Manchester United vs Chelsea Review
In a fiery match where both Chelsea and Manchester United finished the first half with ten players each, the Red Devils secured a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, extending their unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive home Premier League head-to-heads against the Blues. Chelsea’s chances were severely impacted just five minutes into the game when Robert Sánchez rushed out of his goal and fouled Bryan Mbeumo after being beaten to Benjamin Šeško’s flick-on.
Enzo Maresca made two substitutions in response Robert Sánchez’s to sending off, but Manchester United’s relentless pressure continued, and the unsettled Blues fell behind after 14 minutes, with Fernandes narrowly staying onside to convert Patrick Dorgu’s header past Filip Jörgensen, marking his 100th goal for United. Maresca continued to urgently search for solutions, substituting Cole Palmer with Andrey Santos in the 21st minute.
Just as it seemed these changes were helping Chelsea reduce the damage from a difficult first half, the visitors failed to clear a cross from a short corner routine. Luke Shaw kept the ball in play, allowing Casemiro to head it in, adding to their troubles. However, Casemiro received a second yellow card for fouling Santos in the fifth minute of added time, having already been booked earlier for a challenge on Enzo Fernández in the 17th minute.
Ruben Amorim responded by substituting Šeško for Manuel Ugarte ahead of a tough start to the second half, with wet conditions making play more challenging as water splashed up from the pitch. Chelsea continued to push forward and briefly believed they had a chance after the hour mark when Tosin Adarabioyo flicked Reece James’ corner towards Wesley Fofana, who was offside before heading the ball in. The visitors finally found renewed hope with 10 minutes remaining, as James delivered a cross that Trevoh Chalobah met unchallenged to head past Altay Bayındır.
Although that goal caused tension at Old Trafford, United held on through seven minutes of added time to claim their second victory in three games, providing some relief for Amorim. They also handed Chelsea their first Premier League loss of the season and extended the Blues’ winless streak to three matches across all competitions.
