Morgan Rogers knew how important it was for Chelsea to respond against Manchester United after a difficult week, as he praised the Blues for stamping their authority on their struggling opponents.
Rogers hails Chelsea response after authoritative win over Man Utd
Morgan Rogers was on the scoresheet as Chelsea eased to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Manchester United, following two defeats in a week.
Chelsea ran out 2-0 victors against another of the Premier League's traditional heavyweights on Saturday, with Rogers and Cole Palmer on target.
United, who are now winless in nine games across all competitions, also had Lisandro Martinez sent off, while Chelsea could have made the scoreline more emphatic as Estevao saw two goals disallowed.
Having lost 2-0 at home to London rivals Tottenham last weekend, before exiting the EFL Cup following a penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday, Rogers felt the urgency among Xabi Alonso's group.
"It's massive. It was a difficult week, with the poor result last weekend. We knew we had to come out strong here," he told TNT Sports.
"In the second half, we stamped our authority and that was really good. We deserved the win."
Rogers' opener made him just the second Premier League player to reach 10 goal involvements in all competitions this season (six goals, four assists), after Erling Haaland.
And he is delighted with how things have gone since his British-record 拢117m move from Aston Villa, adding: "I'm loving it.
"It was a new challenge and I was looking forward to playing with these wonderful, quality players.
"It is about the team coming together as a whole. I just try to be a leader and stick to what I know best. It's been a good start, but I need to keep going."
With an average age of 23 years and 89 days, Chelsea named their joint-second-youngest starting XI for a Premier League match, (also 23y 89d against Newcastle in October 2024). Only against Crystal Palace in December 2023 have they fielded a younger side (23y 21d).
Nineteen-year-old Estevao was among their most impressive performers on his first league start of the season.
He led all players on the pitch for shots (six), shots on target (three), touches in the opposing penalty area (12) and dribbles attempted (five, two successful), while his three chances created were the joint-most alongside Rogers, Palmer and United talisman Bruno Fernandes.
And Alonso admits Estevao's display has given him a selection dilemma moving forwards.
"He did really well, I'm really happy for him," Alonso said of Estevao. "He deserved this moment, this opportunity. He was a threat and he was close to scoring that goal.
"He has been giving me reasons, saying, 'Coach, I want to play more minutes'. Sometimes in football you don't get what you want, but the best way to show that is to be competitive, not angry."
Chelsea visit out-of-form Sunderland for their next Premier League match in eight days' time, while United host Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.
