Manchester, Nov 4: A tumultuous week for Manchester United ended with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea and the unwanted statistic that the club has made its worst league start for almost 40 years.
Moises Caicedo’s stunning long-range volley secured a point for Chelsea and left United on 12 points which Opta, the Premier League’s stats supplier, said was its lowest after 10 games since the 1986-87 season.
That was the year Alex Ferguson was hired and went on to lead the club to a period of unprecedented success, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
United fans will have to hope that is a good omen after Erik ten Hag was fired this week and replaced by Ruben Amorim.
“Whenever you see a manager go you have to take some of the blame on yourself, it is because the team is not doing so well,” United captain Bruno Fernandes said Sunday. “I spoke to the manager (Ten Hag) and apologized to him. I was disappointed he has gone and I tried to help him.”
Fernandes fired United ahead from the penalty spot in the 70th minute against Chelsea as interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy looked to win back-to-back games during his temporary reign, having beaten Leicester 5-2 in the League Cup on Wednesday.
But in front of the watching Olivia Rodrigo, Caicedo’s strike from the edge of the box four minutes later ensured the points were shared.
“I think we did the most difficult thing in this stadium against this team … we were down and we came back immediately,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said.
Chelsea moved up to fourth in the standings, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, while United is six points behind in 13th and playing catchup in the race for Champions League qualification.
Tottenham beat Aston Villa 4-1 earlier in the day.
Ten Hag was fired on Monday and while Amorim has been confirmed as his replacement, he does not take charge until Nov. 11.
Van Nistelrooy is holding the reins until then and for a short while was making top-flight management look relatively simple.
Fernandes’ penalty put United in sight of a win that would have moved it to within four points of the top four. That was until Caicedo’s strike.
“I am disappointed we didn’t win, we had the better of the chances in the game but overall the performance was fantastic. They left their all out there on the pitch,” Van Nistelrooy said.
The Dutchman’s future is unclear once Amorim takes over. But he has two games – against PAOK Salonika in the Europa League and Leicester in the league – until he hands over to the new head coach.
“We’ll be backing him (Amorim) and helping them to get Manchester United to where we want it to be,” Van Nistelrooy said.
GRUDGE MATCH
AFC Wimbledon beat MK Dons 2-0 in the first round of the FA Cup and took bragging rights in one of English football’s fiercest grudge matches.
Matty Stevens and Omar Bugiel scored either side of halftime at Stadium MK in a competition that holds deep ties for fans of both clubs.
Wimbledon was a shock winner of the Cup in 1988 when beating the mighty Liverpool 1-0. The team relocated to Milton Keynes in 2002 and was renamed MK Dons, which prompted disgruntled fans to create a phoenix club called AFC Wimbledon.
And it was the traveling AFC Wimbledon fans who were left celebrating Sunday after securing its place in the next round of the Cup.
WREXHAM LOSE
There will be no Cup run for Wrexham this season after losing 1-0 at Harrogate Town.
Jack Muldoon’s goal in the 24th was enough to seal victory for Harrogate, which plays in the fourth tier of English football, one division below Wrexham. (AP)
