Manchester United

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Manchester United have started work to expand their safe standing capacity at Old Trafford by 6,000.

The rail seats will be installed in Tier 2 of the Stretford End and will make the stadium one of the Premier League's leading venues for safe standing.

It means around one sixth of Old Trafford will be covered by safe standing space when the work is complete.

The club said a first phase of the new seats will be in place for the upcoming fixture against Sunderland but the safe standing section will need to be formally approved by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority prior to the new section being certified as safe standing in full.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of October.

"This latest development reflects the club's ongoing investment in enhancing the matchday experience, with safe standing widely recognised for boosting atmosphere while also improving safety," the club said.

Alex Turk
Fan writer

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Whether you are growing your hair until Manchester United win five matches in a row or not, there is new reason for optimism.

United's hard-fought 2-1 victory over Chelsea has birthed an opportunity to build momentum and ease the pressure on Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese head coach has won back-to-back Premier League home games for the first time since he took charge.

A trip to 17th-place Brentford on Saturday presents a chance for his maiden consecutive league wins, as shocking as that fact is.

Sunderland's visit to Old Trafford follows. Not as straightforward as one may have expected before the season, but certainly favourable.

Amorim must prove he can string some wins together as United boss, rather than a welcome victory becoming soured by a morale-busting defeat one week later.

The Red Devils' productivity and intensity with a one-man advantage for much of the first half against Chelsea was hugely encouraging.

The defensive resilience and threat on the counter-attack after Casemiro's dismissal was just as impressive. This is not a squad that hasn't bought into its head coach's philosophy.

United are three points off second place before the meetings with Brentford and Sunderland, but sit in 11th after five games.

Amorim will ultimately be judged on whether he can guide the club back to European football this season.

He should pay with his job if he cannot, and he will not meet that target if his side do not start winning games more consistently.

A rollercoaster of results is better than the drastic dive of last season, but success will never be linear.

Amorim needs to leave the theme park and, instead, ensure the theme of United's season is more performances like against Chelsea.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

• Not a Man Utd fan? Find your Premier League club here

Barcelona want to do a deal with Manchester United to sign forward Marcus Rashford for £26m - a fee short of United's valuation, which is closer to £35m. (Star), external

Meanwhile, United have prioritised a "major goalkeeper signing" next summer. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The latest episode of The Devils' Advocate has dropped and the team are discussing all things Man Utd.

Presenter Joe McGrath says he is seeing glimpses of a good striker in Benjamin Sesko: "I was intrigued by the way he [Sesko] played because the Premier League defences don't know really what he's about or to make of him yet.

"He did help us a lot with drawing defenders out, becoming a bit of a nuisance, getting the penalty decision for United. I just can't wait for him to score, or to get that finish. And you can see how much it might mean to him, and the confidence it might give him.

"I know some people are looking at him already and thinking it's a couple games into the season, why hasn't he got a Manchester United goal? But I am seeing glimpses of of a good striker. Especially against Chelsea.

"His touch and his ability to make movements is different to what we've seen in the past with Hojlund and Zirkzee, who's a completely different player. I am excited for him to get more football. It's just unfortunate we don't have much football to give him this year."

Co-presenter Gaz Drinkwater discussed Luke Shaw bouncing back after a poor performance against Manchester City: "We have to give a lot of credit to Luke Shaw. He was very good against Chelsea. We criticised him last week. It was one of his worst ever United performances against City. But he came back and he proved what he can do when he's at his best. And it shows that Shaw does have a decent mentality to come back from that.

"When that ball was in the air for that second goal he just goes flying in. I loved that."

Listen to the full episode here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

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It was no surprise that Manchester United fans voted Bruno Fernandes their player of the match in the chaotic 2-1 win over Chelsea at the weekend.

The Portuguese midfielder was voted also voted man of the match on his debut in 2020 and has since become the club's talisman, steering the team through plenty of rocky waters in the intervening years. United's top scorer last season, he has reached double figures for goal involvements every season he has been at the club.

The 31-year-old has won the fans' player of the year award four times in his six seasons at the club, and against Chelsea, Fernandes earned over half of the votes after a typically energetic performance that saw him score his 100th goal in United colours.

Plenty of those goals have been crucial, including the injury-time winner against Burnley earlier this season. Saturday's goal came in his 200th Premier League game – he would not have reached that landmark had he accepted a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League in the summer.

United fans are increasingly grateful that he did not.

A new episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast has dropped to light up your Monday Monday.

This week Gaz, Joe and Tom Cooney react to Manchester United's win over Chelsea.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Man Utd and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

United fans

Rateesh: Manchester United can't catch a break from all these criticisms - win or lose. Today, the players worked hard and fought for the team until the very end. No one seems to care about it or even mention it.

Ron: Ruben Amorim is showing dedication to the monumental task of turning Man Utd in the right direction while in the unforgiving spotlight of the Premier League. Casemiro very naive for such an experienced player.

Steve; Only a week ago, I was Amorim out but after this win and seeing we are three points off second - what a difference a result makes. This doesn't paper over the fact that we still made silly mistakes but no-one can question the commitment to the cause of the players and that surely can only produce more positive results in the next games. Matthijs de Ligt by the way is a monster of a player and very underrated. Excellent again.

Andrew: The conditions made this match a bit of a farce. It wasn't helped by some questionable refereeing either. That aside, what about United's performance? Yet again, they blew hot and cold. The system clearly doesn't work and this match with early dismissals and enforced changes didn't give any indication of progress. Defensively they did OK but the manager consistently changes the back four and the midfield is too easy to play through. This team, under this manager and with this system, is going nowhere. If you want a fairer comparison, then look at Tottenham under Thomas Frank.

Chelsea fans

David: Another costly error from Robert Sanchez and then very poor substitutions by Enzo Maresca. If he knew Cole Palmer was not fully fit why not take him off first at least we would have had an attack. Lincoln City must fancy their chances.

Chris: If you can't beat a hapless team like Man Utd, you know you are in big trouble. Once again, Sanchez left us in the lurch and then Maresca sacrifices probably our most creative player in Estevao Willian because of the red card! The whole defence were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and didn't get much better. Reece James is a shadow of the player he used to be and all in all Chelsea are in a bad place at present with a manager that doesn't seem to have a clue when the chips are down!

Timo: Bizarre decisions everywhere. A goalkeeper problem compounded by a manager's panicky reaction. The lack of authority and maturity was laid bare. Too much method - insufficient savvy.

Nevlar: Garbage. Pedestrian and lacking in any creativity except with a touch of desperation before the end. United there for the taking and we had no clue.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are all interested in signing 28-year-old Juventus and Brazil defender Gleison Bremer. (Teamtalk), external

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has urged midfielder Carlos Baleba to remain grounded despite rumours of a move, with Manchester United interested in signing the 21-year-old Cameroon international in the summer. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United defender Luke Shaw says Roy Keane's stinging criticism of him after the Manchester derby defeat hurt – but the former Red Devils skipper was correct in his assessment.

Keane attacked Shaw for his defending for City's first goal, when he allowed Jeremy Doku to get past him far too easily, saying he was playing as though he "didn't want to tackle anyone".

Shaw, who is approaching 300 games for United, was far better in the 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford and played a significant role in Casemiro's first-half goal.

"Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin," said the England international.

"Of course it hurts. He was one of the best captains ever for Manchester United.

"I think he was right. Last week, I wasn't at my level at all. I don't need Roy Keane to tell me."

Keane widened his argument, claiming Shaw had been "getting away with murder for years".

This is a little harsh, although it is fair to say some of the defender's best performances in recent times have come when he has been wearing at England shirt.

"The most important thing is knowing how good I can be," said Shaw, who took over as captain for the final minutes of the Chelsea game after Bruno Fernandes had been replaced.

"I'm always in the team and I'm always playing, so there must be something the managers believe in.

"I've had a lot of ups and downs, but for me now, it's about keeping that consistency at a high level. I know I can do that. That's why last week hurt me a lot."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Without Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United would have been in a sorry state.

There were plenty who felt it was time for Fernandes to move on in the summer when he received a huge offer from the Saudi Pro League.

But given their poor judgement in terms of recruitment, it could easily have pitched United into even more strife than they have been in recently.

United have not won successive Premier League games under Ruben Amorim - they now have a chance to do so at Brentford next Saturday.

But they have also only won two out of three twice before the present run under the former Sporting coach.

One second-placed Premier League finish, an FA Cup and an EFL Cup is scant reward for Fernandes' abilities and Amorim knows it.

"That guy deserves to be in the history of our club, not just for what he does but for what his team conquers," he said.

Amorim has decided this season that Fernandes will occupy a deeper midfield role.

In theory, it gets him onto the ball more often and allows him to dictate games. Whether that actually happens is debatable. What definitely happens is Fernandes' weakness in tracking runs and spotting danger is exposed.

He was to blame for Emile Smith Rowe's equaliser for Fulham at Craven Cottage last month and Phil Foden's opener in the Manchester derby.

Being opened up to criticism may be irritating given what he offers defensively. Yet his emotions at the end gave no indication he was falling out of love with United, quite the reverse in fact.

"Obviously I'm very proud of those two massive milestones but it's not something I was aiming for," Fernandes told Match of the Day. "I just aimed to play the next game."

Read more on Bruno Fernandes

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-2 Tottenham

• Wolves 1-3 Leeds

• Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Ruben Amorim spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Manchester United's victory against Chelsea: "Every win especially in this moment is important, against a great opponent.

"We started the game in the right way. Really aggressive.The red card helped us dominate the game but we were already there.

"We scored two goals and then we tried to complicate our game again. It's always complicated with us. It should have been different this game."

On Casemiro: "He's [feeling] worse than me. We won so I will forget a little bit and he will suffer because he's a top professional. He understands what he did. He is experienced enough that that play should not be played like that. He cares too much.

"We suffered in the end but we deserved the win.

"Our crowd, our fans are easy to please. If you give everything they will be there. That is something our players need to understand. To have the crowd with us we just need to run, to fight and tackle.

"With this win we have to forget the good feeling of winning the game and get back to the urgency of feeling we need to win the next game."

Bruno Fernandes also spoke to the BBC after Saturday's victory: "You want to perform but at the end of the day what matters is points. We haven't been getting the points we wanted.

"At the end of the game we were very strong in defending our box and putting them in positions of crossing.

"We got the [Chelsea's] red card because our mentality was starting the game so strong. The players have to run behind whenever Ben goes for the ball and that's what Bryan did.

"It [United's red] didn't change anything. We wanted to close the middle. Without Delap who makes the runs for the team, Joao Pedro wants to link up.

"We gave them the chance to go down the side and then close them with our wing-backs. Our centre-backs were very good to defend the box."

On 100 United goals and 200 Premier League appearances: "Obviously I'm very proud of that - two massive milestones. Not something I was aiming for. I just aimed to play the next game."

Did you know?

• Manchester United have won consecutive home league games within the same season, under the same manager for the first time since December 2023, under Erik Ten Hag – with the second game in that run also coming against Chelsea.

• Since his Premier League debut in August 2022, Manchester United's Casemiro has been shown more red cards (3) than any other player in the competition.

Hear more from Amorim and Fernandes on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on United's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

New Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has to make do with a place on the bench again.

Harry Maguire and Casemiro come in from the side who lost 3-0 to Manchester City last weekend.

Man Utd XI: Bayindir, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Shaw, Mbeumo, Diallo, Sesko. Subs: Lammens, Mount, Cunha, Zirkzee, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Fredricson, Mainoo.

Chelsea make two changes from the side who lost 3-1 at Bayern Munich in midweek with Wesley Fofana and Estevao Willian starting.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Estevao, Palmer, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro. Subs: Adarabioyo, Bynoe-Gittens, Jorgensen, Santos, Hato, Gusto, George, Guiu, Garnacho.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Liverpool v Everton (12:30)

• Brighton v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Nottingham Forest

• West Ham v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Leeds

• Manchester United v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Brentford (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

It was fascinating to hear Paul Scholes talk about Manchester United's midfield on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. He was saying that the players are not good enough in that central area.

I backed Ruben Amorim last season when he stuck to his system, because he hadn't had the chance to bring his own players in, but he has had that chance now and they still can't get results.

United are arguably the biggest club in the world with a wonderful history of winning things, especially in the Premier League. The onus on them is not just to win every week, but to do it in a certain way - with panache and playing great attacking football.

The system Amorim plays in his 3-4-3 formation is OK if you're winning or playing scintillating football but, at the moment, United are doing neither. They have had a fair bit of possession in some of their games, but what are they doing with it?

I really like Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, but eventually United will need to win games to give their fans something to cling on to.

As Scholes said, their ambition at the moment is just to get into the top half. I'm sorry but Amorim needs to give their supporters a bit more than that.

Where United are fortunate is that they have had a week off since losing the Manchester derby, while Chelsea were beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

It is a massive plus for United that they don't have European football this season. You can't moan about having less games and that should give them the physical advantage here.

Even so, how can you put together a case for United winning this game? I just can't.

Chelsea are not the finished article either, but they are playing some good stuff. They have also got Cole Palmer firing again and he will make the difference.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here