How Manchester United’s chaotic win over Chelsea descended into boredom despite two first-half red cards

Before a ball was kicked, Chelsea’s trip to Manchester United had earned the right of being the most anticipated game of the weekend, if only because it was likely to be the latest example of the Red Devils’ seemingly never-ending descent. To these teams’ credit, they wasted no time at all providing the entertainment that many had hoped for, though not of the predictable kind – United came out of the event with a 2-1 win, the result itself the least notable takeaway despite manager Ruben Amorim buying himself another few weeks in the job.

Instead, Saturday’s match will be remembered for its chaos, one strange event following another in a hilarious sequence of events. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez ushered in the drama by notching a red card in the fifth minute for his challenge on Benjamin Sesko, perfectly paving the way for United to register a 2-0 lead by the 37th minute thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Chelsea had to take off Cole Palmer in between the two goals, a potential recurrence of a groin injury hindering his ability to participate. The joy was relatively short-lived – Casemiro picked up a second yellow just before the break, making it a 10 vs. 10 game with a whole half left to go. It was a jam-packed first half full of unexpected entertainment, seemingly a good omen for a second half that was the set-up for a competitive and compelling second half.

It was a shame neither Ruben Amorim nor Enzo Maresca felt the same way.

Each weird twist or turn during Saturday’s match compelled the managers to make the most uninspiring choices, bringing a dramatic game to a screeching halt with each and every chance afforded to them. Maresca got started quickly –he was forced to make a substitution, so Filip Jorgensen could fill in for Sanchez and while it came as little surprise that an attacker would make way, the Chelsea manager went with an unconventional strategy. He took off both of his wide attackers, Estevao and Pedro Neto, the latter coming off for center back Tosin Adarabioyo in the seventh minute in an attempt to shore up the Blues’ defense.

It was an overly practical decision from Maresca and in short order, it was fairly clear that it would not pay off. United outshot Chelsea nine to three and scored twice, all while facing no shots on target to close out the first half. Some of it was a natural consequence of being one player down and the fact that Palmer had to come off did not help matters, but even then, the Blues were fairly scrambled on both goals. By the time Casemiro scored United’s second in the 37th minute, though, the game felt completely out of reach for a Chelsea side that had already made three changes to their starting lineup.

Casemiro’s challenge on Andrey Santos in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time technically offered Chelsea a lifeline, a chance to play an even second half, even if their formation was overly defensive. Santos and Joao Pedro could serve as the main attacking outlets for Chelsea against a United team with a dismal defensive structure, one that no longer had the cover of an additional player to aid their case.

Again, neither manager got the hint and the second half was an unusual slog. Chelsea had 71.2% possession, seizing full control of a match that had quickly gotten away from them. Maresca’s overly aggressive substitution strategy in the opening 10 minutes cost him, though, taking just three shots in the entirety of the second half. They were the definition of few and far between, never making up for the quantity with quality — Adarabioyo took the Blues’ first shot of the second half in the 63rd minute and the visitors had to wait until the 80th minute for their next shot, with Trevoh Chalobah scoring a goal that should have reinvigorated Chelsea. Santos managed another shot in stoppage time but the three shots added up to just 0.34 expected goals.

Amorim, meanwhile, may be inclined to revel because of an unexpected victory, but the performance did little to dispel concerns about his suitability for his current job. United truly benefitted by playing against a 10-man team for a full half, but when each side had an even number of participants, the Red Devils did little to cover themselves in glory. United have surprisingly climbed up the Premier League’s statistical attacking chart, but were somehow worse than Chelsea after the break with just two shots and 0.31 expected goals. They rode their luck again during the second half, their vulnerable defense barely tested by the Blues after the break.

Even as Amorim stays employed for another week, though, it is Maresca who may have inspired fresh worries about Chelsea’s start to the season. The circumstances may have been extreme on Saturday, but the Blues’ offense has been streaky through six games in all competitions this season, their non-penalty expected goal tally less than two in all but one game. The situation might be even more dire without Palmer, who himself scored just four goals in 36 games before notching his first of the season last week, making the Club World Cup winners a surprise contender for the most underwhelming team in England so far this season.