Chelsea and Manchester United played out a thrilling 2-1 United win at Old Trafford during Premier League matchweek five.
Robert Sanchez was sent off early after a late challenge on Bryan Mbeumo, and Enzo Maresca made three changes within the first 20 minutes of the match.
Maresca reverted to a back five, opting to sit back and absorb United’s pressure.
The Blues went down by two goals, thanks to Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, before the latter was sent off after a second yellow card.
Trevoh Chalobah headed home a late goal for Chelsea, but United held on to get all three points.
Maresca spoke to BBC Sport after the match and gave his verdict on what was an utter Chelsea collapse.
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What did Maresca say after Chelsea’s defeat?
Maresca spoke on how the match changed early, saying, “The red card changed the game after three minutes. After the red card for them, 10 v 10, it changed the game for us. We needed to start in a better way. It’s a red card. [We should have had] a penalty for Joao.
The manager was also asked about his substitutions, and he said, “They attack with five players, so the idea was to defend with five players.
“You can defend with four at 11 v 11. The game probably changed after they conceded the red card, also with Casemiro. We were much better.”
Chalobah’s goal looked to get the Blues back into the game, with Chelsea looking for a late equalizer to split the points.
A low point for Chelsea was Cole Palmer’s exit after just 20 minutes, with Maresca saying, “Cole this morning did a test to play this game. He was not 100%. It was a fantastic effort for the club, for his team-mates, for the team. Unfortunately, he was not 100%.”
Maresca’s overall assessment of the game was that Chelsea needed to be better. He said, “We need to start the game better. We cannot concede a red card at Old Trafford after three minutes.”
Chelsea suffered their second defeat in four days, after the Blues lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League midweek. Maresca’s side will look to bounce back against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on September 23.
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