Chelsea: Maresca Blames Sanchez After Red Card In United Defeat

Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has criticised goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for his reckless challenge that led to an early red card in the club’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Naija News reports that Sanchez was sent off inside the opening minutes for hacking down United’s Bryan Mbeumo, who was clean through on goal.

Reflecting on the incident, Maresca said it would have been wiser to concede the goal rather than reduce his side to 10 men so early.

“It was better to let Mbeumo score than get a red card,” the Chelsea boss admitted in a post-match interview.

“We still had 95 minutes to play. Robert is aware of that. It’s difficult, but if you ask me, I prefer to be one goal down after five minutes than one player down.”

Sanchez’s challenge that led to a Red card

Naija News reports that the dismissal forced Maresca into reshuffling his squad, bringing on Filip Jorgensen to replace Sánchez and sacrificing wingers Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto in a defensive move.

The gamble backfired almost immediately as Bruno Fernandes put United ahead in the 14th minute, latching onto Patrick Dorgu’s header for a close-range finish.

Chelsea’s woes deepened when Cole Palmer limped off with a groin injury, leaving the Blues with three substitutions made inside the first 21 minutes.

United doubled their advantage in the 37th minute after a defensive mix-up allowed Casemiro to head home from close range. But the Brazilian midfielder was later sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

Chelsea Fight Back, But Too Late

Despite United’s numerical disadvantage, Chelsea could only find a late consolation through Trevoh Chalobah, who powered home a header from Reece James’ cross in the 80th minute.

The Blues pushed for an equaliser but could not break United’s defence, slumping to their first league defeat of the season.

The loss comes on the back of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford in their last Premier League outing and a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Maresca, who has faced criticism for persisting with his 3-4-3 formation, now faces fresh questions as his side’s momentum falters.

For United, the victory provided relief for manager Ruben Amorim, whose side capitalised on Chelsea’s early implosion to secure an important win.

Source: Naijanews