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Did director Hueng Amorim's persistence with tactics work. I caught Chelsea.
Manchester United won 2-1 at home in the fifth round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2025-2026 season at Alt Trafford in Manchester, England, on the 21st (Korea time).
Until the fifth round of this season, the game was played in the most chaos of the games. The problem broke out from the beginning. Chelsea goalkeeper Romert Sanchez blocked a one-on-one opportunity with an unreasonable defense in the fourth minute of the first half in the process of preventing the counterattack of his opponent Brian Mbömo. The referee immediately took out a red card for Sanchez, who stopped Mboumo with a tackle. It was a natural decision because it was a clear scoring opportunity. Chelsea lost their goalkeeper due to the shortest exit from the league in history.
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Chelsea's choice, which was outnumbered, was defense, not balance. Coach Enzo Maresca immediately made the change by excluding Esteban and Pedro Netu and adding Philippe Jorgensen and center back Toshin Adarabioyo. Jorgensen was a natural choice to fill an empty goal, but Toshin's input was a choice that showed his willingness to get down.
But the game didn't go as Chelsea thought. Manchester United have created a rift. In the 14th minute of the first half, Bruno Fernandes did not miss Patrick Dorgu's header flowing to the back of the defense. Bruno's shot went straight through Jorgensen and shook the Chelsea net. It went through VAR review, but the score was not canceled. Chelsea's bad news did not end here. Andrei Santos was put in because ace Cole Palmer had to go into the bench complaining of groin pain.
United widened the gap. The attack, which continued to be attempted amid the numerical superiority, paid off. In the 37th minute of the first half, Casemiro scored an additional goal by pushing the ball that fell after Maguire's header with his head.
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However, Manchester United also failed to avoid the variables. The exit problem broke out. In the 5th minute of extra time in the first half, Casemiro stopped Santos' breakthrough with an excessive tackle at a time when he already had a warning. The referee immediately declared a cumulative exit with a warning. The first half ended with Manchester United's 2-0 lead.
When the midfield gap occurred, coach Amorim chose to change at the beginning of the second half by putting in Manuel Ugarte, excluding Benjamin Seschko. In the second half, Chelsea took the tide. As the numerical balance was balanced, they actively attacked. The chase goal was scored late in the day. In the 35th minute of the second half, Trevor Chalova finished off a cross from Reece James to the gate, shaking the net. Chelsea continued to try to attack afterwards, but with little success. The match ended with a 2-1 victory for Manchester United.
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Manager Amorim overcame the crisis at a time when he is driven to the brink of this season with the victory. In a press conference ahead of the match against Chelsea, Amorim said "Even if the pope persuades me, he will not change me. This is my job, my responsibility, my life," he said, expressing a strong belief in his tactics.
However, there were many questions about whether coach Amorim's stubbornness was a really meaningful choice. Manchester United has been going through a difficult time at the beginning of the season, starting with the defeat against Arsenal this season. In the League Cup, he was eliminated after losing to Grimsby Town (fourth division) after a penalty shootout, and the patience of local fans toward Amorim was reaching its limit as he was completely defeated in the Manchester derby recently. In this situation, fans will have to watch Manchester United's performance again because Amorim's persistence in tactics has paid off with a lucky exit.
Britain's BBC reported that Manchester United won an important victory after Sanchez was sent off in five minutes during heavy rain. It was United's second victory, and one in front of owner Jim Ratcliffe. The aspect of the game changed to an exit, and it was the worst situation, with water splashing on the stadium at the start of the second half. This had nothing to do with tactical analysis. Amorim must act now, and his team eventually won. Chelsea rated the two teams as typical of this chaotic collapse at Old Trafford.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
