Bruno Fernandes gave the hosts the lead with less than a quarter of an hour played, while Casemiro doubled the hosts’ lead before half-time as Chelsea failed to put Ruben Amorim’s troubled side under any real pressure – despite them also being reduced to 10 with Casemiro receiving a second booking before the break.
Chalobah headed home to set up a grandstand finish, but Chelsea did not trouble United again, and the defender lamented his side’s start to the game.
“With the red card that happens, you go 2-0 down in the game, any team you play against, it is always difficult coming back. We struggled in the first half.
“It is always difficult going down to 10 men, and you can see that United were up for it. They put us under pressure. It was not good enough at our end. We could not get going in the first half.
“Things like this happen in the season. We cannot say we are kids anymore, we have played in the Premier League long enough now. We have just got to learn from this and move forward.
“We were lucky with them getting a red card, which made it a bit easier in the second half. We still had a few chances we could have taken, but whether it is 10 men vs 10 men, it is always difficult from 2-0 down.
“We pushed and pushed, but it is about how you start a game. That is the most important thing in a football match, how you impose yourself.
“That is something we have to reflect over the last two games, and Brentford as well – not starting the greatest. It is making sure the first 15 to 20 minutes we are imposing ourselves in the game. We need to raise it as a collective.”
Maresca: Palmer’s fitness reason for early change
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca admitted his game-plan went “in the bin” after Sanchez’s red card, and it forced him into three substitutions before 21 minutes had elapsed.
Among those withdrawn was Cole Palmer, who had scored twice in his side’s two matches prior to Saturday’s match. Fellow attacking outlets Estevao and Pedro Neto also made way early on.
Explaining the change, Maresca said Palmer was not quite at full match fitness, and that their numerical disadvantage meant more emphasis had to go towards the defence.
“They are used to attacking with five players, so in that moment we have to defend with five players,” Maresca told Sky Sports. “We can defend absolutely with four when we are 11 vs 11, but when we are one player down, the idea was to defend with five.
“We decided to change with Estevao and Pedro Neto and then after we changed Cole because he made an effort to play this game because he was not 100% fit.
“This morning he had a test and he was OK but not 100% fit. So we decided to change him after 20 minutes.”
Chelsea return to action against League One side Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, while United face Brentford on Saturday.
