The latest round of the Premier League season is here, and it’s starting with a bang, with Chelsea and Manchester United contesting a clash at Stamford Bridge. With Xabi Alonso’s side licking their wounds after back-to-back defeats to Tottenham and Liverpool, and the Red Devils on an eight-match winless run, it’s a clash that both sides will be desperate to win, and one that could spell the end of United boss Michael Carrick.
Live updates:
16:32 CET – A good Saturday afternoon for Chelsea, but a horrifying one for the Red Devils on Halloween. What next for Michael Carrick and United?
That’ll be all from our coverage of the game at Stamford Bridge! If you want, you can follow Der Klassiker between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at this link! Hope to see you there!
16:18 CET – Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso spoke to the press after the game: “I think there were different moments in the game. First half was intense, momentums from both sides. United had their chances, we were close as well. We spoke at half-time and the reaction was better. We looked in better control and took the lead.”
He also touched on the performance of Estevao: “We spoke after Tottenham and he was always going to be playing today. He has had the best response to show that he deserves more, that he was prepared and that’s what you want from your players.
“I’m very happy for him. He was really close to scoring that goal. He worked really hard, he was tired.”
16:08 CET – Speaking after the game, Michael Carrick simply said “no” when asked if he feels let down by experienced players like Lisandro Martinez, while also stating that he expects to be in charge against Roma next week.
“You can see from today the boys had the game in the right place and things have gone against us,” he said to TNT Sports.
“We’ve got to move forward, there were things that we felt worked for us today, that we can take belief and confidence from. A lot of the good things, especially in the first half, and we’ve got to use that moving forward.”
15:30 CET – The final whistle has blown, and Chelsea have beaten Manchester United 2-0. It wasn’t a good performance by Xabi Alonso’s side by any stretch of the imagination, but they desperately needed the three points, so they will be happy. Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer were the goalscorers.
Meanwhile, it is another defeat for Manchester United and Michael Carrick. Lisandro Martinez’s red card in the second half meant they had little chance of a comeback, and the pressure will ramp up even further on a club that is in a major crisis.
They are winless in their last nine games, and without a win in any away game this season. The last time that happened was back in 1973/74, when they were relegated. They could end the weekend in the relegation zone. How on earth is Carrick still in charge?
15:27 CET – Cole Palmer’s goal was his 50th in the Premier League, coming in 105 games. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (84) and Diego Costa (85) have taken fewer games to reach that milestone for Chelsea.
15:09 CET – Chelsea are in cruise control now and are surely on course for the three points. United could find themselves in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend…
14:54 CET – Well, that is surely game over now. Cole Palmer has scored from the penalty spot for Chelsea to make it 2-0, after Lisandro Martinez was sent off for a second yellow card after some truly abysmal, cowardly defending.
From a corner, Martinez threw his hands at a Chelsea player, without even taking a look at the ball for a second. United and Carrick are in big trouble.
14:39 CET – What an utterly wonderful goal from Morgan Rogers!
The Englishman has given the Blues the lead just minutes into the second half, after driving through the United midfield and defence, before deliciously chipping the goalkeeper. They needed that after such a bad first half. Pretty poor defending from United, though.
14:35 CET – We are back underway for the second half! Surely we will see a goal in this game.
14:19 CET – I don’t think anyone knows how, but it is goalless at half-time at Stamford Bridge. Played like a basketball game, it has been an all-action, end-to-end affair, with both teams guilty of missing massive chances. In fact, United will be the more disappointed side, with Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes failing to hit the target with the biggest opportunities.
Chelsea are so open defensively, and Wesley Fofana looks a mess. We all need a break after that.
14:06 CET – 1-0 United… NO! Offside! Matheus Cunha flicked home from a corner, the players celebrated, they thought they got a goal they so desperately craved, but the Brazilian was spotted to be in an offside position. The Red Devils look the better team against a Chelsea defence that is all over the place.
13:52 CET – 20 minutes in and the game is still 0-0, but Chelsea have certainly had the lion’s share of possession. However, United have looked really dangerous on the break.
13:46 CET – Chelsea thought they had the opening goal of the game, but Estevao was offside after tapping the ball home from close range. The Brazilian has been really lively so far.
13:31 CET – And we are underway at Stamford Bridge! Let’s hope for a good one!
13:09 CET – To no one’s surprise, Cole Palmer takes his place in the Chelsea side after missing the game against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup due to being sent off against Tottenham last weekend. They will need a far better performance from their talisman following a pretty inconsistent start to the campaign.
12:58 CET – There is a little bit of good news for Manchester United today, though, as Kobbie Mainoo is fit enough to make his return to the bench. Could he play an important part later in the game?
12:20 CET – The teams are in from Stamford Bridge, and there is some very interesting news for both sides.
As reported a few days ago, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is back in the starting XI having held clear-the-air talks with manager Michael Carrick. As a result, Youri Tielemans is dropped to the bench.
Meanwhile, amidst all the noise surrounding Estevao’s lack of game time under Xabi Alonso, the 19-year-old starts for Chelsea! A big opportunity for the Brazilian, while the Blues also look to be without a number nine on the pitch in the absence of Joao Pedro.
11:00 CET – Hello and welcome to Flashscore’s live coverage of a Premier League blockbuster between Chelsea and Manchester United!
The two English giants are getting the ball rolling this weekend, and while it may not be a top-of-the-table clash as it has been so many times in the past, it’s a crucial one nonetheless.
That’s especially the case for under-fire Michael Carrick, who is somewhat surprisingly still the Man Utd boss given his side extended their winless run to eight games last time out with a 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth. Another heavy defeat today would surely spell the end for him.
Things aren’t anywhere near as precarious for Xabi Alonso, but the Chelsea faithful will be expecting nothing less than a win at Stamford Bridge today after watching their side be dominated and beaten by rivals Tottenham last weekend before losing to Liverpool on penalties in the EFL Cup.
Kick-off is at 13:30 CET, and we’ll be posting the team news and live updates throughout the match right here.