Chelsea lost 1-2 to Manchester United in the fifth round of the 2025/26 Premier League season, despite goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez being sent off and conceding a goal, but Chalobah scored. Maresca said the red card during the game seriously affected the team's plans.

Five minutes into the game, Mbomo was brought down by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez when he received the ball and was about to attack. The referee showed Robert Sanchez a red card for this, and Chelsea replaced midfielder Estevan Willian with goalkeeper Jorgensen, leaving only 10 players to hold on.

In the 14th minute, Patrick Dogu headed the ball to Bruno Fernandes who scored from close range, helping Manchester United to open the scoring 1-0. In the 37th minute, Patrick Dogu's pass was cleared by Reece James, and then Maguire headed the ball to the front of the goal, and Casemiro took advantage of the momentum to score, helping Manchester United continue to lead Chelsea 2-0.

In the first half stoppage time, Andre Sanchez was pulled down by Casemiro, who was sent off with two yellow cards, and Manchester United was left with 10 players.

In the 80th minute of the second half, Reece James lobbed the ball into the penalty area, and Chalobah jumped up and headed the ball into the goal, helping Chelsea to tie the game 1-2. In the end, Chelsea lost to Manchester United 1-2 at Old Trafford.

Chelsea coach Maresca said in an interview, "We encountered difficulties after three or four minutes of the game, because that red card will make it difficult not only for Chelsea, but for any team."

"We could have started better, and then Casemiro's red card gave us the chance to get back into the game. In the second half, we had two or three chances inside the box, but the whole game changed after that red card. All our plans and arrangements were gone."

Maresca also said, "The reason we substituted Pedro Neto and Estevan Willian was because the opponent had five players involved in the attack and we only had four defenders. If it was 11 against 11, we could defend with four defenders, but with one less player, I thought we needed to strengthen our defense in a wider space, so we decided to play with five defenders."

In addition, when talking about Palmer's condition, Maresca said, "Palmer had been tested before to see if he could play. His physical condition was less than 100%, but he still made great efforts to play this game. However, he has not fully recovered."

"He really wanted to play for the team, wanted to be with everyone and gave a great effort. But after 20 minutes he started to feel uncomfortable so we decided to substitute him."