Chelsea's manager, Enzo Maresca, has addressed Robert Sanchez's early red card in their recent Premier League match against Manchester United. The incident occurred within the first five minutes of the game at Old Trafford when Sanchez fouled Bryan Mbeumo outside the penalty area, denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
Maresca acknowledged that Sanchez's dismissal significantly impacted the game, forcing a complete overhaul of their pre-match strategy. According to Maresca, the red card made things difficult, not just for Chelsea, but for any club. Chelsea suffered their first Premier League defeat of the 2025/26 campaign as a result of the numerical disadvantage.
The Chelsea boss revealed that Sanchez took full responsibility for his mistake. Maresca said Sanchez apologized to his teammates in the changing room after the game. Maresca was quoted as saying, "Rob for a long time has been very good. Unfortunately, he made a mistake the other day and he recognised it... he also did so after the game in the changing room. He recognised it was a mistake. He is an intelligent person, and he recognised that".
Maresca also mentioned that Sanchez posted an apology on Instagram. Addressing the situation, Maresca stated that he would have preferred Sanchez to have allowed Mbeumo to score rather than commit the foul that led to the red card. He said it would have been better to be 1-0 down with 11 men than to be a player down so early in the game. Maresca said, "if you ask me I prefer to be one n down after 3 minutes then one player down after 3. minutes".
The red card also forced Maresca to make early substitutions, with Estêvão Willian and Pedro Neto making way for Filip Jörgensen and Tosin Adarabioyo. Maresca explained that the changes were tactical, aiming to defend the width of the pitch with a back five. Cole Palmer, who was not 100% fit, was also substituted for Andrey Santos.
Sanchez's red card was Chelsea's earliest in the Premier League era and the third-fastest dismissal of a goalkeeper in the league's history. As a result of the red card, Sanchez will miss Chelsea's Carabao Cup clash with Lincoln City.
