Chelsea break unwanted 22-year record in calamitous defeat vs Man United
Chelsea gave themselves too much to do against Manchester United on Saturday, despite both sides playing out the game with 10 men at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes was talismanic for Man United against Chelsea as the Red Devils secured a monumental 2-1 victory on 20 September.
Robert Sanchez broke an unwelcome Premier League record for Chelsea when the Spaniard was sent off in the opening five minutes for a rash challenge on Bryan Mbeumo.
The Blues also suffered a setback as Cole Palmer came off injured against Man United, as the west London outfit fell to a dismal defeat in the rain.
Chelsea shown more cards than they had shots against Man United in dire defeat
Outside of Sanchez’s careless red card, the Blues picked up five yellow cards during the match, which highlighted their frustrations.
The same anger was felt on the touchline as Enzo Maresca also went into the book with the Italian frequently incandescent throughout the match.
OptaJoe highlighted on X that for the first time on record since 2003-04, Chelsea players were shown more cards (6) than they had shots (5) in the Premier League.
It had been 22 years since the statistics had been noted down, with Chelsea creating history for the wrong reasons.
Cole Palmer injury to trouble Enzo Maresca and Chelsea
The 23-year-old’s return to the starting XI against Bayern Munich in the midweek was a welcome sign from the Stamford Bridge faithful that their star man was nearing full fitness.
I was quite surprised that the number 10 started against Man United, considering he had only just come back from injury, and Maresca was made to pay.
The former Man City academy graduate hobbled off down the tunnel in the 21st minute with what could be a repeat of his ongoing groin problem.
| Cole Palmer vs Man United (20 September) | |
| Minutes played | 21 |
| Touches | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 1/1 |
The Italian has so many attacking options yet opted to play the England international so soon after a tiring night in Germany, which likely led to the attacker being hampered with the same issue again.
This is reckless and careless from the former Leicester City boss and could see Palmer set for even longer on the sidelines.
From a Three Lions perspective, Thomas Tuchel will be furious with Maresca after potentially putting the Blues talisman’s World Cup spot in jeopardy.