Jamie Redknapp heaped praise on one Manchester United star following his performance against Chelsea, but he’s forgetting one man who has been excellent so far this season.
Manchester United claimed their second Premier League win of the season with a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at Old Trafford, courtesy of strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
The hosts started strongly and were handed an early advantage when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was dismissed inside five minutes for bringing down Bryan Mbeumo on the edge of the box.
Fernandes quickly made the breakthrough before Casemiro doubled the lead with a towering header. But the midfielder’s night took a turn when he was sent off shortly before the interval.
Benjamin Šeško was withdrawn for Manuel Ugarte as Chelsea reshaped for the 10 v 10 battle, but their breakthrough only came in the final minutes when Trevoh Chalobah headed in from Reece James’ cross. Despite late pressure, United’s defence held firm and secured all three points on a rainy Manchester evening.
Fernandes fantastic yet again
In what was his 200th Premier League appearance for the club, United’s captain scored the opener of the game, though there was a lengthy VAR check for a possible offside.
That goal was the 31-year-old’s 100th goal for Manchester United in all competitions, and his second of the season so far.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp praised the club’s performance on the night, also singling out the Portuguese international for his contributions in the game.
He said, “This was a huge one for him [Amorim] today. It got edgy once Casemiro got sent off; you weren’t sure if they were going to be able to see it out.
“Bruno Fernandes was magnificent. His second half, especially, carried the fight for his team, and it feels like a big occasion, but they’ve got to build on this.
“One game isn’t enough; they’ve got to win two, three, four games. It was a mad game, I have to be honest. Some of the substitutions, some of the tactical changes, it was very hard to keep up at times, but it was a joy because it was so chaotic.”
De Ligt was brilliant at the back
Despite Fernandes’ great performance, it was Matthijs de Ligt who put in a stand-out performance to firmly establish himself in Rúben Amorim’s squad as one of the first names on the team sheet.
The 26-year-old was impervious in defence, making two tackles, four recoveries, four clearances, and was only dribbled past twice. Defending aside, he was also great on the ball, completing 42 out of his 49 passes and taking 67 touches.
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Many of the previous managers, Erik ten Hag’s signings didn’t work out at United, and after somewhat failed spells at Bayern Munich and Juventus, many thought that the 26-year-old’s move could go down the same path. Instead, de Ligt has played himself into a starting position in Amorim’s squad and has fully justified the £35 million that United spent on him so far.
De Ligt has played every available minute in the league so far, the only defender in the side to do so. He offers key versatility to Amorim’s back line, being comfortable to play in any of the three centre-back roles, and with the best years of his career ahead of him, the potential is there for the Netherlands international to play himself into a captaincy role at Old Trafford.
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