Rogers and Palmer seal Chelsea win as Manchester United go nine games without victory

Chelsea moved into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, leaving the visitors without a win in nine matches across all competitions. According to The Guardian’s match report, Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock after half-time before Cole Palmer converted a penalty following Lisandro Martínez’s dismissal.

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United created several chances before conceding but failed to turn their first-half pressure into a lead. Andrey Santos shot narrowly wide from distance, while Bruno Fernandes fired over after receiving a pass from Bryan Mbeumo on a counterattack. Amad Diallo also put two attempts on target as Chelsea struggled to establish control in midfield.

Both sides had goals ruled out for offside before the interval. Estêvão Willian finished after United goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled a Pedro Neto effort, but his celebrations were cut short. At the other end, Mateus Cunha’s apparent opener was disallowed after a video assistant referee review. Chelsea also threatened when Moisés Caicedo redirected a Wesley Fofana header against the woodwork.

Chelsea improved after the break and took advantage of a United turnover to go ahead. Mbeumo lost possession under pressure from Caicedo, and Roméo Lavia moved the ball past Carlos Baleba before Rogers advanced through the middle. The Chelsea attacker then lifted his finish over Lammens to put the home side in front.

The second goal followed an incident at a corner, where Martínez elbowed Fofana. Referee Peter Bankes reviewed the incident, and Martínez, who had already been booked, was sent off. Palmer scored the resulting penalty, leaving United two goals behind and a player down after they had been unable to capitalise on their earlier opportunities.

Palmer’s penalty also brought up a personal landmark. Opta figures carried in The Guardian’s report showed that it was his 50th Premier League goal for Chelsea, achieved in his 105th appearance. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, in 84 appearances, and Diego Costa, in 85, reached that total faster for the club.

The result was Chelsea’s first home Premier League win with a clean sheet in 13 matches, dating back to a 2-0 victory against Brentford in January. United’s nine-match winless sequence now comprises three draws and six defeats. The Opta statistics identified their last longer run without a victory as a 10-game stretch between April and September 1984.