Manchester United welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Saturday for a game which could have massive implications for manager Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils’ dismal 3-0 defeat at Manchester City last weekend triggered a new wave of debate about Amorim’s future with the club.
With former players questioning United’s transfer strategy
and the manager unable to get a tune out of the squad, the mood around the club is not positive.The fixture against Chelsea gives United the opportunity to steady the ship and
recent history suggests they have a decent chance of taking at least a point.
Read on as we look at the recent history between the two sides, before assessing some of the key storylines ahead of what promises to be an intriguing encounter.
Manchester United vs Chelsea – History
United and Chelsea enjoyed successful periods in the past without ever really developing a rivalry, but the landscape changed around the turn of the century.
The start of Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden era of silverware triggered a response from other clubs and Chelsea were eager to jump on the bandwagon.
Roman Abramovich’s arrival as owner and the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager resulted in the Blues emerging as genuine rivals to United.
While meetings between the two teams are always eagerly anticipated, their failure to challenge for the Premier League title has diminished the rivalry in recent years.
United have just about had the upper hand, winning six and drawing ten of their last 20 league meetings. Here are the results during that timeframe.
- Dec 28, 2015 – Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea
- Feb 7, 2016 – Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
- Oct 23, 2016 – Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United
- Apr 16, 2017 – Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea
- Nov 5, 2017 – Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
- Feb 25, 2018 – Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
- Oct 20, 2018 – Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United
- Apr 28, 2019 – Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea
- Aug 11, 2019 – Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
- Feb 17, 2020 – Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United
- Oct 24, 2020 – Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea
- Feb 28, 2021 – Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United
- Nov 28, 2021 – Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
- Apr 28, 2022 – Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea
- Oct 22, 2022 – Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
- May 25, 2023 – Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea
- Dec 6, 2023 – Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
- Apr 4, 2024 – Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United
- Nov 3, 2024 – Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea
- May 16, 2025 – Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
Manchester United vs Chelsea – Storylines
Amorim under the cosh
Amorim is undoubtedly the primary storyline where United are concerned. He arrived at Old Trafford with a big reputation, but things have not gone to plan.
His record of eight wins and seven draws in 31 league games is simply not good enough for a club of United’s stature and needs to improve sooner rather than later.
Senior officials remain fully supportive of Amorim, with the underlying statistics suggesting there has been improvement in some key metrics.
However, football is a results-based business and Amorim has not delivered. His refusal to deviate from his favoured 3-4-2-1 system could ultimately be his undoing.
United still don’t have the players in place to deliver what Amorim wants, and continuing down the same path seems to be an exercise in futility.
While a victory over Chelsea could be the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes, it would be a brave move to back United to achieve the feat.
Inconsistent Chelsea are vulnerable
Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday will be the first time they have ventured outside of London for a league game this season.
The Blues have been a model of inconsistency in their first four games, and it will be intriguing to see which version of the team turns up this weekend.
They laboured to a draw at home to Crystal Palace on the opening weekend, before running riot in an impressive 5-1 victory at West Ham United.
Chelsea followed up with a hard-fought 2-0 home win over Fulham, but were held 2-2 by Brentford in their most recent outing.
With Enzo Maresca’s side travelling to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek, fatigue could a factor when they face United.
The visitors have shown signs of vulnerability this season and Amorim must ensure that his players are ready to take advantage.
Man United predicted starting XI: Lammens, Shaw, De Ligt, Yoro, Dorgu, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Sesko.
