A crushing 0-4 defeat against Chelsea - Mourinho was utterly mediocre.

The Portuguese manager's return to Stamford Bridge turned into a nightmare as his team lost 0-4.

The defenders' lack of concentration led to Man Utd conceding a goal just 30 seconds into the match. Pedro used his speed to bypass two of the visiting team's center-backs, dribbled past David De Gea, and scored the opening goal. Twenty minutes later, taking advantage of a poor clearance by Valencia, Gary Cahill pounced on a close-range volley to double the lead for his team.

In the second half, Chelsea added two more goals, courtesy of Eden Hazard and N'golo Kante. Both goals were the result of simple yet effective passing combinations. Hazard and Kante both displayed flair before scoring, making the Manchester United defenders, most notably captain Chris Smalling, look like fools in their own penalty area.

The vibrant atmosphere created by Chelsea contrasted sharply with the gloomy performance of the visiting team. Photo: Reuters.

Throughout the match, four of Man Utd's five shots on target came from outside the penalty area. Thibaut Courtois had little difficulty making these saves. The visitors continued to show a lack of attacking cohesion, a problem they have faced in most of their recent matches. Man Utd had 56% possession, took 16 shots compared to Chelsea's 14, but failed to score a single goal.

Antonio Conte continues to impress experts with his tactical prowess. His 3-4-3 formation allowed previously overlooked players like Victor Moses, Marcos Alonso, and Pedro to showcase their full potential. In this match, Spanish defender Alonso made a strong impression with a razor-sharp pass, setting up Pedro for the opening goal.

Witnessing this goal, Daley Blind was perhaps the most emotional of all. He had previously provided a similar assist for Robin Van Persie's goal against Spain at the 2014 World Cup. At that time, Blind played as an attacking full-back, similar to Alonso, in Louis Van Gaal's 3-5-2 formation. This position allowed him to stand close to the touchline in the middle of the pitch, an area out of reach of opposing midfielders and full-backs, making it easier to deliver long passes to the forwards. Alonso did exactly what Van Gaal had taught Blind in the Dutch national team.

In this match, Man Utd were trailing even before the game began. The overwhelming momentum of the Chelsea players intimidated Mourinho's team. The early goal only exacerbated their frustration. Man Utd were unlucky with the second goal when Valencia's header inadvertently became a beautiful assist for Cahill. However, their poor defensive performance in this match is inexcusable.

Mourinho suffered a bitter defeat on his return to Stamford Bridge. Photo: Reuters.

Chris Smalling and Daley Blind were too slow. They were frequently outmaneuvered by Chelsea's quick players. Eric Bailly marked Diego Costa tightly but received a yellow card and was sent off due to injury. Valencia delivered a few accurate crosses but couldn't make much of an impact.

Paul Pogba continued to be the biggest disappointment. The world's most expensive signing barely created any impactful plays. Mourinho allowed Pogba to play further forward in the first half by positioning Fellani and Ander Herrera behind him, but the French midfielder did nothing to help the attack. In the second half, when Mata came on and Man Utd switched to a 4-4-2 formation, Pogba dropped back to partner Herrera in midfield but still played poorly.

On Chelsea's side, Diego Costa failed to score in this match after a series of goals recently. However, the Spanish striker did an excellent job of distracting Manchester United's central defenders. He also had several shots on goal but couldn't find the net. Costa even deserves a rating on par with Chelsea's best players such as Marcos Alonso or N'golo Kante.

However, the best player of the match was undoubtedly Eden Hazard. The Belgian midfielder repeatedly tormented the Manchester United defense with his clever dribbling. His goal, which made it 3-0, was the result of a beautiful combination with his teammates and a stunning finish.

This defeat leaves Man Utd stuck in seventh place, six points behind league leaders Man City. With four goals scored, Chelsea overtook Tottenham to claim fourth place with 19 points, ahead on goal difference (10 compared to 9). Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all tied with 20 points. Chelsea and Tottenham are close behind, just one point behind.

Post-match statistics.

According to VNE