Manchester United secured their second Premier League win of the season after beating Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
Manchester United began the match with the confidence of a team in form, rather than one that had been heavily criticised for lacklustre displays throughout the week.
Ruben Amorim’s side set the tone early with high intensity, and Chelsea were dealt a major setback inside five minutes when goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was shown a red card for bringing down Bryan Mbeumo on the edge of the area.
Bruno Fernandes broke the deadlock soon after with a perfectly timed run, before Casemiro doubled the lead following a scrappy sequence in the box.
United appeared in control, but their momentum was checked late in the first half when Casemiro picked up a second yellow card and was dismissed, giving Chelsea a route back into the game.
The second half, played 10 versus 10, offered few chances until Trevoh Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header in the 80th minute. Despite the late pressure, Amorim’s men held firm to claim all three points.
United star stands out vs Chelsea after Amorim’s tactical change
When the United lineup came out before the game, there were several things that many fans were not happy with, including the use of Noussair Mazraoui as the right wingback.
Mazraoui has been excellent for Amorim’s side when playing in the back three but as shown against Manchester City, he is not great when attacking on the right flank.
But the Moroccan international was excellent against Chelsea, winning all seven of his attempted duels and also making four tackles. In possession, he was also great and made 26 passes, 12 of which entered the final third.
It seemed to be a tactical change from Amorim which allowed Mazraoui to flourish, alongside the Chelsea red card, which saw him enter central areas much more often.
Mazraoui was coming inside and Mbeumo moved wide, which allowed the defender to thrive in the zones he is more comfortable in.
United have good opportunity before international break
United should have made that game much easier but the red card for Casemiro was frustrating and it almost feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
While the three points are most important, it is undeniable that the mood could have been excellent with a 4-0 win rather than scraping over the line at 2-1.
Still, the points were taken and it was crucial for the Reds to win the game and now there is a good chance to head into the next international break on a high note.
Amorim’s side have games against Brentford and Sunderland before that break and the mood would be very different if United had three wins on the bounce.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.