Manchester United beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday as Ruben Amorim secured back-to-back home wins in the Premier League for the first time as United’s manager.
WATCH — Full replay Manchester United v Chelsea
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off early and Enzo Maresca was forced into plenty of early changes, as Bruno Fernandes gave United the lead amid all of that chaos.
United doubled their lead in the first half as Casemiro headed home, but the Brazilian veteran was sent off for a second yellow card before the break to make things extremely interesting.
Chelsea pulled one back to set up a wild finale as Trevoh Chalobah headed home, but United held on pretty comfortably for the huge win which ease the pressure on Rubem Amorim. For now.
With the win United move on to seven points from five games to start the season. Chelsea have lost for the first time this season and have eight points from their first five games.
United start well and hold on
This was all about setting the tone early and United put Chelsea on the back foot and the Blues didn’t recover. Sanchez was sent after United were direct and Fernandes and Casemiro gave them a deserved 2-0 lead. The way United started the game was magnificent and exactly what Amorim wants. United weren’t great in the second half, at all, but they dug in and held on and did what they had to do to grab a confidence boosting win. It will be intriguing to see how they build on this, and one of the major (only?) positives about them not being in Europe this season is the extra time they have each week to work in training, rest and be ready to face almost half the Premier League who are in Europe. You can talk about stars and individuals and all of that, but United won this game because they started with intensity, set out their stall and were able to keep the intensity high.
What’s next?
United head to Brentford on Saturday, September 27. Chelsea host Brighton on the same day.
Manchester United vs Chelsea score: 2-1
Fernandes 15′, Casemiro 36′; Chalobah 80′
Manchester United vs Chelsea live updates!
Jorgensen denies Fernandes!
James with an awful mistake and Bruno Fernandes does well to get the shot away and Jorgensen makes a superb save to deny United a third. Just a few minutes to go and Old Trafford is rocking!
Short corner finds Chalobah who heads home! 2-1! Game on!
Trevoh Chalobah makes it 2-1 with 10 minutes to go. A short corner is played to Reece James and his cross is perfect for Chalobah to power home a header. Chelsea score with their first attempt on target of the game.
Cunha is on, as Amad tries to bicycle kick home!
United are pushing for a third from the free kick and it is recycle. De Ligt whips it in and Amad Diallo tries the spectacular bicycle kick… but gets it all wrong. Oh, Matheus Cunha is also on. United fans will be delighted to see him back.
Fofana heads home but he’s offside
Chelsea think they have pulled one back from a corner as it’s flicked on, but Fofana was offside as he headed home. It’s clear.
Chelsea are in control, but United are holding their own
The team with all of the play is Chelsea and they fancy this. United are dropping deep but are holding their positions and working hard to see this out. 30 minutes to go.
Rain is hammering down!
My word. The rain is smashing down in Manchester and it is making it very difficult for the players to get on the ball.
Ugarte on for Sesko at half time
United are shoring things up and have brought Sesko off and Ugarte on at half time.
Cucurella smashes over!
Great chance for Chelsea right on half time as a free kick is worked short and Marc Cucurella is played in, but smashes his shot over the bar.
Casemiro is sent off!
Its 10 against 10 now. Casemiro catches Andrey Santos and picks up a second yellow card. United are down to 10 players.
Casemiro sent off for second yellow v. Chelsea
It’s 10 v. 10 following Casemiro’s second yellow card offense of the first half after dragging down Chelsea’s Andrey Santos.
It’s all kicking off!
After the second United goal went in, Luke Shaw had a little chat with Enzo Fernandez. Players pile in and Chelsea are not happy.
United are 2-0 up! Casemiro finishes
A poor clearance into the air from Reece James causes chaos the ball is knocked down by Shaw and Casemiro heads home at the back post. United 2-0 up and flying! Chelsea are all over the place.
Casemiro heads Man United 2-0 in front of Chelsea
It’s getting ugly for Chelsea at Old Trafford as chaos in the box opens the door for Casemiro to head in Manchester United’s second goal of the first half.
Stat!
The first time in Premier League history that a team has made three subs this early into a game. Chelsea have taken off Estevao, Neto and Palmer in the first 21 minutes. Wow.
Cole Palmer is off
It goes from bad to worse for Chelsea. Palmer is now off and it looks tactical rather than a knock. We will check on it.
Bruno Fernandes has United ahead!
United have the lead and Chelsea’s awful start to this game has got worse.
Fernandes nets Man United’s opener against Chelsea
Things go from bad to worse for Chelsea as Bruno Fernandes gives Manchester United a well-deserved 1-0 lead over the 10-man Blues at Old Trafford.
Sanchez sent off!
Sesko flicks it on and Mbeumo is away and Sanchez rushes out and takes him out. Red card for the Chelsea goalkeeper just a few minutes into the game! What was Sanchez doing? What a chance for United. Estevao is off to make way for back up goalkeeper Jorgensen.
Sanchez sent off for taking down Mbeumo
It’s a disastrous start for Chelsea as Robert Sanchez takes down Bryan Mbeumo outside the box and receives a straight red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Manchester United lineup
Bayindir; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire; Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Shaw; Mbeumo, Diallo; Sesko
Chelsea lineup
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro
Manchester United team news, focus
OUT: Lisandro Martinez (knee), Diogo Dalot (muscular)
Chelsea team news, focus
OUT: Liam Delap (thigh), Dario Essugo (thigh), Romeo Lavia (undisclosed), Levi Colwill (torn ACL – MORE), Benoit Badiashile (knock), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension) | QUESTIONABLE: Cole Palmer (groin)
Manchester United vs Chelsea preview
Struggling Manchester United will hope that Chelsea are tired from a midweek trip to Germany and a 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich, while the Blues are seeking a first win in three after a late draw with Brentford in their last Premier League match.
Amorim says that Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount are back in the team but the match comes too soon Diogo Dalot. Those are good updates as Benjamin Sesko still tries to find his way as a Premier League contributor (let alone star). The Red Devils could also make a change in goal after Senne Lammers was signed to compete with Altay Bayindir for the No. 1 job between the sticks.
Chelsea have slipped four points off Liverpool on the early season table, good for fifth place in the Premier League heading into Week 5. Joao Pedro leads the Blues’ top-ranked xG attack, while the team have held opponents to the fourth-fewest xGA in the Premier League.
That said, this might be the best test for Chelsea this early season after playing four London opponents, Palace and Fulham at home with away days at West Ham and Brentford.
Manchester United vs Chelsea prediction
This match feels like a toss-up. You’d need to know the lineups and the attitudes in the team rooms to be able to pick the superior group of talent. Chelsea’s system under Maresca has proven difficult to beat, but those 90 minutes in Munich at midweek will make things a bit more even. Should Cunha and/or Mount be fit to start the Red Devils may just take a point or three. Not knowing their statuses, for now we’ll go with Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea.
How to watch Manchester United vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday
Venue: Old Trafford — Manchester
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on Peacock & Stream live on NBC.com
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