Manchester United hold on after Cunha’s cool finish to hand Chelsea latest loss

A makeshift Manchester United defence did not even have to resort to hair pulls to keep out a goalshy Chelsea. The unfamiliar pairing of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui grew into a tepid game after a shaky start, making the full-time boos inevitable. Stamford Bridge was an unhappy place again, the unrest in the stands growing as a fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League approached, and the only time the home fans stopped pining for the old Chelsea was when Mason Mount came on to help United protect their 1-0 lead.

Think back to Porto in May 2021. Back then, long before anyone in west London had heard of BlueCo, it was Mount who created the winner when Chelsea became kings of Europe for the second time. Five years on, though, this is a club that cannot even be sure that they will be in the Champions League next season.

The drop in standards is stark. Chelsea did not do enough to press at United’s defensive issues and, at this rate, are at risk of being dragged into a fight for Conference League qualification. They are four points below fifth-placed Liverpool before the Merseyside derby but when Liam Rosenior looks over his shoulder he will be alarmed by a host of mid-table teams closing in on Chelsea.

Rosenior is approaching dangerous territory. Chelsea last lost four straight games without scoring in 1998 (a run that also featured a 1-0 defeat to United) and there was bitter irony in one of their players being involved in the game’s only goal. Alejandro Garnacho capped off a dreadful display against his old side by shrinking when Bruno Fernandes ran through to set Matheus Cunha up to help Michael Carrick’s side tighten their grip on third place and close on a return to the Champions League.

Casemiro, outstanding in defensive midfield as United shut up shop during the closing stages half, celebrated wildly after the final whistle. This was a fine response from Carrick after the aberration against Leeds. Kobbie Mainoo was smooth on his return in midfield and Heaven stood tall once he found his feet.

It is a sure bet that the fans who protested against Chelsea’s owners before the game will have even more to complain about after their side failed to test a threadbare United rearguard properly. Rosenior needed a result to silence the noise. This was a glaring opportunity given that United were without Lisandro Martínez, Harry Maguire and Lenny Yoro in central defence, where Mazraoui was shifted inside to partner the inexperienced Heaven, and the onus was on Chelsea to seize the initiative.

Chelsea needed to borrow from the Leeds playbook and make it physical. Liam Delap showed early intent after coming in for the injured João Pedro, forcing Heaven to stretch and concede a corner. Heaven’s positioning was off and the youngster was lucky not to be penalised for catching Cole Palmer on the edge of the area.