Matheus Cunha was the match-winner for Man Utd against Chelsea, but more than his goal, what was important is the way he scored it.
It was a clinical performance from Man Utd against Chelsea in their 1-0 win, as Michael Carrick’s men expertly kept the Blues at bay.
Matheus Cunha made a clinical difference at the other end, scoring with United’s only shot on target, also taking Bruno Fernandes to 18 assists this season.
Cunha’s goal was brilliant, but how he scored also exposed why Alejandro Garnacho was bound to fail at Old Trafford.
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea looks dejected during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 18, 2026
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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A massive performance and victory…
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Story behind Matheus Cunha’s goal
Cunha took a brilliant first-time shot as he ran onto Fernandes’ perfectly weighted pass, leaving Robert Sanchez with no chance.
Benjamin Sesko played a role in the winner, but the final execution was all down to the Brazilian, which he did in style.
However, that is only because it was his second attempt at the same kind of situation, the first of which happened just a few minutes before.
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Cunha’s first-time shot deserves credit, but that is only because he ruined an even better chance a few minutes earlier when Bryan Mbeumo played the ball to him.
At the time, Cunha took a heavy first touch instead of shooting right away, and as the ball squirmed away from him, he ended up clattering into a Chelsea player.
He got booked right away and accepted that booking with grace, but in his mind, a lesson had been learned.
Next time, when the ball fell to him in a similar spot, there was no mistaking what he was going to do, and he did so in style, and with confidence.
In the process, he exposed Garnacho’s biggest limitation.
Cunha’s goal exposes Alejandro Garnacho
Cunha learning in real time and implementing a fix for his error stands in sharp contrast to Garnacho’s career at United, or even at Chelsea now.
What is your message to Alejandro Garnacho after Man Utd do the double over Chelsea in 2025/26…
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea looks dejected during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 18, 2026
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
The Argentine has always been a willing runner with the ball, but he is still the same player who broke through at United under Erik ten Hag.
He repeatedly runs into blind alleys, struggles to get past his man if he’s not beating him for pure pace, and his decision-making hasn’t grown at all in three years since his debut.
It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that Garnacho would have missed the first chance just like Cunha, but would have tried the same thing the second time, expecting a different result.
This is what makes him such a frustrating player to watch, something which Chelsea fans are experiencing right now.
The age and experience excuses go out of the window when he hasn’t learned and evolved in three years.
This is simply who Garnacho is as a player, and Cunha’s goal exposed why he was bound to fail at United.
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