Chelsea FC v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Saturday’s win over Manchester United was just what the doctor ordered for Xabi Alonso, as Chelsea’s fans were rewarded with a big victory at Stamford Bridge – and Neymar was impressed.
After defeats to Tottenham and Liverpool in the space of a few days, Alonso was under pressure to get a win against a Man United side in disarray. But Chelsea fans were nervous, with the pressure on the Blues.
Man United might have even edged the first half, but Chelsea held firm until Morgan Rogers’ moment of brilliance broke the deadlock. Then, Lisandro Martinez handed Chelsea all three points, getting sent off.
Cole Palmer netted a penalty, and Chelsea cruised to a 2-0 win. All smiles at Stamford Bridge again, with Alonso relieving some of the pressure on his shoulders. Neymar was left impressed by two Chelsea stars.
READ MORE:The special moment Estevao shared with Xabi Alonso on the touchline on Saturday
Morgan Rogers and Estevao earn Neymar praise on Saturday
Rogers proved he is worth every single penny of the £117m record fee he cost in the summer, when he danced through Man United’s defence early in the second half and chipped goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Estevao, meanwhile, was finally handed his first start in the Premier League by Alonso this season. It has been a long time coming, with Chelsea fans and those in Brazil questioning why he had not been playing.
Here's our Chelsea player ratings vs Man United! Who deserves higher or, perhaps, even lower? 👀
Manchester United played well, their offense was very smooth, especially with short passes, but their defense had problems.
Estêvão is really playing well, he can play more, he can play in the next game, this guy is great.
Estêvão can hold the pillow and cry for two nights. If he is late for training tomorrow morning, Alonso will forgive him.
During the week, Jamie O’Hara even urged Estevao to leave Chelsea with Alonso not using the winger. He had remained an unused sub against Liverpool, but to the surprise of many, Estevao started on Saturday.
Estevao was excellent, having two goals disallowed – the second of which was decided by millimetres. He was superb, and it earned praise from Neymar on Instagram, who reacted to an image of the Blues duo.
Estevao tagged Neymar on Instagram after he and Rogers celebrated, and Neymar responded to an image of the Chelsea duo by posting it on his own story, along with “fenomenos”, or “phenomenal”.
The ‘Careta’ is one of Neymar’s trademark celebrations
Estevao started with the celebration, hands either side of his head outstretched and his tongue out, which Rogers then copied. There was a bit of meaning behind it too, with Neymar often celebrating in this way.
During his PSG years, Neymar often used ‘The Careta’. He did it after a brace against Montpellier in a 5-2 win, against Brest during a 1-0 win in 2022, and in a Champions League win against Maccabi Haifa.
Paris Saint Germain v Montpellier - French League 1
Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
He first did it back in 2015, during Brazil’s 3-1 win over France. After his goal against Gamba Osaka in a friendly for PSG, in which he did the ‘Careta’, he posted “Careta pros hate”, or a “grimace for the haters”.
Estevao once said Neymar is his idol, as per FourFourTwo: “He [Neymar] was my idol growing up, and he wore Nike boots. When they told me I’d be wearing the same boots as Neymar, I was over the moon.”
On the same weekend as Halloween, it is likely Estevao had pre-planned the celebration and was unlucky not to do it after scoring himself. But he still got the celebration in, tagging his idol Neymar post-match.
The win takes Chelsea into the top four for now, ahead of Liverpool, with a difficult trip to Sunderland next. The same fixture that stopped Chelsea from getting into Europe on the final day of 2025-26.