A nightmare for Maresca: The coach forced to make three substitutions in the first half
The start of the match against Manchester United turned into a real nightmare for Chelsea. From the very first moments, the game slipped away from the Londoners' script: Enzo Maresca's side lost their starting goalkeeper to a red card, completely derailing their initial game plan. Maresca had no choice but to make urgent adjustments.
Details: As early as the 5th minute, the referee sent off Chelsea's goalkeeper Robert Sánchez. In a desperate bid to salvage the situation, the Blues' manager was forced to make three substitutions before halftime. The Italian tactician sacrificed an outfield player to bring on a new goalkeeper and also reshuffled his tactical setup.
In the 6th minute, Filip Jørgensen and Tosin Adarabioyo replaced Estêvão and Pedro Neto, and later, in the 21st minute, Maresca took off the team’s biggest star—Cole Palmer made way for Andrey Santos.
Interestingly, Cole Palmer was visibly furious about being the one substituted.
Reminder: Chelsea goalkeeper Sánchez was sent off as early as the 5th minute in the match against Manchester United.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
