Chelsea 2-0 Man Utd: Rogers, Palmer; Martínez sent off
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Morgan Rogers scored in the 50th minute and Cole Palmer converted a penalty after Lisandro Martínez was sent off. Michael Carrick said his side unravelled after a strong first half.
By Emily · · Updated
How did Chelsea win?
Morgan Rogers scored in the 50th minute and Cole Palmer converted a 64th-minute penalty as Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea FC reported. Lisandro Martínez was shown a second yellow card and a red in the 63rd minute after a VAR review for an elbow on Wesley Fofana at a corner, and Palmer scored from the spot.
Rogers collected the ball from Romeo Lavia, went past Harry Maguire and Martínez and chipped Senne Lammens, Chelsea FC said. BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella called it a "delicate chip" after Rogers "slalomed through" the United defence, and noted TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole described the finish as "Gascoigne-esque".
What happened in the first half?
Both sides had the ball in the net before the break and both goals were ruled out for offside. Estevao Willian finished a rebound for Chelsea and Matheus Cunha headed in for United from a Maguire flick-on at a corner; VAR cut both out, Chelsea FC and BBC Sport reported. United created the clearer openings: Amad Diallo forced Mike Penders into saves, Fernandes skewed a shot high, and Amad later missed a one-on-one.
Estevao was starting a Premier League match for the first time this season, BBC Sport said. He had six shots, 12 touches in the box, three chances created, eight crosses and five completed dribbles — each the most or joint-most by a Chelsea player in the match. Two of his finishes were ruled offside, one early and one after the hour.
What did Carrick say?
Michael Carrick told NBC Sports: "We could've, should've been up really first half… we found a way to unravel it second half. Bad goal to concede then penalty and we're up against it." On Martínez's red he said he had "not looked at it" and did not feel let down. Asked if he expected to still be in charge for the next game, he answered "Yeah."
Bruno Fernandes started after the clear-the-air talks covered in our earlier report. Sesko remains out until January with a shin injury, so United again worked without that option up front.
What did Alonso say about Estevao?
Xabi Alonso told BBC Sport he decided after the Tottenham defeat that Estevao would start against United: "We spoke after Tottenham and he knew that he was going to be playing tonight, today… He has had the best response." Alonso also said Chelsea will "look very different" and be "better" by the end of the season. Chelsea's next Premier League trip is to Sunderland on 8 November, the club said.
TuSport desk: half and half, then one red
Put Chelsea FC, BBC Sport and NBC Sports side by side and the game splits cleanly. Chelsea's report and BBC Sport both put United on top before the break: Cunha's header was ruled offside after a VAR check, Amad Diallo forced saves, and Bruno Fernandes wasted a clear opening. After half-time the sequence is the same across all three: Rogers 50, Martínez's second yellow and red at 63 after the Fofana VAR review, Palmer's penalty at 64.
Carrick's own words, carried by NBC Sports, match that split. He said United "could've, should've been up" at half-time, then "found a way to unravel it second half". Asked if he expected to be in charge for the next game, he said "Yeah." That matters because our earlier pieces tracked the Fernandes captaincy talk and the clear-the-air meeting before this fixture.
ESPN's match board after full time listed Chelsea on 16 points (5-1-3) and United on 7 (1-4-4). Premier League.com noted that Palmer's spot-kick was his 50th Premier League goal. Kick-off was 12:30 UK time on Saturday, which is 13:30 WAT. United's next league home date on the BBC November fixture list is Manchester United v Aston Villa at 16:30 UK on Sunday 8 November (17:30 WAT).
Why it matters
This was the weekend headliner for Nigerian viewers after the clear-the-air talks and Carrick's midweek presser. Follow both clubs on our Chelsea and Manchester United pages and the Premier League hub. Background: Carrick on Fernandes before Chelsea, the clear-the-air talks, and Sesko's shin injury.
Sources: Chelsea FC — Match report: Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United · BBC Sport — Returning Estevao brings X-factor to strikerless Chelsea · NBC Sports — Michael Carrick: 10-man Manchester United ‘found a way to unravel’ after strong first half at Chelsea · ESPN — Chelsea v Man Utd · Premier League — Palmer hits 50 as Chelsea increase Man Utd's woes
