Man United find bite, Amorim system success to beat Chelsea

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United eased the pressure on coach Ruben Amorim with a tense 2-1 win against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday after both sides were reduced ten players following first-half red cards.

Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro put United 2-0 up before halftime after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was sent off in the fifth minute for a foul on Bryan Mbeumo. But with Casemiro also sent off by referee Peter Bankes for two first-half yellow cards, United endured a nervy second half, especially when Trevoh Chalobah scored for Chelsea in the 80th minute.

Despite an anxious final period, however, United held on to claim only their second win of the season -- a victory that moves them into the top half of the table having started the game in 17th position, one place above the relegation zone. -- Mark Ogden

Man United rediscover their bite to beat Chelsea

Whether it was a reaction to the criticism of their performance in last week's 3-0 derby defeat away to Manchester City or just the lid blowing off weeks of frustration, Manchester United's players showed far more bite and aggression than usual on the way to victory against Chelsea.

Former United captain Roy Keane hinted at a lack of fight from his old club after the City defeat by bemoaning the lack of yellow cards at the Etihad, but United showed plenty of spirit in this game. Casemiro was booked for an early foul on Enzo Fernández, which set the tone for a spiky first half -- a half that ended with the former Real Madrid midfielder sent off for a second yellow following another foul on Andrey Santos.

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It wasn't just Casemiro getting involved with the physical stuff, though.

Luke Shaw had two clashes with Fernández, including one when he shoved the Chelsea midfielder down the side of the pitch, and Harry Maguire was involved a lengthy battle with João Pedro. Shaw's confrontation with Fernández continued at the final whistle.

Matthijs de Ligt was another United player who produced some robust challenges, and the cumulative effect of the aggression was that the fans got behind the home side, ensuring that the crowd and the home team fed off each other. Far too often, these United players lose their personal battles against direct opponents, but not on this day, and that's a big reason why they sealed all three points. -- Ogden

Chelsea unable to recover from nightmare start

It was a disastrous start for Chelsea, and they never recovered.

Sánchez was sent off after just five minutes. Blues boss Enzo Maresca will be particularly unhappy that it came from a long ball forward from Altay Bayindir before a simple flick-on from Benjamin Sesko sent Mbeumo racing through.

The red card forced Maresca into an early reshuffle with both Estêvão and Pedro Neto sacrificed. Neto was so annoyed at the decision that he let out a loud scream as he walked off.

To make matters worse, Cole Palmer was forced off with an injury after just 20 minutes. They never seemed to regain their composure in the first half, and the defending for both United goals -- first from Fernandes and then Casemiro -- was poor. Casemiro's goal was particularly scrappy.

With Estevao, Neto and Palmer all off the pitch, it meant that Chelsea couldn't take advantage of Casemiro's red card just before halftime. They were better in the second half and had more of the ball, but with their main attacking threats all sat on the bench, they struggled to create any meaningful chances until Chalobah's late consolation goal. -- Rob Dawson

Amorim's system finally begins to click

Amorim perhaps won't get the credit because both United goals came when they were playing 11 against 10 in the first half. There were, though, pleasing signs for the Portuguese coach.

Wing backs Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui had plenty of space in the first half and saw a lot of the ball. Dorgu almost set up Mbeumo with a cross from the left after just three minutes.

Fernandes' goal was wing back to wing back with Mazraoui crossing for Dorgu to head back across goal. Casemiro's goal was also started by a Mazraoui cross from the right before a Dorgu header back into the box.

United had started well even before the Sánchez red card. They dominated the first half and the game was only made complicated by Casemiro's sending off.

If nothing else, it's a result that buys Amorim some much-needed breathing space. Another poor result would have brought with it more pressure. He's still not out of the woods yet, but United will at least head to Brentford next weekend on the back of some positivity.

Win that and the next one against Sunderland at Old Trafford and Amorim can enjoy a stress-free October international break without the worry that he might get an unwanted call from Sir Jim Ratcliffe. -- Dawson

Is fixture congestion catching up with Chelsea?

Palmer lasted just 21 minutes of this game before limping off with what appeared to be a groin injury; the Chelsea attacker reappeared from the dressing room with an ice pack on his groin shortly after being withdrawn by Maresca.

With the season just six weeks old, Palmer is now facing his second injury layoff of the campaign, having already missed two Premier League games with a groin problem.

It's too early to say whether the 23-year-old has suffered a recurrence of the same injury, but regardless, it is still a concern for Chelsea that their best player has been injured twice already this term. Palmer was a key member of Chelsea's FIFA Club World Cup-winning squad that was forced to play on right until the final in New Jersey on July 13, and the risk of burnout and player fatigue was raised by fitness experts prior to the tournament.

Is Palmer a victim of the extended season? If his injury problems are a sign of things to come -- Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also featured at the Club World Cup over the summer, is facing two months out with a hamstring injury sustained last week -- then watch out for some big stars having injury problems all the way through to next summer's Men's World Cup. -- Ogden

Casemiro's recklessness puts United in danger

Nothing is coming easily for United at the moment, and against Chelsea, that was mostly because of Casemiro. The Brazilian scored to make it 2-0 and that point Amorim's team were cruising.

Then the midfielder decided to foul Santos just before halftime despite already being on a booking. It was a soft yellow card from Bankes, and you could tell by Casemiro's reaction that he didn't think it was worth a second booking, but he should know better.

The 33-year-old is one of the most experienced players in United's team after playing more than 600 games. The last thing he needed to do in that moment was give the referee a decision to make.

His red card put unnecessary pressure on United, and Chelsea might have nicked a point during a frantic finale.

Amorim has enough problems to deal with without his own players adding to them. Fortunately for Casemiro and Amorim, United got away with it. -- Dawson