Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has criticised goalkeeper Robert Sánchez for the early foul that saw him sent off in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Spaniard was dismissed inside the opening minutes after rushing out of his penalty area and bringing down Bryan Mbeumo, who was through on goal. Referee Peter Bankes showed a straight red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, leaving Chelsea to play nearly the entire match with 10 men.
“It was better to let Mbeumo score than get a red card,” Maresca said afterwards. “We still had 95 minutes to play. Robert is aware of that. If you ask me, I prefer to be one goal down after five minutes than one player down.”
The dismissal — Chelsea’s quickest ever in the Premier League — forced Maresca into early changes, with goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen replacing Sánchez and wingers Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto sacrificed in a defensive reshuffle.
Manchester United capitalised, taking the lead in the 14th minute when Bruno Fernandes latched onto Patrick Dorgu’s header and finished clinically from close range. Casemiro doubled the advantage before later being sent off for a second yellow card.
Chelsea, who had drawn 2-2 with Brentford in their previous league match and lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, slipped to another defeat despite a late fightback.
Maresca’s persistence with his 3-4-3 formation, which has faced criticism in recent weeks, came under further scrutiny after the setback.
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