Man Utd Player Ratings vs Chelsea: Brilliant Fernandes earns 8/10 but one teammate was even better

Manchester United pulled off a classic smash-and-grab victory against Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.

United head coach Michael Carrick made four changes to the XI that started against Leeds United last time out.

The 44-year-old made a bold and risky call, deploying Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven as an emergency centre-back pairing following a late injury to Leny Yoro.

What followed was a scrappy and hard-fought first half, short on quality but high on tension.

The breakthrough finally arrived when Matheus Cunha struck to put United ahead.

Once again, Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of it all, producing a brilliant assist to set up Cunha for what proved to be the decisive goal.

Chelsea responded with waves of pressure, rattling the crossbar three times as United clung on.

Despite dominating possession, the hosts struggled to translate control into a real cutting edge in the final third.

With this victory, the Red Devils have all but secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

Player Ratings

Senne Lammens – 7/10

Reliable when called upon, showed good ball distribution and did not make any errors. Another top class performance for the unsung hero.

Diogo Dalot – 8/10

Set the tone early by winning a crunching challenge on Garnacho, drawing loud cheers from the travelling United fans.

With four senior centre-backs unavailable, he stepped up superbly to deliver a commanding defensive performance.

Noussair Mazraoui – 7/10

A very disciplined and brave showing from Mazraoui as a centre-back.

Ayden Heaven – 7/10

Made a rash challenge on Palmer early on but the impact was outside the box. Kept Liam Delap in check to showcase he deserves opportunities more regularly.

Luke Shaw – 6/10

Had a few uncomfortable moments against Pedro Neto, who caused him problems down the flank.

Offered little going forward and was notably overlooked by Fernandes despite making a promising run once.

Casemiro – 7/10

Used all his experience to help out Heaven and Mazraoui.

Kobbie Mainoo – 9/10

Showed exactly what United missed against Leeds with a composed and authoritative display.

Looked assured on the ball, consistently playing forward passes and offering a reliable outlet throughout, while keeping possession ticking with ease.

Bruno Fernandes – 8/10

Produced his 18th assist of the season with a superb burst to the byline, cutting the ball back perfectly for Cunha to finish. He also came close to getting on the scoresheet himself.

Bryan Mbeumo – 7/10

Looked a lot sharper than his last few displays and played a key part in Cunha’s goal.

Matheus Cunha – 8/10

Cunha should have struck first time when Mbeumo delivered a superb cut-back. He made amends soon after, finishing confidently when Fernandes picked him out before the interval.

Benjamin Sesko – 7/10

Ran tirelessly in the first half but received little service. His intelligent movement occupied Moises Caicedo in the box, creating the space for Cunha to break the deadlock.

Substitutes

Mason Mount – 6/10

Booed by the Chelsea supporters on his return, and picked up a yellow card for kicking the ball away.

Amad Diallo – 6/10

Nothing noticeable.

Joshua Zirkzee – NA

Too late to rate.

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .