Manchester's side had, however, shown a fairly solid face before the break. But their resistance did not survive the intensity the Blues brought after the interval. More enterprising, the Londoners gradually took control of the match and made the difference.

Chelsea step up a gear after the break

The first half was marked by several chances at both ends. Chelsea had an Estevão goal ruled out for offside as early as the 15th minute, while Manchester United also thought they had opened the scoring through Matheus Cunha, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside in the 35th minute. The Blues also hit the post through Caicedo.

After the restart, Chelsea quickly found a way through. In the 51st minute, Morgan Rogers produced a remarkable individual run. Setting off from about 35 metres out, the Englishman beat several defenders before finishing with a left-footed lob to open the scoring.

Lisandro Martínez's sending-off hastens the Red Devils' collapse

Manchester United's situation became even more difficult on the hour. Already booked a few minutes earlier for a foul on Rogers, Lisandro Martínez received a second yellow card in the 63rd minute. VAR intervention allowed the referee to punish a gesture by the Argentine defender, who had raised his elbow to the throat of Wesley Fofana in the penalty area.

Chelsea were thus awarded a penalty, converted by Cole Palmer in the 64th minute. Reduced to ten men and now two goals down, the Red Devils failed to turn the tide. The Blues even thought they had scored a third through Estevão in the 71st minute, but the Brazilian's goal was ruled out for offside.

Impact on the table

With this win (2-0), Chelsea have done themselves a good turn in the standings. The Londoners provisionally move up to fourth place, pending in particular the meeting between Liverpool and Arsenal scheduled for Sunday.

For Manchester United, the picture is far more worrying. This fourth league defeat confirms the Red Devils' struggles, and they will need to find solutions quickly to halt this downward spiral.