Opening shock of the 9th day of the Premier League, Chelsea and Manchester United met this Saturday in a delicate context. The Red Devils, in the midst of a crisis, were in 16th place in the standings, while the Blues, fifth, suffered a heavy home defeat against Tottenham. For this poster, Xabi Alonso had to deal with numerous absences: Maxence Lacroix, injured in the muscle in the middle of the week, João Pedro forfeited and Jordan Henderson, ill, were absent. The technician also left Malo Gusto on the bench, preferring Palestra, and aligned an attacking trio made up of Pedro Neto, Estêvão and Morgan Rogers, with Cole Palmer in support. For its part, Manchester United found its captain Bruno Fernandes, starter after the controversy with Michael Carrick. The Portuguese had openly criticized his coach’s game plan after the defeat against Como (4-1) in the Champions League. In difficulty in recent weeks, Frenchman Leny Yoro occupied the right flank of the Mancunian defense.
And the first period was particularly lively. Amad Diallo was very active and put Wesley Fofana in great difficulty lacking confidence after his missed penalty in the League Cup against Liverpool. For the visitors, Bruno Fernandes missed his face-to-face with Penders at the start of the match, before Matheus Cunha thought he could open the scoring from a corner in the 36th minute. But his goal was disallowed for offside. Chelsea also thought they could take the lead through Estêvão, whose goal was canceled for the same reason. Overall dominant, the Mancuniens imposed their rhythm, but the two teams returned to the locker room with a goalless draw.
Morgan Rogers delivers the Blues, Lisandro Martínez abandons his team
But Morgan Rogers punished United as soon as they returned from the locker room. On a high recovery, the English striker immediately went deep and rushed into the Mancunian area. Between Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire, the hole left in the center was gaping: Rogers only had to slip into this space to present himself against Senne Lammens and steal his ball perfectly (1-0, 49th). An action which highlighted the enormous defensive shortcomings of the Red Devils, far too passive and disorganized. Lisandro Martínez perfectly symbolized the defensive wreck of Manchester United. The Argentine defender first received a yellow card in the 59th minute after a foul on Morgan Rogers, who was heading towards the goal. But the nightmare was only just beginning.
A few moments later, on a corner, he delivered a violent elbow to Wesley Fofana. After intervention by the VAR, the referee gave him a second warning, synonymous with expulsion, and designated the penalty spot. Fully responsible for this situation, Martínez left the pitch head down, with a black look. Cole Palmer was quick to convert the penalty in the 63rd minute and make the score 2-0. Manchester United, however, avoided sinking further thanks to Harry Maguire. In the 67th minute, the English defender saved his team from 3-0 by beating Cole Palmer, who was alone in front of the goal, on a perfect serve from Estêvão. A slight burst of pride. In the 72nd minute, Chelsea thought they scored a third goal thanks to a superb right-footed shot from their Brazilian winger. But, as in his first attempt, the goal was ultimately disallowed for an offside position. Manchester United once again did very well and avoided seeing the gap widen further.
One humiliation too much for Michael Carrick?
However, a final thrill ran through Stamford Bridge in the 93rd minute, when Mbeumo saw his powerful volley crash into the bar, a symbol of Mancunian’s lack of success. Chelsea then managed their advantage perfectly and this defeat could cost Manchester United dearly. After the humiliation suffered against Bournemouth (3-0), this new setback could well be one too many for the Mancunian leaders. Michael Carrick’s future now appears more uncertain than ever. The Red Devils have not won a single match since their success against Sabah on September 10 in the Champions League. In the rankings, Chelsea have performed well and climbed to fourth place, while Manchester United remain stuck in 16th place. Worse still, depending on the other results of this day, Carrick’s men could find themselves last in the championship. The crisis is total at Old Trafford.
