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Manchester United’s English head coach Michael Carrick looks on during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London on October 31, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
Manchester United’s woes were on full display after they allowed Chelsea to climb back into the Premier League contest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Carrick saw the Red Devils make a strong start to the first half and Matheus Cunha had a potential opener against Chelsea chalked off at the weekend.
Manchester United’s chances against Chelsea in the opening 45 minutes were wasted by the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo.
The Red Devils produced 12 shots in total across the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea outdid Man Utd by seven more shots.
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Chelsea had their most attempted shots in a single Premier League match this season against Man Utd
According to Opta Analyst, Chelsea managed a total of 19 Premier League shots in the space of 90 minutes — their highest total under Xabi Alonso this season. Eight of those shots came in the first half before a further 11 were added after the break.
The shift in the attacking output against Manchester United was evident in the second half as well. The Red Devils had nine shots in the first half before Michael Carrick’s men dropped their total number to three in the second half.
Chelsea’s Premier League shot stat reveals a deep issue that emerged for United manager Carrick across the full 90 minutes. Four of Chelsea’s eight shooting attempts in the first half came from the left side of the box, as Lisandro Martinez played as the left-sided centre-back and Diogo Dalot was playing as an inverted full-back.
However, Chelsea’s 11 shots from the second half were far more compact and central compared with the opening 45 minutes. After Lisandro Martinez’s sending-off in the 63rd minute, four of Chelsea’s six shooting attempts from a more central area were pulled off. United were unable to circumvent Chelsea’s ability to find spaces inside the box compared with outside of it.
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The Blues had only two shots from outside of the box in the first half, but that increased to four after the break. Man Utd’s tactical shape under Carrick partly invited pressure from Chelsea and the likes of Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer were able to test Senne Lammens.
The shifting scale of Chelsea’s momentum in shots across both halves also shows a bigger issue with Man Utd losing momentum. The Red Devils were unable to sustain their attacking flow and were put under huge defensive pressure as a result. The red card for Martinez caused problems for United as well.
All three of United’s shots in the second half came after the 85th minute. Joshua Zirkzee, who climbed off the bench in the second half, was the first United player to produce anything meaningful after Martinez was sent off. The 25-year-old Dutch striker had a shot on target from outside of the box in the 84th minute, while Bryan Mbeumo tested the Chelsea net in injury time.
Just like his attempt in the 85th minute, Joshua Zirkzee registered another shot in injury time, making him the only United player to have two or more shots in the second half. While Carrick’s tactics were partially to blame for the Premier League defeat, Martinez’s sending-off opened the opportunity for Chelsea to improve their attacking flow at the same time as United’s momentum collapsed.