Full Time
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in Matchweek 9, with Morgan Rogers chipping Senne Lammens early in the second half and Cole Palmer adding a low penalty in the 64th minute. The penalty came from a foul by Lisandro Martínez, who picked up a second yellow card for it and left United with ten men, which rather settled the afternoon. Chelsea go up to 16 points and 4th; United stay on 7 points down in the bottom four, and have now gone nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst run of that kind. Not the sort of statistic anyone at Old Trafford wants read out in the car.
Pre-match Talking Points
-
1Chelsea are 5th on 13 points, so a win keeps them in the chasing pack. Manchester United are 17th on 7 points, level with the two clubs directly below them, and they haven't won in eight games in all competitions. That's their worst start to a league season since 1986-87. Lose this and the table starts looking properly uncomfortable.
-
2United have won just two of Chelsea's last 17 Premier League meetings, which is a lot of Stamford Bridge afternoons going one way. The awkward footnote for Chelsea fans: United did the league double over them last season. So nobody should get too comfortable.
-
3Watch Cole Palmer. He's back from suspension after being sent off for a second yellow against Tottenham, and he tends to turn up in the big games. If he's on form, Chelsea look dangerous. If he's rusty, United get a lifeline. Danny Welbeck may also start for Chelsea, and by one count he has scored more goals against United than against anyone else in his career, which is a fun thing to say out loud.
-
4The big subplot is Michael Carrick. Reports this week suggested United were close to sacking him after the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, and this game may be his chance to save his job. United are also missing Benjamin Sesko until the new year, plus Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte. Chelsea have their own gaps, with Joao Pedro, Emiliano Martinez and Reece James out.
-
5The hook is the manager watch. If United lose at Chelsea, Carrick may be gone by Monday, and the replacement names doing the rounds include Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann. It's one of those matches where the result matters less than what happens in the boardroom afterwards. Opta's supercomputer gives Chelsea about a 52% chance of winning. United fans would like to point out that supercomputers have been wrong before.
Team Talking Points
-
1Chelsea limped into the international break after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, settled by an Enzo Le Fée penalty in the first half. It dropped them to fifth, out of the Champions League places, and it was their fourth league defeat in ten games.
-
2Xabi Alonso – appointed in the summer on a four-year deal to revive things – didn't sugar-coat it, saying Chelsea 'didn't deserve more than probably one point' and lacked patience and quality in the final third. The honesty is refreshing; the stats are less so.
-
3Here's the worrying number: across games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland, Chelsea scored just one goal from open play. For a squad that cost what this one did, that's a lot of very expensive passing sideways.
-
4They've also been beaten 3-0 by Brentford this season, back in October. Chelsea fans would rather you didn't bring that one up, so maybe save it for when you want to change the subject quickly.
-
5There's still plenty of time – they're only two points off the top four, six behind second-placed Brighton. And they're not shy about January: reports this week say Chelsea are among the clubs monitoring Arsenal's unhappy midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
One open-play goal in four games isn't what anyone had in mind when Xabi Alonso walked through the door – the break's come at a decent time for him.
🚫
Avoid saying
"Just sack the manager" – it's Chelsea, so it's the reflex joke, but Alonso's only been in the job since the summer – ten games is not a fair trial. Say it and you'll sound like you think it's still 2012.
-
1The big news is that Michael Carrick looks to be on his way out. On Thursday morning Sky Sports reported that United have a verbal agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino to take over. Carrick took training on Wednesday and is officially still in charge, but he's expected to go before the weekend.
-
2There's a catch. Pochettino is currently managing the USA national team and has a reported £7m release clause, so United still have to agree a deal with US Soccer. He's expected to take charge of the USA's two games against Haiti this break first. It's a slightly awkward way to hand in your notice.
-
3If it happens, Pochettino would be United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired 13 years ago. United have also talked to him on three earlier occasions. Mention that and a fan will either laugh or stare into the middle distance.
-
4The reason is the league table. United go into the international break in the bottom three. Their last game was a mad 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford, where they came back from 2-0 and 4-2 down with two stoppage-time goals. Brilliant entertainment, still in the relegation zone.
-
5Whoever is in the dugout, the return fixture is a nasty one: Liverpool away on Sunday 22 November. After that come Sporting in the Champions League and Brentford at home. A new manager will barely have time to learn the names of the training ground staff.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Eighth permanent manager since Fergie, if Pochettino signs. At this point Old Trafford needs a revolving door, not a dugout.
🚫
Avoid saying
"Carrick just needs more time." Fans who were saying that a month ago have mostly moved on to arguing about Pochettino's release clause. You'll sound like you're reading last month's paper.