Manchester United host Chelsea on Saturday aiming to arrest a run of just two wins in 13 league matches.
Chelsea’s nine-game unbeaten run was ended in the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, but the Blues are so far unbeaten domestically.
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BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of the meeting at Old Trafford.
Groundhog Day for Manchester United
“Manchester United just have to try to get into the top half,” were the words of former midfielder Paul Scholes earlier this week.
If such fatalism feels a little premature only a month into the season, United fans could be forgiven for feeling trapped in their very own version of Groundhog Day.
The Reds have recorded just two victories from their past 13 top-flight matches and produced another lacklustre display in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to neighbours Manchester City.
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Club sources insist that on most statistics United are performing better than last season, despite sitting in 14th place. It remains a hard sell for fans who have witnessed the club’s poorest start to a league campaign since 1992, accumulating just four points from four matches.
It follows a 2024-25 campaign in which United amassed their lowest top-flight points total since being relegated more than 50 years ago.
Manager Ruben Amorim remains open and honest in the face of increasing criticism but the former Sporting boss now has the second-worst win percentage of any manager in United’s league history.
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Only one manager has won a lower percentage of matches in charge of Manchester United than Ruben Amorim in the club’s league history [BBC]
Home comforts
The likeliest place for a corner to be turned remains Old Trafford.
Despite scoring only five times, the Red Devils have had 94 shots in their past four home Premier League games, attempting at least 20 in every game. Only Manchester City have a higher expected goals tally this season.
Amorim may also be boosted by the prospect of facing Saturday’s opponents. United are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Chelsea (W5, D7), since a 1-0 defeat 12 years ago.
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Chelsea’s Premier League win rate of 18% at Old Trafford is their lowest at any side they have visited at least 10 times in the competition.
The importance of Palmer
The Blues’ 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday ended their nine-game unbeaten run, although there were plenty of encouraging signs for Blues boss Enzo Maresca, not least another good performance from Cole Palmer on his 100th appearance for the club.
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The 23-year-old scored a well-taken goal to briefly give his side hope and also had a late effort ruled out for offside.
Palmer made his return from a groin issue in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, in which he scored his first league goal from open play since January.
Ensuring the talented Englishman is fit and firing will be crucial to Chelsea’s hopes this season. He has been directly involved in 73 goals since his Blues debut two years ago, a record bettered by only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah among Premier League players.
Cole Palmer is one of the Premier League’s most effective attacking players [BBC]
