Manchester United bounced back from the derby debacle to clinch a memorable 2-1 win against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The victory meant the Red Devils have picked up back-to-back home wins for the first time in Ruben Amorim’s tenure. Hopefully, this will be the result that finally galvanises United.
It started brilliantly with Chelsea going down to 10 men after Robert Sanchez saw a straight red for his last-man challenge on Bryan Mbeumo.
It all came about from a long goal kick from Altay Bayindir, that was expertly flicked on by Benjamin Sesko for the Cameroonian to run clean through on goal.
Route one football
Soon after, the home side made their advantage count, with Noussair Mazraoui’s cross headed towards goal by Patrick Dorgu. But before the keeper could react, Bruno Fernandes sneaked in to divert the ball past him.
And the second strike came from a set-piece routine, with United playing it short, Mazraoui putting in another dangerous cross, which Luke Shaw got his head to before Casemiro diverted into the back of the net.
There was a brain-fade moment from Casemiro just before half-time, when he saw his second yellow to ensure both teams were down to 10.
It was never a second yellow, but he should have been aware of the fact that the referee will look to balance things.
The 20-time English league champions made it more difficult than it should have been in the second half as the Blues pulled one back, but ultimately held on to record their second win of the Premier League season.
Before the game, Ruben Amorim had pointed to how his team had played out well from the back, had done well in midfield but could not capitalize.
Crosses galore from Manchester United
On Saturday, the home side did not bother about playing out from the back, or picking out passes in midfield, they went route one football and relied on crosses.
They attempted 25 crosses, and took five shots from outside the box, something the team did not even try in the derby last weekend.
United have not usually tried this this season, and going back to basics certainly paid dividends for Amorim.
The win will ease the pressure on him, and hopefully, the team can now start building a bit of momentum before their visit to Anfield in about a month’s time.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
