United v Chelsea: Six of the best stats

The two sides have gone toe-to-toe in virtually every major competition in recent years, producing a vibrant narrative thread, much of which has been shared by the current managers of each outfit: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard.

With the top-flight season already over a month old, the Reds and Blues will vie for supremacy again at the weekend, and here are six key stats you need to read before Saturday’s 17:30 BST kick off…

A RARE REDS TREBLE?
Chelsea traditionally have a decent record at Old Trafford, while United have struggled at Stamford Bridge in the 21st century, until recently. If we take all three points on Saturday, it’ll be the first time since September 1965 that we’ve won three top-flight games in a row against the capital club. The Blues’ last victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League came seven games ago, in May 2013 – this is the longest run without a Chelsea win in M16 since a 16-game streak between September 1920 and January 1957.

FAMILIAR FOES
In the Premier League era, no two top-flight sides have played each other more often in all competitions than United and Chelsea. This will be the 82nd meeting between the two clubs since the summer of 1992, with 56 of the previous fixtures coming in the Premier League. We’ve faced the Blues a further 12 times in the Emirates FA Cup - three times in the final itself – five times in the League Cup and in five separate Charity/Community Shields. Finally, we’ve played the Londoners on three occasions in the Champions League, most memorably in the 2008 final in Moscow.

GUARANTEED GOALS?
Since Lampard was appointed Chelsea boss in the summer of 2019, Chelsea have conceded more away Premier League goals than any other side, with 42. They’ve also scored 45 times at the right end – only Manchester City have been more prolific on the road. Whatever happens on Saturday, it's unlikely to be boring!

COMEBACK KINGS
Did you know no side has gained more points from behind in 2020 than United (13)? Both of our Premier League wins this season have come from losing positions, while we recovered from conceding early to beat Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford in July. Solskjaer’s side also hit back to salvage draws against Everton in March, Tottenham in June and Southampton and West Ham in July. Conversely, only Arsenal (15) have dropped more points from winning positions in the top-flight this year than Chelsea (13).

RASHFORD ROLLS ON
It’s been quite the week for Marcus Rashford, who netted yet another late winner in Paris. The 22-year-old also has previous with Chelsea – he’s scored four goals in his last three games against the Blues, including a brace in this fixture last season. If he repeats that feat, he’ll be the first Red since Tommy Taylor in 1957 to score two or more goals in consecutive home top-flight matches against Chelsea.

PORTUGUESE PRODUCTIVITY
Since making his Premier League debut on 1 February, Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 20 goals (11 goals, nine assists) in 18 top-flight appearances – more than any other player.

Stats courtesy of Opta.

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