Jamie Redknapp believes Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea is the biggest win of Ruben Amorim’s reign at Old Trafford, while the Portuguese head coach has called for his side to build on their newfound momentum.
United raced into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro following a red card for Robert Sanchez, but the result was thrown into question when the Brazil midfielder picked up his second yellow of the evening.
Trevoh Chalobah pulled a goal back for Chelsea with 10 minutes to go but Amorim’s side held on – thanks to a defensive performance that Luke Shaw described as “desperate” after the game – to secure a much-needed win.
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Vertical highlights from Manchester United’s win against Chelsea in the Premier League
United headed into the fixture with just four points from as many games, their worst start to a Premier League campaign for 33 years, but pressure will now be momentarily alleviated on Amorim and his squad after what was described by Redknapp as their “biggest win” since his appointment in November 2024.
“This is Amorim’s biggest result as Manchester United manager, certainly at home,” Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“This was huge for him today. It got edgy once Casemiro got sent off, you weren’t sure they were going to be able to see it out.
“But Bruno Fernandes was magnificent, second half especially. He carried the fight. It feels like a big occasion but they’ve got to build on it. They’ve got to go and win two, three, four games.
“It was a mad game, I have to be honest. Some of the substitutions, some of the tactical changes. It was hard to keep up with at times. But it was a joy because it was so chaotic.”
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Casemiro sees red after second yellow against Chelsea!
Amorim: We need to build on this momentum
United broke into the top half as a result of their win against Chelsea, with games against Brentford and Sunderland now on the horizon before the October international break.
Speaking after the game, Amorim remained level-headed regarding his team’s performance and called for them to create momentum moving forward.
“Now it’s time to create a bit of momentum,” he told Sky Sports. “We started the game really well, really aggressive.
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Ruben Amorim responds to whether the Pope has been in touch after saying he wouldn’t change his Man Utd formation for him.
“I cannot remember a very good play from us, but we pushed our opponent in how aggressive we were in the first and second balls.
“We cannot have someone sent off near half-time in Casemiro, we like to complicate all our games! But it was a good game.
“I felt the urgency, especially in the beginning of the game. The sending off helped us. If you remember the first half, we had so many opportunities three against one, three against two.
“We have to be more clinical to finish the game sooner. With the sending off of Casemiro, you never know what is going to happen so we have to take the chance to kill the game.”
Goalscorers Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes celebrate at Old Trafford
‘I have nothing to say to the critics’
Pressure had been ramped up on Amorim and his side in the build-up to the visit of Chelsea, which arrived as the following fixture to a dismal 3-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City.
Speaking after that loss, both Gary Neville and Roy Keane outlined their worries for United, with the former saying a loss to Chelsea would have caused “big questions” to be asked of Amorim.
The United boss continued: “People don’t have too many good things to say about our team and our results.
“I understand that, I’m just joking around all the time. I have nothing to say to the critics; they are right most of the time. But we won, and that’s a good thing for us.
“It’s really important because I understand the environment around the team and the coach. This game was really important for that. It’s Manchester United winning a game at home, it’s just that.”
