Chelsea had several standout performers in the starting XI against Manchester United, although the performances of some of those stars were a little more hit and miss.

However, I'm choosing to focus on the positives as we head into November, expanding on yesterday's winners and losers while giving credit to the players who stood out. It was a good team performance, so there are plenty of reasons to look at the positives from almost half the starting XI.

The stars

Mike Penders

Mike Penders impressed during Chelsea's Carabao Cup exit against Liverpool, but he took his performance up another level against Manchester United, denying the visitors several opportunities to find the back of the net.

The save that really stands out was his brilliant fingertip effort to tip Bryan Mbeumo's shot onto the crossbar. He also made some routine but important stops to deny Amad, the kind of saves you would expect from an international goalkeeper.

Hopefully, this is the first of many performances like this. Magic Mike has made a strong case for himself, and Chelsea supporters will be hoping he can establish himself as the club's number one going forward.

Estevao

It was his first Premier League start of the season, with Xabi Alonso returning to a back four and a system that allowed the wingers to play with more freedom. The Brazilian was direct and threatening throughout, giving the opposition left-back a difficult afternoon.

His performance would have been even better had one of his disallowed goals stood. Finding the back of the net would have been the perfect way to cap an excellent display and really put the icing on the cake.

He finished with five shots, three of which were on target, alongside five attempted dribbles and an impressive passing record. Estevao was given an opportunity to prove a point, and he certainly did that.

Morgan Rogers

His goal was excellent, with a clever solo run that seemed to wrong-foot the Manchester United defenders before a tidy finish gave Chelsea the opener and set them on their way. He was arguably more influential than Cole Palmer, who is still struggling to find his best form.

He looked a threat in the first half, but lacked the cutting edge needed to turn his promising moments into something more.

Josh Acheampong

I was a big fan of Josh's performance yesterday, particularly going forward. He carried the ball well and used his passing to navigate Manchester United's press with relative ease. His link-up play with Estevao was also particularly encouraging.

Defensively, he was equally impressive, handling one-on-one situations extremely well. There were a few moments when his positioning could have been better, but overall, I thought he was Chelsea's best defender on the day.

Romeo Lavia

As I mentioned in the player ratings, the Belgian was arguably the best player on the pitch, showing exactly what Chelsea need from a midfielder who can control the middle of the park and contribute at both ends.

His performance over his first consecutive 90-minute appearances in some time highlighted the work Alonso has been doing with him. He was constantly intercepting passes, covering spaces and pressing effectively, making a real difference to Chelsea's midfield balance.

He also played a key role in the opening goal, winning the ball back from Mbeumo and allowing Rogers to take over and work his magic.