Lisandro Martínez’s foolish red card condemned Manchester United to a disastrous 2–0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, heaping even more pressure on the under-fire Michael Carrick.

Both clubs entered Saturday’s affair desperately scrambling for respite, but the stakes were considerably higher for the Red Devils and Carrick after an eight-match winless streak. The return of Bruno Fernandes from the naughty step offered encouragement for the away side, and it was the 32-year-old who squandered the best chance of the early stages when firing over from close range.

A vastly improved performance from consecutive three-goal defeats yielded more United opportunities as the half progressed, with Amad Diallo twice testing Chelsea’s goalkeeper before Matheus Cunha saw his near-post finish ruled out for offside following VAR intervention. At the other end, Estêvão was denied by the linesman’s flag when tapping into an empty net.

Inexplicably, neither team was able to open the scoring during an action-packed first half, and United’s profligacy came back to bite them just five minutes after the restart. Some amateurish defending allowed Morgan Rogers to glide into the penalty area, after which he executed an exquisite dinked finish to put Chelsea in front.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the visitors, too. Martínez, just four minutes after his first booking, was shown a second yellow card for recklessly—and completely needlessly—barging into Wesley Fofana at a corner, with Cole Palmer converting the subsequent penalty.

Estêvão saw another strike ruled out for offside as Chelsea sought to further gloss the scoreline, but they were ultimately forced to settle for just the two-goal victory as they piled yet more misery on United.

The Problem That Won’t Go Away

United’s ability to implode in remarkable and dramatic fashion is unrivaled in the Premier League.

After humiliating defeats to Como and Bournemouth, they were in dire need of a positive reaction, and for the first 45 minutes in west London, Carrick received exactly that. United were comfortably the stronger side from the off, dominating the goal-mouth action and keeping Chelsea relatively quiet up until the halftime whistle.

But this beleaguered United team need no invitation to capitulate, and they delivered their latest collapse shortly after the restart.

United’s defense parted like the red sea as Rogers casually strolled through to fire the hosts ahead. An absent midfield offered little protection, but there can be no excuses for a rearguard which gifted the Englishman the freedom of Stamford Bridge to score a crucial opener.

Carrick’s tactical acumen has been deservedly questioned—even by his own captain—but he can’t be blamed for the moment of utter chaos which ruled out any chance of a United comeback.

Martínez, who publicly took aim at the club’s recruitment only a few weeks ago, neatly wrapped up three points for Chelsea courtesy of his baffling red card. Without even looking at the ball as the home side swung a corner into the box, the Argentine, leading with his arm, collided into Fofana, deservedly earning a second booking following VAR intervention and giving up a spot kick.

It was yet another example of just how rotten United are at their core—both in the boardroom and dressing room—and a rash decision which could easily mark the final nail in Carrick’s coffin.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1)

GK: Mike Penders—7.4: Made some strong saves and one excellent stop to keep United out. Went much better than last weekend’s Premier League outing.

RB: Josh Acheampong—8.3: Handled Matheus Cunha effectively and dovetailed nicely with Estêvão ahead of him.

CB: Wesley Fofana—8.1: Made not one but two blunders which should have gifted United—and more specifically Amad—an opening goal during the first 45 minutes. Very fortunate they went unpunished.

CB: Levi Colwill—7.5: Helped Chelsea earn a rare clean sheet with a commanding performance.

LB: Marco Palestra—7.0: Struggled for much of the match. Out of position too frequently, while also offering very little in the attacking third.

CM: Roméo Lavia—8.9: Imposing and defiant in the engine room. An outstanding display, which even yielded an assist as he recovered the ball for Rogers.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—7.2: Not as impressive as his midfield partner, but relatively solid regardless.

RW: Estêvão—8.2: Chelsea’s liveliest forward player and determined to impress Xabi Alonso every time he gained possession. The Brazilian’s dancing feet caused real issues for United at times, and he unfortunate not to get among the goals.

AM: Cole Palmer—8.4: Just about scored from the penalty spot. Grew in confidence as the match progressed.

LW: Morgan Rogers—8.3: Several dazzling flicks grabbed attention, but it was his stunning solo strike which was most impressive. A real handful for United throughout.

ST: Pedro Neto—7.0: Reprised his lesser-seen role as a makeshift striker in João Pedro’s absence, but never seemed particularly comfortable.

SUB: Pep Chavarría (73’ for Palestra)—6.1: Enjoyed an easy ride.

SUB: Danny Welbeck (87’ for Caicedo)—N/A

SUB: Valentín Barco (87’ for Neto)—N/A

SUB: Malo Gusto (87’ for Estêvão)—N/A

SUB: Geovany Quenda (90+7’ for Palmer)—N/A

Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Olutayo Subuloye, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Emmanuel Emegha.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1)

GK: Senne Lammens—7.8: Perhaps could have saved Palmer’s penalty after getting a strong glove on the strike. Made a couple of quality saves elsewhere.

RB: Leny Yoro—7.0: United’s best and most consistent defender—although that’s not saying much.

CB: Harry Maguire—6.6: Inspired by Fofana as he gifted Neto a glorious one-on-one opportunity late in the first half. Bamboozled by Rogers for the opening goal.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—4.9: Simply unacceptable. One of the most foolish red cards you’re ever likely to see.

LB: Diogo Dalot—6.9: Given real problems by Estêvão, who often exploited Dalot’s slow reactions.

CM: Carlos Baleba—5.8: An unspectacular showing from the summer recruit, who was withdrawn before the hour.

CM: Andrey Santos—6.7: One significant intervention denied his former club an excellent chance in the first half, but this was another match in which United’s midfield seriously struggled.

RW: Amad Diallo—7.2: Wreaked havoc with his pressing and enthusiasm. At the heart of his side’s brightest moments, even if his wastefulness ultimately proved costly.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—6.8: All eyes were on United’s captain on his comeback, but he was rarely involved in truth. A passable performance.

LW: Matheus Cunha—6.8: A trailing left leg denied Cunha his third goal of the season, which was the only major involvement he had in proceedings.

ST: Bryan Mbeumo—6.3: Lost possession in the build-up to Rogers’s strike and was seldom a significant threat to Chelsea’s defense. Benjamin Šeško is sorely missed.

SUB: Kobbie Mainoo (58’ for Baleba)—6.3: Couldn’t help stabilize the midfield, and his life was made far more challenging by Martínez’s dismissal.

SUB: Mason Mount (66’ for Cunha)—6.1: Barely featured against his former club.

SUB: Ayden Heaven (66’ for Santos)—6.3: An unremarkable cameo.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (77’ for Amad)—5.9: Caused a few issues despite United’s numerical disadvantage.

Subs not used: Karl Darlow (GK), Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Youri Tielemans, Shea Lacey.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Chelsea came alive after halftime, especially their forward players. Rogers deserves immense credit for his beautiful run and finish, while Palmer also found some form after the Blues went ahead. But it was the consistently dazzling feet of Estêvão that really made Chelsea tick, with the Brazilian twice scoring from offside positions and generally causing chaos for United’s defense.
• Holding midfielders rarely steal the headlines, but this was an epic showing from Roméo Lavia. He racked up an astonishing 23 defensive contributions as he completely dominated the midfield battle single-handedly.
• One can’t look beyond Martínez as United’s villain, but the likes of Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Carlos Baleba also produced underwhelming performances. The major silver lining for the Red Devils was the performance of Amad, who was excellent during an encouraging first half.

The Numbers That Explain a Blockbuster Affair

• Chelsea named the youngest starting lineup the Premier League has seen this season, making their victory all the more impressive.
• The second half proved utterly decisive at Stamford Bridge. While United produced just 0.08 expected goals after the break, Chelsea conjured 2.39 xG as they took the match away from their visitors.
• The Red Devils have now failed to win any of their last nine matches in all competitions, while also suffering only their third defeat to Chelsea since the start of the 2020–21 season.

Statistic	Chelsea	Man Utd
Possession	59%	41%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.67	1.17
Total Shots	18	12
Shots on Target	9	5
Big Chances	4	3
Pass Accuracy	88%	77%
Fouls Committed	8	20
Corners	8	7

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea vs. Man Utd Player Ratings: Blues Punish Miserable Red Devils.