FOR a tempestuous few months, it’s never rained but it’s poured for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United.
But on a filthy night came a glimmer of light.
GettyBruno Fernandes prods Man Utd into an early lead[/caption]
Fernandes celebrates firing Man Utd into the leadGetty
Under a deluge of rain, United and Amorim kept their just about kept their heads above water.
The 10 men in red overcame the 10 in blue in a match that recalled, in drama if not quality, the days when these clubs went toe to toe for Premier League titles.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez started the ball rolling by getting himself sent off inside five minutes.
After Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro put United two up, the Brazilian midfielder had his own moment of madness and received a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time.
The second period was petering out pretty uneventfully, 10 v 10, on a pitch that resembled a bog – until Trevoh Chalobah pulled one back to set nerves jangling in the Theatre of Screams.
But United survived some hairy moments in stoppage time and so dragged themselves and their beleaguered boss out of the mud, for one day at least.
Instead it was Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca feeling the heat on a chilly autumn night.
This was a significant blow, made worse by Cole Palmer having to go off injured before a quarter of the game had gone.
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GettyRobert Sanchez took out Bryan Mbeumo[/caption]
EPASanchez, 27, was sent for an early bath[/caption]
Following the draw against Brentford and defeat in Munich, this was a game the Blues were firm favourites to win.
But asking if Chelsea lost at Old Trafford is beginning to be like enquiring if the Pope is Catholic.
Amorim said before the game that not even the Pontiff himself could persuade him to change his formation and philosophy.
Maresca and Chelseas failed to stop their own rot. The Blues’ last win at United’s home is still the one achieved on May 5 2013.
Three days after that, Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would retire at the end of what turned out to be a final title-winning season.
Amorim is the latest successor to try and, so far, fail to bring back the glory days.
But sometimes it can take just one moment, one bit of good fortune or a flash of genius, to change the story. Just ask Fergie and Mark Robins.
Maybe one day Amorim and United will look back on Sanchez’s rush of blood to the head as that turning point.
The home team had started well, forcing the Chelsea ‘keeper to save from Bryan Mbeumo and then seeing Reece James brilliantly nip the ball off the toe of Patrick Dorgu.
And there were not even four minutes on the clock when Benjamin Sesko beat Chalobah to Altay Bayindir’s long punt and flicked it with his head into Mbeumo’s path.
Sanchez ran recklessly outside his box and clattered into the Cameroon international. Maresca turned away immediately, knowing the red card was inevitable.
The Chelsea boss took off both wingers, Estevao and Pedro Neto, in favour of sub ‘keeper Filip Jorgensen and centre half Tosin Adarabioyo.
EPACasemiro makes it 2-0 from close range[/caption]
EPAThe Brazilian celebrates his first half goal[/caption]
But his team held out for only 10 minutes or so.
United fans have had little to celebrate for months so it felt only fair they were able to cheer the goal twice.
First, when Fernandes tucked the ball home from close range after Dorgu headed Noussair Mazraoui’s cross into his path.
And again, once a VAR check that lasted almost two minutes confirmed that Chalobah had played the scoring parts of Fernandes’ body fractionally onside.
Chelsea’s evening soon got even worse. To mocking cheers from the United fans, Palmer was forced off with what looked like a recurrence of his groin problems.
Nothing was going for the Blues, much to Maresca’s fury and frustration.
During a rare attack, Joao Pedro wanted a penalty for a challenge by Mazraoui but the United man seemed to get the ball.
Then another Dorgu header led to another goal, but this time with a massive slice of luck.
Or a massive slice by Reece James, to be more accurate..
Dorgu seemed to have wasted a good opening, but the Chelsea captain sent the ball soaring into the rain-drenched sky above his own penalty area.
GettyCasemiro received a second yellow for grabbing Andrey Santos[/caption]
Luke Shaw won the first header and Casemiro was there at the back post to send the second past Jorgensen.
Shaw and Enzo Fernandez were involved in a scuffle as tempers frayed.
United had openings before nine minutes of first-half stoppage time but Casemiro decided instead to give Chelsea a glimmer of hope.
Already booked for a foul on Fernandez, the Brazilian hauled down Blues sub Andrey Santos unnecessarily. A second yellow card was as inevitable as Sanchez’s red.
Chelsea started the second half as if they were more determined to settle some scores than to find a way back into the game.
Fernandez and Chalobah were booked for strong fouls as conditions descended into near farce with the constant rain turning the pitch into a bog.
James forced a corner from which his team thought they had pulled a goal back.
But Wesley Fofana was well offside after Tosin helped on James’ corner.
Maresca made his last throw of the dice by throwing on Malo Gusto and Tyrique George.
They rarely threatened again until Chalobah buried a brilliant header in the corner from another James cross.
Suddenly it was game on. Fernandes charged through and forced a decent save from Jorgensen.
On another day, the script would have been written for Alejandro Garnacho to come on for Chelsea and grab a late equaliser.
But Maresca had used all his subs and, despite seven minutes of added time, Amorim was spared the agony of seeing the player he bombed out come back to haunt him.
Perhaps his and United’s luck has changed at last.
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