Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge as Martínez is sent off
Chelsea defeated Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League match on 31 October 2026, with Morgan Rogers scoring early in the second half and Cole Palmer converting a penalty after Lisandro Martínez was sent off. The loss was United’s seventh defeat in 13 matches.
There were echoes of Erik ten Hag’s final game as pressure mounted on interim manager Michael Carrick at Stamford Bridge, with United failing to take several gilt-edged opportunities while the scores were level. Chelsea’s first half was described as poor in the report, but United’s finishing and defending were also criticised for not capitalising on their dominance. The crowd ran through anti-board chants and questioned Jason Wilcox’s credentials as technical director as the match progressed.
Xabi Alonso made a selection change by giving Estêvão Willian his first league start of the season and adjusting without the injured João Pedro up front, while Pedro Neto led the line instead of Danny Welbeck in a 4-2-3-1. United threatened early: Diogo Dalot combined with Mateus Cunha on the left and Andrey Santos—who left Chelsea for United last summer—fired a 20-yard shot narrowly wide. Senne Lammens spilled a Neto effort only for an offside Estêvão to tap home, and Cunha later had a would-be opener ruled out by VAR for offside.
Bruno Fernandes returned to the side after "clear the air" talks with Carrick and operated in a floating role from the left, but United were wasteful at key moments. Amad Diallo twice tested the goalkeeper with efforts after cutting inside, and Marrisa Mbeumo’s interplay produced chances that United failed to convert. Levi Colwill blocked a Cunha break and Wesley Fofana drew jeers from the home crowd after a pair of defensive errors.
Chelsea’s line-up was weakened by absences, with illness ruling Jordan Henderson out and the defence noted as wobbling without Maxence Lacroix. Moisés Caicedo diverted a Fofana header against the woodwork and Neto shot wide after Harry Maguire stumbled, but Chelsea grew more assertive after the interval. Roméo Lavia began to exert control in midfield as the second half opened.
United’s resilience cracked when Mbeumo drifted into trouble, Caicedo blocked his path, Lavia nicked the ball from Carlos Baleba and Morgan Rogers—the £117m man—sauntered through the middle to dink over Lammens for 1-0. Shortly after, Martínez, already on a booking, elbowed Fofana from a corner; referee Peter Bankes reviewed the incident and sent Martínez off, enabling Palmer to convert the resulting penalty and make it 2-0, a goal that pushed Chelsea into fourth place.
Carrick was applauded when he walked over at full-time while United players were booed as they trudged to the away end. Chelsea's victory left United with mounting scrutiny and the club set to face Roma on Tuesday.
