Manchester United – Chelsea: When Stupidity Meets Self-Harm (2-1)

A late Saturday kickoff with two Premier League giants guaranteed some sort of narrative. There was a victor on the day, but frustration will be present in both camps. One club conspires to undo their good work, and the other outfit might be masquerading as a resurgent institution.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Manchester United are still a mess. With a full preseason and £200 million on investment in three new forwards, the team are looking better under Ruben Amorim. A close call for Arsenal and a sticky start for Manchester City convey that there are signs of life. However, the results read grimly. Ruben Amorim has only picked up 31 points from his first 31 Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford, a record equaled only by Tottenham Hotspur among the 17 teams in the topflight for all of his tenure.

Chelsea come to the North-West in a bit of a pickle themselves. A 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is not unforgivable, but it adds to the doubts about their standards. Derby days against Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Brentford . . .