When Manchester United stepped onto the pitch for Saturday’s match against Chelsea, the message was clear: they needed to avoid defeat in order to further sink into a deeper crisis.
United had kicked off
the season just over a month ago, losing 1-0 to Arsenal, before succumbing to a 1-1 draw at Fulham. Worse was to come when they lost on penalties to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup, only to bounce back with a 3-2 win vs. Burnley thanks to Bruno Fernandes’ last-second penalty. They returned to action two weeks later, where they were obliterated 3-0 by crosstown rivals Manchester City in what was their sixth defeat in eight official matches.
United, who had finished 15th last season, were going up against a Chelsea side that had finished 4th last season under Enzo Maresca in addition to claiming the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Conference League. The odds were not quite in their favor, but they managed to eke out a second-straight win at Old Trafford in a match that would feature three goals and two expulsions. Chelsea found themselves down to 10 men after 5 minutes, after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez collided with Bryan Mbuemo outside the box, prompting a double substitution from Maresca, in addition to a third change shortly after Fernandes opened the scoring for the hosts.
Casemiro would double the lead only to see red before the interval, prompting a far more even-keeled second half. But whilst Trevoh Chalobah managed to pull one back in the 80th minute, Chelsea failed to find the equalizer and were relegated to a second-straight defeat, having lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich midweek. It is a victory that, for Ruben Amorim in particular, is worth its weight in gold.
One of the most important contributors in United’s victory was Matthijs de Ligt. Slotting onto the right side of the back three rather than the middle, De Ligt operated alongside Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, rather than Leny Yoro and Shaw.
This positional change allowed him more freedom in possession, giving him the chance to bomb forward and pick out teammates with long balls, in addition to filtering passes into the final third. He kept things tidy in possession, completing 43 out of 50 passes, registering one key pass and 0.38 Expected Assists, whilst he also completed 2 out of his 3 crosses and successfully executed 2 out of 5 long ball attempts, in addition to creating 1 big chance, completing 1 dribble out of 1 attempt, and winning 1 foul.
More than just his quality in possession, De Ligt held it down in terms of his defensive tasks. Going up against Brazilian striker João Pedro, the Dutch defender did well to hold his nerve in physical duels and beat out his opponents to foot races, constantly shepherding balls to safety and preventing Chelsea from finding much joy.
Similarly to other center backs like Kalidou Koulibaly, Lalas Abubakar and Giorgio Chiellini, De Ligt proved masterful in the art of demonstrating his physical superiority without ever giving the referee a reason to book him. De Ligt won 2 out of 3 aerial duels, 3 out of 7 ground duels, and also made 2 interceptions and tackles apiece. Furthermore, he blocked a shot and made 4 clearances to help United prevail with a 2-1 win in Old Trafford.
Next up for United? A trip to Brentford, where the Red Devils haven’t won since January 2022.
