Chelsea 0 Manchester United 2
by Amar Azam
at Stamford Bridge

CHELSEA manager Maurizio Sarri is under increasing pressure after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup in abject fashion by a rejuvenated Manchester United side last night.

Sarri’s Blues looked bereft of ideas, lacked resilience and seem to have given up the fight. This could be the beginning of the end for the Italian manager.

First-half goals from Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba condemned the cup holders to defeat, with United progressing to a quarter-final tie at Wolves.

At the final whistle, the home supporters vented their frustrations. When Sarri was asked about their reaction, he struggled to hide his emotions when facing the media after the match.

“No, I am worried about the results, not about the fans,” said Sarri, looking downbeat and forlorn. “I can understand the situation and our fans, because the result wasn’t really good.

“We are out of the FA Cup, so I can understand our fans. But I am worried at the moment about our results.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s fixture list makes for grim reading. This was the start of a spell of four matches in nine days that will surely test the Blues’ resolve. They welcome Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday before Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City, who comprehensively dismantled them 6-0 at Eastlands last week. Next Wednesday, they host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

However, nothing should be taken away from United. Beaming boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose side came into the match having been defeated in the Champions League at Old Trafford by Paris Saint-Germain last week, said: “The performance was fantastic, the tactics worked. We had some criticism after the game against PSG as we didn’t create a lot. Everyone did everything asked of them.”