Manchester United are one point above the relegation zone after a ninth game without a win, a run that has increased the pressure on their manager Michael Carrick.
Carrick said Lisandro Martinez’s dismissal and the penalty that followed had shaped the match. “The second goal and losing a man at that stage had a big influence on it, for sure,” he said.
United arrived at Stamford Bridge on Saturday after a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth the previous weekend, already eight games without a victory. Carrick had restored Bruno Fernandes as captain after leaving him out following his criticism of the manager’s tactics after the 4-1 Champions League loss to Como.
Fernandes had an early chance but fired over. Martinez, the 28-year-old former Ajax player and World Cup winner, was making only his second start since publicly criticising United’s summer recruitment 18 days before the match.
Chelsea’s breakthrough came in the 50th minute. Morgan Rogers, the club’s record £117 million signing, lifted a delicate finish over Senne Lammels for his sixth goal of the season.
Martinez then fouled Rogers and received a yellow card. His second booking followed one minute and 23 seconds later, after he raised an arm into Wesley Fofana’s face at a corner and conceded a penalty.
James Bell, the video assistant referee, advised Peter Bankes to review the incident at the screen before the referee issued the second yellow and red card. Darren Cann, described as a World Cup final official, called Martinez’s actions “inexplicable”, after the defender jumped into Fofana without attempting to play the ball or looking towards it.
Cole Palmer converted the penalty for Chelsea’s second goal, leaving United with ten men. It was Palmer’s 50th Premier League goal for Chelsea in his 105th appearance, the third-fastest route to that milestone after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Diego Costa.
Chelsea’s 2-0 victory took them above Liverpool into fourth place. It was also their first Premier League home win without conceding in 13 matches, since a 2-0 victory against Brentford in January.
For United, the sequence extended a winless run in all competitions to nine games, their longest since 1988-89. Martinez will miss their next Premier League match, against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, through suspension.
Danny Murphy said Martinez “has got a lot to answer to, because the first goal was mainly his fault. The sending-off is absolutely ridiculous”. He added: “You can't rely on him. He is a liability.”
Joe Cole said on TNT Sports: “In a Man United shirt, he's just at the scene of the crime too often. Whatever the next Man United phase is, I think Martinez's time at the club has run its course.”
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