Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime. Both goals came in a 15-minute spell after the break, the second after United had been reduced to ten men.
The decisive moments
The game was goalless until the 50th minute. Morgan Rogers then scored for Chelsea, with Roméo Lavia credited with the assist.
Nine minutes later Lisandro Martínez was booked. In the 63rd minute he received a second yellow card and was sent off.
Chelsea's second came a minute after that. Cole Palmer scored from the penalty spot in the 64th minute. Fantasy Premier League lists Palmer as Chelsea's first-choice penalty taker.
United's discipline fell apart in the closing stages. Harry Maguire (65'), Kobbie Mainoo (70'), Bryan Mbeumo (81') and Joshua Zirkzee (88') were all booked. Chelsea's only caution was for goalkeeper Mike Penders, in the 90+3rd minute.
What the numbers say
Chelsea had the better of the match on most measures. They had 59% of possession to United's 41% and outshot them 18 to 12.
The gap in shots on target was wider, at nine to five. Chelsea also won the corner count, eight to seven.
- Shots: Chelsea 18 (nine on target, six off target, three blocked); Man Utd 12 (five on target, four off target, three blocked)
- Fouls: Chelsea 8, Man Utd 20
- Offsides: Chelsea 3, Man Utd 2
The foul count matches the cards. United committed 20 fouls and collected six yellows, one of them Martínez's second, and a red.
What it means
The result ends a run of defeats in this fixture for Chelsea. United had won the previous two meetings, including a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in April. Before that, Chelsea's last win over them in the recent series was a 1-0 home win in May 2025.
The table shows Chelsea fourth with 16 points from nine games, five of them wins. Only Man City, top on 21 points from eight games, are clearly ahead of the pack at the top of the table we have to work with.
United are 16th on seven points with one win from nine and a goal difference of minus five. Before this match they had gone five league games without a win, with three draws and two defeats. They are now winless in six. Sunderland, 20th on five points from eight games, are four places below them.
MFF's match model had predicted a 2-1 Chelsea win, giving the hosts a 43% chance of victory, 22% for a draw and 34% for a United win. It was right about the winner but did not get the scoreline right.
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