AND SACK MARESCA!
I mean, if it was the other way round...
But thankfully, it wasn't. It was the right way round. Man Utd and Ruben Amorim beat Chelsea in a crazy game at Old Trafford which meant it was Amorim's first back-to-back victories at home in the league.
He needed these 3 points more than anyone else although as I said in my match reaction, I do believe he got away with it when looking at some of his decisions.
1. Starting XI and Substitutions
And straight away, we begin with those questionable choices.
When looking at that lineup before the match, many were thinking whether Amorim really was trying to sack himself with those selections. It still didn't feature new goalkeeper Lammens (why did we buy him?), Shaw started despite being poor in the derby, Yoro was surprisingly dropped, Bruno started in midfield (although that isn't shocking anymore) and Casemiro started alongside him when Ugarte looked good against City.
This was a side that also suggested 'I'm going for expeirence' and just want to get a result in this match. A couple of them (Maguire and Bruno) also happen to be in Amorim's leadership group.
It felt very short-term-ism. There's no future with that side. Now that it did win, will he select it at Brentford on Saturday? If he does and it loses, people will say why didn't he pick a stronger side. If he doesn't and it loses, people will say why didn't he stick to a winning side.
He really has put himself between a rock and a hard place with this one.
As for his substitutions, it seems that every game, we are questioning his changes.
When Chelsea went down to 10 men so early, everyone felt like this is an opportunity to really put them to the sword. We did by scoring just 9 minutes after that Robert Sanchez red card. Casemiro then added a second not long after and we all thought, 4 or 5? Get some defensive players off and put more attack-minded ones on.
Chelsea also weirdly took off all their creative players which meant they had nothing going on in attack. There was no risk for Amorim.
However, the only risk was Casemiro. Everyone and their dog know he's a walking yellow card. Mid-way through the first half, he picks up his customary yellow. At this point, everyone knew he was a risk and felt a change needed to be made then.
Amorim didn't and it sort of worked out because he scored.
Surely now was the time to take him off?
2 goals up, he's on a yellow, the conditions are dangerous, he loves a tackle and Chelsea are going to make the most of everything whenever the Brazilian is involved.
Why risk it?
In the end, we know what happened and because of that sending off, the game ended up being closer than it should've been.
Taking off Sesko for Ugarte also didn't make sense given some of the tactics which we will come to in the next point. I'm not sure why the manager keeps taking off Yoro for Maguire or in this game, Maguire for Yoro. Strange decision.
While we have all called for the skipper to be dropped or substituted, there are times when you need a player like him on. This was one of those times.
At 2-1 and Chelsea on the offensive, why take off your best player and captain? Surely that's when you keep him on? He was also an outlet whenever we needed an out ball.
It's these type of decisions that puts the focus more on the manager than the players.
Amorim really needs to improve in this otherwise he will face the sack.
2. Poor 2nd Half Tactics
Even the in-game management wasn't good enough.
While we had also gone down to 10 men thanks to Casemiro and Amorim's stupidity, we were still 2-0 up and Chelsea did take off their best players.
United were quite comfortable.
For some reason though, we decided to just sit back and let them have the ball. I know that they didn't end up hurting us too much and we did win the game, but you can't help but think that because of this defensive approach, we invited the pressure resulting in that Travor Chalobah goal and a nervy finish.
I think we needed to try and get more of the ball and look to play.
In the first half, we obviously had more of the ball but not by as much as you would think. United had 57% possession to Chelsea's 43% despite playing 11 against 10 whereas in the second, it was just 28% for the home side compared to 72% for the away.
Why did it drop so drastically?
When you're playing such a defensive game, you're going to need an outlet to relieve pressure and potentially give you something on the break. United and specifically Bayindir kept going long. Without that focal point of Sesko, the ball was coming straight back.
As we saw with the Sanchez red card, it was the Slovenian who made it happen due to his height and leap with that flicked header. Why then remove that when you kept hitting long balls?
As for that in-game management, we had very little of it towards the end.
With nothing happening for us in attack, we needed to have absolute concentration in defense. That obviously didn't happen as Chelsea did score. There were also instances where we just allowed them to cross the ball under no pressure as Reece James delivered some brilliant balls into the box.
To keep giving up possession so easily also showed a bit of panic from United which was frustrating given how flat Chelsea were.
With Casemiro's red card, it showed a bit of naivety and inexperience from one so experienced. Amorim not knowing that Casemiro was a risk on a yellow was also naive.
The Brazilian has been a target since coming into the Premier League with referees looking like they couldn't get their card out quick enough for the former Real Madrid man, who funnily enough, didn't receive a red card in his decade at Los Blancos.
3. Wasted Opportunity
2-0 up, at home, against 10 men, you have to push on and score more goals. Not only did we not do that, we ended up going down to 10 ourselves and conceding a late goal.
Like I said with the substitutions, had the manager decided to risk it a little more and go for the throat, perhaps we would've scored those 4 or 5 that was there.
Where else we wasted opportunities was in attack, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Bruno and Amad both had chances of putting it on a plate for a team-mate only to make the wrong decision and see the chance go abegging.
We had 11 shots and 4 on target in total but 9 came in the first half with 3 of those on target. That was the time to truly finish the game.
Failure to take our opportunities always gives the opposition a chance to get back into it.
4. Amad
This I feel is a post in itself.
I don't think he played well on Saturday. I don't think he's played well all season. He's been used as a no 10. He's been used as a RWB. He's been average at best in both positions.
Amad has played all six games starting five of them but has just the solitary assist (Burnley) to show for it. No one can say he has been given the opportunities.
I also look at him and see a player who's making the same mistakes as previous players. Amad has become frustraingly selfish, makes poor decisions and also doesn't show the quality in the final third.
Garnacho, Rashford, Antony. These three were the same.
This instance sums him up perfectly this season.
Why not play the pass to Sesko? It's clear as day that if you do this, the striker has an open goal ahead of him. That makes it 3-0, kills the game and Sesko finally gets on the scoresheet which will do him a lot of good.
I'm also struggling to see where he fits into this team. As he hasn't performed in any position, where would he play now that Mazraoui, Cunha and Mount are back.
Mazraoui seems to be Amorim's guy at RWB, Cunha has been playing as a no 10 and Mount has been used as a false 9/CAM too. All three have also performed really well.
So where does Amad play?
I would drop him to both give him a kick up the arse (which he might need) but also to give us something off the bench. Clearly, the manager isn't using Mainoo and Zirkzee whereas he does appear to want to fit Amad into his side. This could give him the chance to do so.
5. Fighting Win
I do want to end off on a positive and that is not only did we win, but we saw some fight and passion from the players.
There were times when the likes of Shaw and Mount were getting into it with Chelsea players. Ugarte and Yoro stepped in to help their team-mates at other times. The way Cunha kicked the ball into the Stretford End at full time also indicated a player who was desperate for victory.
As a fan, you love to see this happen.
At United in recent years, we've complained about our players being too nice and not getting in the face of the opposition enough.
When they do though, it gets the blood pumping and gets you raring to go. When you win a close game whilst showing this fight, it could potentially help boost the confidence as when you look back on a match like this, it does put a smile on your face.
We may have needed a game like this.
Now it's about continuing this momentum because there's no point winning against Chelsea in such a fashion only to drop points at Brentford.
Finding that consistency is going to be the challenge.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro seal 2-1 victory for Man Utd over Chelsea | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)