Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is facing a suspension after being sent off in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
Sanchez’s afternoon at Old Trafford was over inside five minutes on Saturday as he raced off his line and clattered into Bryan Mbeumo with the Manchester United forward through on goal.
Referee Peter Bankes took his time to assess the situation before brandishing a straight red card.
Sanchez was giving his marching orders because of the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity ruling, which is crucial with regards to the length of his suspension.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca opted to take off Estevao and Pedro Neto in response to the red card, bringing on Filip Jorgensen as the replacement goalkeeper and Tosin Adarabioyo in an attempt to shore up the defence.
Those decisions would backfire on the Blues boss as Manchester Utd took full advantage of the extra man, with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro each finding the back of the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
However, Casemiro was sent off on the stroke of half-time for two bookable offences to set up an interesting second half.
Trevoh Chalobah’s 79th minute header did give the Blues hope but United held on for all three points in a result that eases the pressure on head coach Ruben Amorim.
As for Chelsea, it’s back to the drawing board after successive defeats this week and for Sanchez to reflect on his rash decision.
How many games will Robert Sanchez miss?
Due to Sanchez being sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, he will serve a one-game suspension.
Had he been dismissed for violent conduct, then a minimum three-match ban would have been his punishment.
But in this case, Sanchez will be unavailable for selection in Chelsea’s next fixture which is Lincoln away in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
This means he will be back for the home game in the Premier League against former club Brighton next weekend.
