Ruben Amorim made two key mistakes during Man Utd win vs Chelsea, both are becoming trends

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Manchester United returned to winning ways against Chelsea with a 2-1 home win.

A dramatic game at Old Trafford saw Manchester United produce a battling performance in the rain to grab all three points against Chelsea.

United appeared to be cruising towards the win against a 10-man Chelsea side, 2-0 up after 45 minutes, before Casemiro was sent off in first half stoppage time.

Chelsea pulled a goal back in the second half, making for a tense final 15 minutes, with United seeing the game out for the win.

It was a much-needed victory, United’s second in five games, moving up towards a more respectable position in the Premier League table.

Ruben Amorim deserves credit for the way his side approached the game so aggressively from the first whistle, and took the game to Chelsea, forcing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez into an early mistake.

However, the in-game management from Amorim raised two issues that are becoming trends, that on another day could have cost Manchester United points.

Benjamin Sesko off, Manuel Ugarte on

While Benjamin Sesko waits for his first Manchester United goal, he made a telling contribution towards the Red Devils’ victory.

Sesko’s flick-on header early in the game set Bryan Mbeumo through on goal, and Robert Sanchez’s red card.

Sesko gave United an outlet and stretched Chelsea during the first half, creating spaces for his teammates inside the box too.

He was substituted at half-time due to Casemiro’s red card, with Ruben Amorim deciding to tighten up his system, and bring on Manuel Ugarte.

The problem with bringing on Ugarte was that it was a defensive move that invited Chelsea to put pressure on United, who suddenly lacked an outlet in attack.

Chelsea went on to pull a goal back, and while they did not score an equaliser, this does not mean Amorim’s call was the smartest play.

The substitution echoed the way United made a defensive substitution against Fulham while 1-0 up last month.

Amorim substituted attacking midfielder Mason Mount to bring on Manuel Ugarte, and United conceded an equaliser four minutes later, and drew the game 1-1.

Manchester United’s identity should be built around attacking football, and within reason, United should not be looking to ‘shut up shop’ and defend after taking the lead. Amorim should be pushing his team to ‘go for the kill’.

Unnecessary defensive substitutions

It is becoming a rarity these days that Manchester United stick with the same back three for the entire 90 minutes.

And in some ways we get it. Manchester United have multiple defensive options, with Leny Yoro left on the bench for this game, and Ayden Heaven still looking for his first Premier League start of the season.

However, during games, it feels as though Ruben Amorim is leaning towards defensive substitutions simply because he can, and not because he actually needs to.

The game against Chelsea was a case in point. United’s defence of Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw had the game under control.

Maguire was especially effective against Chelsea’s aerial threat, defending against a team that had scored four goals from set pieces in their opening four matches.

But then Maguire was substituted in the 70th minute, and Chelsea defender Nathaniel Chalobah scored from a set piece.

Amorim has now made a substitution to his back three in all five Premier League games this season.

It would be nice to see him allow his starters to see out a victory, and not over-complicate things.