Chelsea 2-0 Man United: Martinez sent off as Carrick's side go nine games without a win
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer beat 10-man Manchester United, who sit a point above the relegation zone after nine games without a win.
At a glance
- Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 31, 2026, through Morgan Rogers (49 minutes) and a Cole Palmer penalty.
- Lisandro Martinez conceded the penalty and was sent off for a second yellow card on 63 minutes after fouling Wesley Fofana.
- United have gone nine games without a win in all competitions and are provisionally 16th with seven points, one above the relegation zone.
- Chelsea move up to fourth on 16 points under Xabi Alonso.
- Carrick said he expects to be in charge for Tuesday's game against Roma.
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, leaving Michael Carrick's side one point above the Premier League relegation zone. Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored in the second half, after Lisandro Martinez gave away a penalty and was sent off.
United have now gone nine games without a win in all competitions, their longest such run since 1988. They are provisionally 16th with seven points from nine matches. Chelsea climb to fourth on 16.
Fifteen minutes that undid United's best half in weeks
For 45 minutes United looked better than their form. Bruno Fernandes, back in the starting line-up after a falling-out with Carrick, Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo all had chances, and Cunha thought he had scored with a close-range header before it was ruled out for a fractional offside.
It fell apart within four minutes of the restart. Rogers picked up the ball just inside the United half, beat the defenders in front of him and lifted a shot past Senne Lammens.
On 63 minutes United were defending a corner when Martinez, already booked, floored Wesley Fofana in the area. The referee gave a penalty and a second yellow. Lammens got a hand to Palmer's spot-kick but could not keep it out.
The score could have been worse. Estevao had two goals disallowed, and Lammens made a string of saves against the 10 men. Home fans sang "You'll be sacked in the morning" at Carrick, who spent 12 years in midfield at United as a player.
Where the results have gone wrong
| Recent United match | Result |
|---|---|
| Como (Champions League) | Lost 4-1 |
| Bournemouth (home, Premier League) | Lost 3-0 |
| Chelsea (away, Premier League) | Lost 2-0 |
The board chose not to sack Carrick after the Bournemouth defeat. Martinez, who criticised the club's hierarchy in a post-match outburst earlier this month, will now be suspended for the next league game.
What Carrick and Alonso's teams showed
Xabi Alonso's Chelsea used Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia as a double pivot, with Pedro Neto and Estevao holding the width so that Rogers and Palmer could work between the lines. It took a half to pay off.
Carrick said he had not seen the sending-off when asked about it, and answered "No" when asked whether Martinez had let him down.
"We could've, should've been up really first half," he said. "We found a way to unravel it second half." He said he did not think heads had dropped, but accepted: "There's no hiding from the fact that we haven't won enough games."
Asked about supporters singing his name while booing the players, he said there was a lot of emotion around a club whose fans "pay a lot of money to watch us play".
Roma on Tuesday, and a question for the board
Carrick said he expects to be in the dugout when United play Roma on Tuesday, November 3. Before that, the rest of the Premier League's ninth round could push United closer to the bottom three, with several sides around them still to play.
