick of embarrassing setbacks after United’s previous two flagship home games this season ended in 3-0 wins at Liverpool and Tottenham. This was partly a result of the feel-good factor created by Van Nistelrooy’s interim appointment. United were not lacking in spirit Amorim can detect tactical failuresProblems in midfield and left-back, with Noussair Mazraoui struggling against the electric Noni Madueke before half-time.

There was a story of four extremely expensive transfers in the middle of the field. United had further evidence of the enduring appeal of Casemiro, who had a part in both goals. His clever diagonal ball led to United’s penalty. His poor header equalized for Chelsea. Maybe Casemiro is now better offensively than defensively.

Meanwhile, the fortunes of the £100m men for Chelsea have diverged sharply. Enzo Fernandez was taken off the bench againhe shows up only to deny himself the chance to decide the game by going over the bar. Caicedo was arguably the best player on the field. “Moi is doing great,” Maresca said. “The problem with Moi and Enzo is that the club pays big money, people expect them to be the best all the time, but they are people too.” At least Caicedo benefits from patience and understanding with a new assistant. Chelsea had a more interesting, more convincing midfield in Romeo Lavia and the Ecuadorian player. Alongside Casemiro, United also had Manuel Ugarte: always in the wrong place, often doing the wrong thing, sometimes at the wrong time. Amorim, who coached him at Sporting, will be tasked with solving United’s latest problem.

Van Nistelrooy resisted the temptation to try Portuguese’s 3-4-3 formation and the first half was an Erik ten Hag style basketball game full of transitions. Why he produced so few clear chances was a mystery. Chelsea in particular should have had more. Both sides hit the goal post, Madueke Cole heading Palmer’s corner towards the post, Marcus Rashford volleying Bruno Fernandes’ deep cross towards the post. United were tempted to release Palmer due to a gap in midfield need, which meant a risky policy. Its ability to glide past players was clearly visible once they got close enough. Although unconvincing at times, Matthijs de Ligt made two good blocks of the Mancunian’s shots. In the final stop, Lisandro Martinez had the chance to escape with a yellow card when he caught Palmer with his stabs. “It’s pretty obvious it’s red,” Maresca said.

It was a bad ending, but the second half was substantially less chaotic despite more goal and goalmouth action. The deadlock was broken when Rasmus Hojlund cleared Casemiro’s pass. His touch took him away from goal but Robert Sanchez brought him down. Fernandes converted the penalty into a goal. The interim manager appeared to have kept his pace from his playing days as he celebrated. He could not score a goal in the last 17 matches he played for Ten Hag. The striker has three of two for Van Nistelrooy. Still, the captain was quick to apologize. “I spoke to the manager (Ten Hag) and apologized to him,” Fernandes said. “I was disappointed he left and tried to help him. I couldn’t score.”

United, the league’s third lowest scorer, are also not scoring enough goals and Chelsea soon draw level, with Caicedo firing in a perfect shot. There was some justice in the scoreline. It probably didn’t do United much good, given they need to recover if they want to get close to the top four. Whether this will help or hinder Chelsea’s Champions League campaign remains to be seen. But in Caicedo there was someone who was clearly taking a big step forward.