Chelsea looked rudderless until Morgan Rogers took the game by the scruff of the neck in the 50th minute.

Receiving the ball from midfielder Romeo Lavia, the £117m club record signing slalomed through the Manchester United defence before lifting a delicate chip over Senne Lammens.

It was a moment of magic, described by TNT Sports pundit and former Chelsea attacker Joe Cole as "Gascoigne-esque" - reminiscent of former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne - and one that exposed United's poor defending.

The goal came after Michael Carrick's visitors had dominated the first half but failed to take their chances, with Rogers' strike settling a disjointed Chelsea team.

Serious problems remain for Chelsea, not least the absence of eight players before kick-off, with first-choice striker Joao Pedro's injury arguably the most damaging in the short term.

The Brazilian suffered a thigh injury before the 2-0 home loss to Tottenham, a match that produced Chelsea's poorest attacking display of the season and the first time they had failed to score at Stamford Bridge.

Rogers struggled as a central striker in that game, while alternative option Danny Welbeck, signed from Brighton in the summer, remained on the bench.

However, after scoring in the penalty shootout defeat at Liverpool in midweek, Alonso kept faith with Rogers up front and was rewarded.

The solo effort was Rogers' sixth goal of the season in all competitions, to go with four assists. The forward has now been involved in 10 goals in 13 appearances, while no Chelsea player has featured more often this season.

Rogers became just the second Premier League player, after Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, to reach 10 goal involvements.

Cole Palmer's first goal in six games came from the penalty spot and effectively sealed victory, following a week on from his red card in the defeat by Spurs.

Although Chelsea remain a work in progress structurally, with Alonso saying his side will "look very different" and be "better" by the end of the season, their attack remains potent enough to outgun opponents.

Once again, with so many available attacking options, Xabi Alonso kept United guessing, with Rogers and winger Pedro Neto often in central positions.

It worked on this occasion as two natural strikers, Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha, were left on the bench.

"Today has worked really well," Alonso said. "We need to be creative at times and try to find solutions with the players available. Even Pedro [Neto] has worked really hard in that position. It's not new for him."