Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Premier League, with Morgan Rogers scoring in the 50th minute and Cole Palmer converting a penalty in the 64th. Lisandro Martínez was sent off in the 63rd minute, and the defeat leaves United head coach Michael Carrick in a precarious position.
The result extends United’s winless run to nine games in all competitions, their longest since 1984, and puts them at risk of falling into the relegation zone this weekend.
Martínez, making only his second start since criticising the club’s hierarchy, was shown a second yellow card for raising an arm to the face of Wesley Fofana inside the United box after a VAR check. It came only three minutes after he had been booked for fouling Rogers. Palmer dispatched the resulting penalty, doubling Chelsea’s lead. Rogers had earlier charged through United’s static defence and lifted a delicate finish over Senne Lammens to open the scoring at the start of the second half.
United’s second-half collapse adds to the pressure on Carrick, who had reinstated Bruno Fernandes after dropping the captain for criticising his tactics following the defeat to Como. Fernandes had been an unused substitute in the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, and his return appeared to help United in the first half. They failed to convert a series of chances, however. Fernandes missed the best of them, firing over when unmarked from a cross by Bryan Mbeumo. Amad Diallo was also denied twice by Mike Penders as Chelsea struggled to contain United’s counter-attacks.
The visitors were made to pay for their wastefulness just five minutes after the interval. Rogers accelerated into the box unchallenged to strike the first blow, leaving United one point above the relegation zone.
The scoreline could have been worse for United. Estevao had a third goal ruled out by VAR for offside and later drew a full-stretch save from Lammens. The two goals were nonetheless sufficient for Chelsea to move above Liverpool into fourth.
Martínez’s moment of madness
Martínez had criticised technical director Jason Wilcox and the club’s decision-makers in an outspoken interview after the Atlético Madrid game. However, he bore responsibility for the events that led to his dismissal and Chelsea’s penalty. Referee Peter Bankes showed him a second yellow card barely three minutes after his foul on Rogers.
The defender, starting for the first time since the 1-1 draw with Leeds, was also among the players at fault for Chelsea’s opener, when Rogers glided through United’s defence with ease.
Carrick did not acknowledge Martínez as he trudged down the tunnel. After the game, though, the United head coach did not criticise him, while acknowledging that the double blow of his dismissal and the conceded penalty was a “big moment” in the match.
Carrick: We let the game unravel
Carrick said: “We didn’t get going second half. We should’ve been up in the first half. Everything was as positive as we could’ve hoped for. We looked really dangerous.
“We found a way of unravelling in the second half. Bad goal to concede and then the penalty, we’re right up against it. The game turned on its head.
“I don’t think our heads dropped. The boys were in a good place first half. You could see that with the performance in the first half. It just gave them a lift. We didn’t start the second half great. They struck the first blow and that made the difference.”
Man Utd’s horror run
- Manchester United are winless in their last nine games in all competitions (D3 L6). They last had a longer run in September 1984 (10 games).
- United have failed to win any of their first seven away games in all competitions in a season for the first time since 1973/74, when they were last relegated.
- United haven’t kept a single clean sheet in their first nine Premier League games of the season.
Alonso: We took a step forward
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said: “We are happy. The game had different moments. The first half was close; few chances for both teams.
“At half-time we spoke about keeping control and said we will win the game if we keep the ball. It was a mature performance.
“I am very demanding. We can do better. We are taking a step forward but I don’t know how far we are. My expectations are really high. I am sure for the last three months of the season we will be much better.”
On Estevao, Alonso added: “Estevao did really well. I am happy for him. He deserved this chance and the opportunity to give back. Absolutely, [his performance] has given him more reasons to say, ‘Coach I want to play more minutes’.”
Chelsea’s improving defence
- Chelsea won a Premier League home game without conceding for the first time in 13 matches, since a 2-0 victory against Brentford in January.
- Chelsea have kept two clean sheets in their last three Premier League games, one more than in their previous 28 matches in the competition.
- Morgan Rogers became just the second Premier League player to reach 10 goal involvements in all competitions this season (6 goals, 4 assists), after Erling Haaland (13).
- With an average age of 23 years and 89 days, Chelsea named their joint-second youngest starting line-up in a Premier League match (also 23y 89d against Newcastle in October 2024). Only against Crystal Palace in December 2023 have they had a younger one (23y 21d).
- Cole Palmer scored his 50th Premier League goal for Chelsea in his 105th appearance. He is the third-fastest to reach the milestone for the Blues, after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (84) and Diego Costa (85).