Chelsea v Man Utd
Play By Play
Chelsea get back to winning ways and heap even further pressure on Manchester United and Michael Carrick, whose side are beaten 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Second-half goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer secure three points for the Blues, who respond after back-to-back defeats. Meanwhile, United are now without a win in nine matches, and that could well spell the end for their head coach. Following an entertaining but goalless first half, in which both sides had an effort ruled out, Chelsea took just five minutes of the second to break the deadlock. They did so courtesy of a superb individual effort from Rogers, who drove at the United defence, glided past a couple of challenges, and dinked a lovely finish over Senne Lammens. Any realistic hopes United had of getting back into the game effectively ended in the 64th minute. The irresponsible Lisandro Martinez was sent off for two stupid bookings in as many minutes, conceding a penalty with the latter offence. Palmer's subsequent penalty put the contest beyond the visitors. The margin of defeat for them could've been worse, too, had Estevao not been denied for offside following a VAR review. United's latest quest to halt their winless streak comes on Tuesday, when they return to action at home to Roma in the Champions League, before hosting Aston Villa four days later. Chelsea, meanwhile, head to the Stadium of Light next Sunday, aiming to build on the momentum of this win against a struggling Sunderland. Thanks for joining us today. Until next time, goodbye!
FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED
IT SHOULD BE 3-0! The Blues look to hammer the final nail into United's coffin. Gusto whips the ball across the face of goal. Barco looks to apply the finishing touch at the far post, but can't quite do so.
Palmer's race is run, as he's replaced by Quenda for the dying moments of this contest.
Chelsea push again with Barco seeking out the run of Welbeck. Yoro anticipates the danger well, though, by stepping across to tidy up.
CHANCE FOR PALMER! It should be 3-0! Back come Chelsea, looking to slam the door of this game firmly shut in United's face. The ball is cut into the area for Palmer, who's unmarked. He can't keep his first-time shot down, though.
Penders, still celebrating that touch onto the bar, takes too long restarting the game from a goal-kick. He's subsequently booked for time-wasting.
WHAT A HIT BY MBEUMO! That's so unlucky! Zirkzee's positive spell down the right leads to a United corner. It's only cleared to the edge of the box, where Mbeumo connects so purely with his volley. It's an absolute thunderbolt, but it crashes against the crossbar. It's actually a wonderful save by Penders, who got a fingertip to the volley.
We're going to play 10 additional minutes at the end of this second half. There's still time for United, but can they do anything to respond?
Estevao receives a huge ovation from the Chelsea fans, who really appreciate his efforts today. Gusto replaces him.
Barco also comes on for the final few minutes, with Neto making way.
Alonso makes three changes late on for Chelsea. The first of them sees him introduce former United striker Welbeck in place of Caicedo.
Zirkzee goes into the book. That's four United players who've had their names taken today.
GOOD SAVE, LAMMENS! How has Estevao not scored today?! That's all that's been missing from his performance. The Brazilian works space to shoot from the edge of the box after a neat one-two. There's plenty of venom in his strike, but Lammens gets down well to his right and palms the ball away.
Nicely done by Zirkzee. The substitute neatly skips away from a couple of Chelsea players. He then puts his foot through a long-range drive, which is straight at Penders.
Mbeumo doesn't retreat when Palmer goes to take a quick free-kick. The United forward now goes into the book.
Barring the kind of turnaround you'd associate with the Alex Ferguson era, it looks like United's wait for an away win this season will continue. It will also be nine matches overall without victory. More importantly, though, will this be the end for Carrick?
Amad, who's been one of United's better performers today, can't continue. He's replaced by Zirkzee.
United desperately seek a response with Amad trying to make something happen. His efforts are snuffed out, but he's picked up a knock in the process.
Chelsea make a change with Chavarria coming on in place of Palestra for the final quarter of an hour.
OFFSIDE GIVEN! How's your luck?! Estevao's now had two goals ruled out for offside! Replays show his shoulder was ahead of Maguire, which is deemed enough to disallow the goal. It seems harsh, but it's the letter of the law.
WHAT A FINISH FROM ESTEVAO!!! That will surely be that! United have simply capitulated in this second half. Mount's loose touch just inside the visitors' half hands possession back to Chelsea, who quickly counter. Palmer drives the hosts forward and feeds Estevao, who rifles a shot into the roof of the net. Just a minute, though...
It's another yellow card for United, with Mainoo going into the book for a trip on Palmer.
Speaking of Palmer, his penalty was his 50th Premier League goal in 105 appearances for Chelsea. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (84) and Diego Costa (85) have reached the milestone for the Blues in fewer matches.
Very good defending! Chelsea can suddenly smell blood. Estevao's in the box and rolls the ball across the area, looking to set Palmer up for a tap-in. However, Maguire gets a vital touch to the ball, diverting it away from Palmer and behind for a corner.
