DO NOT SCRATCH YOUR EYES!
I can't believe it either. I felt this game had draw written all over it.
But that wasn't the case and Chelsea and Maresca will have to live with the fact that they lost to this Man Utd side 🤣. Tbh, Maresca should be sacked for that.
What a marathon of a match. It had e v e r y t h i n g. It really was a throwback to an old-school English-style fixture: pouring rain, goals, red cards, players at each other.
Proper football.
Starting Lineup
We all had our concerns when looking at the starting XI. I always find it a problem when the fans and manager can never agree on the starting team and while we all knew that Amorim won't pick the side we all would pick, I doubt many would've predicted that XI.
Still no Lammens, Yoro dropped for Maguire, Shaw keeping a place in the team despite being poor in the derby, Bruno still in the midfield. It was a lineup that didn't fill many with much confidence.
I also believe it was one that suggested the manager was going for experience and included players from the leadership group. Perhaps a sign of the times that this is what Amorim feels he needs to do in order to get results.
First Half
And that is exactly what it did. Sort of.
Before people start saying we only won the game because of the red card, that isn't entirely true. United began the match really well and were on the front-foot from the get go.
And just 5 minutes in, United couldn't have asked for anything more as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez channelled his inner Onana as he came out and took out Mbeumo who was in one-on-one after a brilliant flick by Sesko. The GK clears the forward out and gets a straight red. No complaints from anyone.
To be a man up so early on in a game always give you a great chance of going on to win the match.
United took full advantage of this as 10 minutes later, skipper Bruno Fernandes makes it 1-0 with one of the easiest goals he'll score. Dorgu heads the ball towards goal after a cross with the captain being first to react. There were fears that it could be offside but upon a lengthy VAR check, it showed he was on.
The goal stood and United had the lead they were so desperate for. It was crucial because we were on top at this stage and we know we don't make the most of these situations and as the Blues were a man down, they were probably going to sit deep. You know how we struggle against low blocks so scoring this early on meant that Chelsea had to open up a bit which gave us a chance to exploit some gaps.
That was also the magnifico's 100th goal for the club. A milestone strike at a pivotal moment in both the game and Amorim's time as manager.
That was just 15 minutes in!
There was still more to come. A lot more.
Casemiro then gets his customary yellow card and with the rain chucking it down, we all knew that there was a risk man could get sent off. Some were even saying sub him then just 20 minutes into the game.
However, Amorim was proved right to keep the Brazilian on as while he got his customary yellow card, he also got his customary goal against Chelsea.
Similar to Bruno, Casemiro was never going to miss from point blank range. Another cross came into the box and once more it was Dorgu who was involved with the goal. He headed the ball across goal only for it to be ballooned into the air. Luke Shaw rose highest and his header found an unmarked Casemiro at the back post who headed it in.
2-0 and things were looking good. This was perhaps a chance to put the Blues to the sword as there was still an hour of football remaining. Chelsea were also toothless up front as manager Maresca took off three of his four attackers due to that Sanchez red card. Weird changes indeed.
That proved to sort of bite him in the arse because not long after his goal, Casemiro gets himself sent off. A second yellow after a soft foul which tbh, didn't warrant a card but the fact that he committed the foul in the first place was seriously naive especially for one so experienced as it gave the referee the chance to send him off.
It also showed inexperience on Amorim's part for not taking substituting him. You didn't need to be so defensive against 10 men anyway, Casemiro was already booked and was a risk at getting a second yellow, and he also scored so he would've felt like he did something good in this game.
There were more reasons to take him off than keep him on.
Now that things were 10 against 10, it became a different story. All the positivity of that first half all but disappeared with that sending off as we know what this United side can be like.
Should it have been 10 against 10 though?
There was a reckless challenge by Marc Cucurella on Mazraoui in which the Spaniard lunged in two-footed and out of control whilst not getting the ball. He was given a yellow yet when looking at it on replay, it was a dangerous tackle.
Not sure why they didn't review it at least.
But so ended a chaotic first 45.
Second Half
The second period proved to be quite the opposite to the first as there was little and less going on.
The rain was still hammering down (for a period) which did keep things interesting but as United opted for a defensive approach (Sesko was sacrificed at halftime for Ugarte) and Chelsea having taken off their creative players, it meant that there wasn't much happening going forward for either side.
The Blues bossed possession but without any clear penetration. United were comfortable in their shape.
This is where many felt that it was tailor-made for a certain Garnacho to come on and change the game.
Strangely though, much like with his earlier substitutions, Maresca decided against bringing on the former United man. The Chelsea boss even said he was ready to start in his pre-match presser yesterday which led many to believe that that would be the case today.
I thought that that was an odd call as we know better than most how deadly he can be off the bench. Garnacho ended up being an unused sub. Not a night to remember for him upon his Old Trafford return.
Amorim then also looked to his bench as he called upon Yoro, Cunha and Mount in place of Maguire, Mbeumo and Mazraoui. Good to see Cunha and Mount back so soon after their injuries.
However, just when we all thought that it was going to be an easy finish, the inevitable happens and United find a way to make things hard for themselves.
Reece James delivers a fantastic ball into the box and thanks to poor marking from United they left Trevor Chalobah unmarked with his header flying into the bottom corner.
A lifeline for the Blues and a nervy ending for the Reds.
Luckily though, that was about all Chelsea managed as the game ended 2-1 in favour of United.
Verdict on Amorim
Everyone always has their thoughts on the starting lineup but you can never truly say whether it was the right team or not until the game pans out.
While we did win, one cannot help but feel that there was an element of luck.
A dodgy starting XI was helped by that early sending off; he made some odd changes including taking Bruno off at a time when we needed him on the field; and his second half tactics were questionable.
I find this to be one of those games where things worked out for Amorim even if he got a lot wrong. In previous matches, we looked at individual errors that cost us points rather than just manager tactics and substitutions.
I was unhappy that he decided to go as defensive as he did in that second half. I felt we could've been a bit more on the front-foot and not let Chelsea have too much of the ball. Taking Sesko off also meant no focal point even though his team kept going long. His subs were as strange as Maresca's and there was a lack of in-game management in that second 45.
However that was his first back-to-back triumphs at Old Trafford so I suppose that that is something.
"Even when everything is going well, we find a way to make things difficult for ourselves." - Ruben Amorim
I believe that Amorim adds to that inconsistency with some of his decisions.
But more than anything, he needed that win. Regardless of how it came to pass, the 3 points was all that mattered. What it can do is build confidence and momentum which is exactly what he said post-match.
We need to continue this form into Brentford as that will be another tough ask. No point winning like this but dropping points there.
Ratings
Bayindir - 6
De Ligt - 7.5 MOTM
Maguire - 6
Shaw - 6.5
Mazraoui - 6.5
Casemiro - 5
Bruno - 7
Dorgu - 6.5
Amad - 4
Mbeumo - 6
Sesko - 6
Ugarte - 6
Yoro - 5.5
Cunha - 6
Mount - 6
Mainoo - 6
Ruben Amorim - 5
Final Thoughts
We won. That's all that mattered. I think as the week rolls on, we can start to digest this game even more but for now, let's just enjoy the victory because they don't come around too often.
More positivity though, is that we are now in the top half of the table 🙌. United are 10th (as of writing this) and when you look at it, 7 points after playing three of last season's top 4 and potential title challengers for this season, and performing relatively well in all five games, isn't the worst position to be in.
Of course it's not where we want to be but I do agree with Amorim on this: we are improving.
Man Utd beat Chelsea 2-1 | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)