Manchester United kicked off in a deluge and 17th place, and ended soaked-through and jubilant at a benchmark victory that lifted them to 10th. The win is notable as it can be used as the calling-card performance for the Ruben Amorim project. In the first half 10-man Chelsea were pummelled mercilessly by a United unit that was quicker, stronger, more menacing and just plain better than the Club World Cup winners.
After this, the conditions and Casemiro’s sending-off in added time before the interval evened things up after Robert Sánchez’s own early shower, and the teams levelled each other out.
An 80th-minute Trevoh Chalobah header made it 2-1 – the defender rising between a dozing Leny Yoro and Amad Diallo to meet Reece James’s cross – but United passed the test of closing out the three points. As a sizeable boost this was, as Amorim said, “really important”.
Amorim had said his side needed to be better in both penalty areas and here they were. The United story machine’s latest plotline had a former beloved son, Alejandro Garnacho, returning as a bete noire, and a head coach saying not even the pope would shift him regarding the maligned 3-4-3.
Of the papal soundbite, afterwards he could smile, saying: “It was a joke, you guys love it, when we have another win I will give you another one;” while United fans delighted in Garnacho being an unused substitute booed on arrival and when warming up.
Chelsea’s plan was torn asunder four minutes in. Altay Bayindir’s hoof took a Benjamin Sesko flick, Bryan Mbeumo ran on to the ball, eluded Sánchez, and the visiting goalkeeper took the Cameroonian down. Even before Peter Bankes raised the red card Sánchez knew he was off. This forced a rejig from Enzo Maresca, with Estêvão Willian hooked for the new keeper, Filip Jörgensen, and Tosin Adarabioyo brought on for Pedro Neto.
United were a whir of red, tumbling relentlessly at Chelsea, and soon breached Jörgensen. Noussair Mazraoui skipped along the right, chipped in, Patrick Dorgu headed to Bruno Fernandes and he tipped home for a 100th United strike. A lengthy inquiry by the video assistant referee ruled Chalobah had kept him onside.
This was after 13 minutes. A torrid opening 20 for Maresca’s men closed with their A-list act, Cole Palmer, being replaced because of injury by Andrey Santos and already Chelsea’s substitute count was three.
From United’s 3-0 humbling at Manchester City had gone Manuel Ugarte and Yoro – for Harry Maguire and Casemiro – and Amorim’s unit was far slicker. Chelsea’s sole threat came when the isolated João Pedro bobbed into the home area and Mazraoui stuck a leg out and the forward went down, but Bankes was not interested.
Now came United’s second: a tale of Luke Shaw’s desire, James’s clownish defending, and Enzo Fernández’s timidness. Mazraoui spiralled a ball to the far post from the right and James had the chance to clear Dorgu’s misdirected header. Instead, the captain sliced the ball up, Shaw came crashing in to head on as Fernández watched, and Casemiro headed past Jörgensen.
Chelsea were a dizzied boxer staggering up at the eight-count due to United’s constant haymakers. Fernandes slipped Sesko in but he could not control. The ball was bounced to Mbeumo, who tried to put his left boot through it but missed. Marc Cucurella chopped down Mazraoui and Bankes booked him. United cruised. So, as is the way of this post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, they made life “complicated”, Amorim sighed.
In the fifth minute of an added nine, Casemiro took down Santos and the Brazilian received a second yellow then a read. It seemed as harsh as Casemiro’s decision to grapple with Santos was foolish.
At the free-kick United slept and Cucurella went close, and for the second period Sesko was sacrificed for Ugarte to take Casemiro’s berth. More yellows were shown, for Fernández and Chalobah, though on a surface causing the players to aquaplane, there was scant surprise at niggle creeping in.
A Maguire arm on Santos’s chest was the next to cause Chelsea ire and when Fernandes released Dorgu down the left and United roved in the contest had some actual football once more.
Ten versus 10 was the glimmer Chelsea needed and a James cross which Diallo hooked away, then a later James cross Matthijs de Ligt crashed out for a corner, were warnings. As was a Wesley Fofana header correctly ruled offside.
By the 69th-minute Yoro, Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha were on for United, Maguire, Mbeumo and Mazraoui the trio who exited.
Chelsea rallied and United had to defend their box, and did.
