On Saturday night, Manchester United snatched all three points from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Matheus Cunha’s ruthless 43rd-minute goal knocked out a strong but wasteful Blues side. Michael Carrick’s team are now 10 points ahead of the Blues in third place in the Premier League. This win all but guarantees that United will be back in Europe’s top competition after a two-year absence.
Liam Rosenior’s team were better for long stretches of the game, but they couldn’t get past the visitors. Chelsea had 21 shots on goal and three on target, while United only had one shot on target. Delap’s header notably hit the woodwork, and Noussair Mazraoui turned a cross onto his own bar while Wesley Fofana was putting pressure on him. However, it was not to be for the Blues.
After the final whistle, a defeated Rosenior told TNT Sports that his team had not been outplayed. He also said his players were making big mistakes at key moments and missing chances, adding that the hosts hit the woodwork twice and were not far off.
Chelsea have now lost four Premier League games without scoring, which is the longest such streak in the club’s history since November 1912. Bruno Fernandes set up Cunha’s winning goal, giving him his 18th assist of the season in the Premier League. He is now two assists short of the single-season record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Liam Rosenior Under Pressure As Chelsea Fans Call Comments “Deluded”
Liam Rosenior is getting closer to what fans now see as an inevitable sacking after three months at Stamford Bridge. The loss put even more pressure on a manager who had only been in charge for such a short time. Notably, before the game, hundreds of fans protested BlueCo’s ownership, and at the end of the game, loud boos rang out around the stadium.
After the game, his insistence that Chelsea were in charge the whole time drew sharp criticism from unhappy fans on social media. Some Blues’ faithful called his comments “condescending, clueless, and deluded,” and many demanded that the club fire him before the season gets even more chaotic. The Blues have only won one of their last seven games in all competitions.
When asked about the effects of not making it into the Champions League next season, Rosenior said in his post-match press conference that he didn’t know, but that the issue would be dealt with at the end of the season. On Tuesday, the Blues will go to Brighton. Rosenior needs a quick response because Liverpool, Aston Villa, Brentford, Bournemouth, and Everton are all fighting for a spot in the top five.