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Chelsea claim victory to extend Man United's woes
Chelsea extended Manchester United’s winless streak across all competitions to nine matches as the Blues claimed maximum points and a clean sheet on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams came into the tie seeking redemption. United targeted an end to their miserable run of form while the hosts sought to bounce back to winning after two losses.
Chelsea emerged victorious after 90 minutes with a 2-0 win to further deepen Man United’s poor run as the Reds remain winless in nine matches.
The first half was keenly contested as the two sides scored, but both goals were disallowed after the intervention of the video assistant referee. Estevao pounced on a rebound in the box while Mateus Cunha put the ball in the back of the net from a near-post header.
Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo missed chances to put United ahead while Senne Lammens made a couple of saves to deny Chelsea.
The first half lacked goals but was quite engaging, as both sides showed great intent to score. While the hosts came close a couple of times, the visitors lacked composure to finish off their chances.
English forward Morgan Rodgers put Chelsea ahead five minutes into the second half as he eased through a couple of United’s defenders before slotting the ball into the middle of goal, leaving Senne Lemmens helpless.
The afternoon went from bad to worse as Lisandro Martinez picked up two yellow cards in less than a minute for fouls on Morgan Rodgers and Wesley Fofana.
His dismissal led to a penalty, and Cole Palmer converted to double Chelsea’s lead after 64 minutes of action.
Chelsea took charge of the game from then on and scored a third, but Estevao’s brilliant effort was chalked off after the video assistant referee review.
Estevao came close to scoring moments later, but Senne Lammens was alert to deny the Brazilian with a brilliant save as the shot was heading into the far corner.
Carrick’s introduction of Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee had no effect as the Red Devils succumbed to their fate.
Chelsea’s win ended their two-game consecutive losses, while for Man United, the winless run lingers as pressure continues to mount on Michael Carrick.
The midfielder received the backing of the board despite the disappointing run of results in the build-up to the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Each point dropped will test the patience of United’s hierarchy, and it remains to be seen how long Michael Carrick will remain on the sidelines as Manchester United’s manager.
Manchester United are on the fringes of the drop zone with seven points from nine matches, while Chelsea moved to fourth spot momentarily with 16 points.