Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea: Red Devils make heavy work of gift wrapped up in a Sanchez bow
All it took was a perplexing decision by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to hand Manchester United one of the easiest games they could possibly win in a while. That is, until Ruben Amorim’s embattled side decided that was simply not the new United way, and then built for themselves a mountain to climb.
First, Sanchez rushed out in the fifth minute and clattered into Bryan Mbeumo, the easiest red card Peter Bankes will ever have to give in his career. Then after Chelsea had played the entire first period a man down, Casemiro, in an absolute moment of idiocy, dragged down Andre Santos and got dismissed himself, sending the game careening down the road of utter chaos and lunacy.
United started brilliantly, bombarding the Chelsea goal under torrential rain. With five minutes gone, a ball over the top from Altay Bayindir was chased down by Mbeumo. Sanchez dashed out but the Cameroonian got to it first, before the Chelsea goalkeeper stuck a leg out and rammed it into him.
With Chelsea reduced to ten men the home side applied further pressure, until goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro looked like the Red Devils would claim all three points while playing like it was a midweek training session.
For the first goal, Patrick Dorgu headed a cross from the right across goal, allowing Fernandes to beat Chelsea’s shoddy attempt at an offside trap and stab in the opener. For the second, there was confusion with several bodies in the box after a cross from Noussair Mazraoui. Reece James whacked the ball straight up as he tried to clear. Shaw got to it and headed it over to Casemiro, who then headed it down to the deck and past Chelsea’s substitute goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Just before half time, Casemiro had his schoolboy moment, weirdly climbing on the back of Santos and pulling the defender down, even when he knew he was already on a yellow card. With the second yellow he went on a walk of shame across the pitch and towards the tunnel in full view of the home crowd, shaking his head, presumably at his own lunacy.
Then United were content to defend their two goal lead as the rain continued to pour down, turning the football match into a children’s game at a school playground. It was all clashes of bodies, late tackles and yellow cards, and Chelsea had no attempt on target until the 80th minute when Trevor Chalobah rose to head in James’ cross.
By that time the rain had stopped. The away side huffed and puffed but never really looked like they had it in them to draw level.
