Chelsea’s trip to Old Trafford started in the worst possible way when Robert Sanchez was sent off in the early stages against Manchester United. It proved to be costly, as the Blues would go on to lose the Premier League fixture.
Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss against Man Utd in Saturday evening’s game, which is their first league defeat of the season.
Enzo Maresca’s side were at a numerical disadvantage very early on because Robert Sanchez was shown a straight red card inside the first five minutes. After Bryan Mbeumo raced through on goal, the Chelsea goalkeeper clashed legs with the Man Utd attacker to bring him down and earn his dismissal.
Mark Clattenburg delivered his verdict on the Sanchez red card by claiming it was the correct decision from the officials. He exclusively told The Chelsea Chronicle: “Robert Sanchez was rightly sent off for a wild challenge on Bryan Mbeumo. Once Mbeumo gets to the ball first, the contact was always going to happen and it’s clearly a foul…”
Afterwards, Man Utd took a two-goal lead against 10-man Chelsea with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. However, a crazy opening 45 minutes ended with Casemiro receiving a second yellow card.
Trevoh Chalobah scored a header in the 80th-minute to reduce the deficit and set up a nervous finale, but the Blues suffered yet more disappointment at Old Trafford, where they have not won in the league since 2013.
- READ MORE: Chelsea teenager shines yet again despite U21s suffering first league defeat of the season
Fan pressure will pile further on Robert Sanchez as he sets unwanted record
Sanchez, 27, has been on thin ice with Chelsea supporters for quite a while now. He certainly won’t have helped his reputation by picking up the first red card of his Blues career this weekend, which ultimately cost his side.
After losing away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek, Joe Cole called Sanchez a “work in progress”, which feels like an accurate description.
Despite the fact that the Spanish gloveman is capable of some exceptional performances in net, it always feels like a serious mistake is just around the corner.
OptaJoe claimed via X that Sanchez’s red card was the earliest ever from a Chelsea player in a Premier League match.
We wonder how many more chances the first-choice keeper will get at Stamford Bridge because the high-profile errors are tallying up. Back in July, Jody Morris argued Chelsea must replace Sanchez if they want to go to another level.
Can Filip Jorgensen capitalise?
Filip Jorgensen, Chelsea’s understudy in goal, needs to try and impress because an opportunity has presented itself.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper didn’t make the best start after coming on against Man Utd. For Casemiro’s goal, his hesitance to come for a high ball inside the penalty area played a major role in conceding.
However, we would expect to see him start Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Lincoln City followed by next Saturday’s league match at home to Brighton.
Last season, Jorgensen didn’t make the most of his small period as the starting goalkeeper. Let’s wait and see if he’s ready to seize the chance this time around.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
