Manchester United eased pressure on manager Ruben Amorim with a hard-earned 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. In a very feisty encounter, both teams had a player sent off in the first half and Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro scored for the host while Trevoh Chalobah pulled one back for the visitors.
First Half
Man United started the match brightly and only good goalkeeping by Robert Sanchez prevented them from taking the lead in the early stages. Sanchez was then given his marching orders in the 5th minute after fouling Bryan Mbeumo outside the area. The Red Devils made their man advantage count in the 14th minute, taking the lead through captain Bruno Fernandes. Casemiro doubled their lead in the 37th minute, before he was soon sent off for a second bookable offense in first half stoppage time.
Second half
There was little action in the second half with Man United content on keeping their two-goal advantage. However, Chelsea stepped up pressure and put one back in the 80th minute when Trevoh Chalobah got on the end of a cross from Reece James. The home side defended well and held on for maximum points.
Players Ratings
Manchester United Players Rating
- Bayindir (GK) – 6: Pretty decent and could do little about Chalobah’s goal.
- Maguire – 7: Was Solid and held the defense line well.
- De Ligt – 7: Was solid at the back and controlled the defense well.
- Shaw – 7: Put in a decent shift.
- Dorgu – 6: Got in some decent areas but his final balls were lacking.
- Mazraoui – 6: Played better than in the Manchester derby and was solid.
- Casemiro – 6: Scored his side’s second but was sent off for a needless challenge in the first half.
- Amad – 6: Not his best performance but he offered a threat going forward
- Bruno – 8: Opened the scoring and was superb all through the match.
- Mbeumo – 7: Caused problems on his flank and could have gotten a couple of goals.
- Sesko – 6: Failed to score when he had the chance, before he was taken off at the interval.
Chelsea Player Ratings
- Sanchez (GK) – 3: Was sent off only few minutes into the game for a poor challenge.
- James – 7: Provided the assist for Chelsea’s only goal.
- Cucurella –6: Was pretty decent until he was substituted.
- Chalobah – 7: Scored a deserved goal in the second half.
- Fofana – 6: Was good on the ball, but could have done more to prevent United from scoring.
- Caicedo – 7: Controlled the tempo of the game in the second half.
- Enzo – 5: Not a great performance from the vice-captain.
- Estevao – 4: Hooked up before he could make any impact after Sanchez red card.
- Neto – 4: Did little before he was substituted early in the game.
- Palmer – 5: Had to come off in the first half with an apparent groin injury.
- Joao Pedro – 5: Isolated up front and had little to do
Man of the Match
Bruno Fernandes (8/10) – Fernandes opened the scoring for his side and put in a brilliant shift in midfield to earn his side the victory.
Key Stats
- Possession: Man United41% – 59% Chelsea
- Shots:Man United11 – 5 Chelsea
- Shots on Target: Man United4 – 1 Chelsea
- xG: Man United 1.74 – 0.39 Chelsea
Records
Bruno Fernandes scored his 100th goal for Manchester United in what was his 200th league appearance for the club.
What Next?
Manchester United travel to the Gtech Stadium to face Brentford in next Saturday’s early kickoff match. Chelsea, on the other hand, face lower league side Lincoln City on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup third round.
