Jadon Sancho inadvertently rubbed salt in Manchester United’s wounds immediately after their 3-0 defeat by Tottenham. The Chelsea winger has been in fine form after joining the Blues on loan from Old Trafford, and might have been watching on as his parent club collapsed against Spurs.
Erik ten Hag’s side were woeful and fell to their third loss of the campaign. Goals by Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke sealed a big triumph for the visitors.
To punctuate a horror day for United and Ten Hag, Bruno Fernandes was sent off and will now miss his side’s next three domestic matches.
But over in London, Sancho was busy soaking up another big win for Chelsea as the England forward continues to shine under Enzo Maresca. The Blues defeated Brighton 4-2 on Saturday to climb to fourth in the Premier League, having not lost in the league since the opening day of the campaign.
Almost as soon as the final whistle was blown to seal United’s loss, Chelsea’s X account posted a photo of Sancho smiling at team-mate Cole Palmer. The latter struck all four goals against Brighton in a memorable display.
Sancho reposted the photo onto his own profile. It is unlikely that the activity from Chelsea and Sancho was a deliberate mocking of United’s defeat, but it will compound their woes after a chastening defeat. Club social media posts are often scheduled throughout the day, while players sometimes leave management of their own profiles to social media agencies.
The 24-year-old winger has impressed since joining Chelsea on loan from United late in the transfer window. The move came after he failed to shine at Old Trafford following his £73million switch from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.
Sancho’s United career was all but ended by a falling out with Ten Hag 12 months ago. He spent the second half of last season on loan at former club Dortmund and while he was reintegrated by the Red Devils boss during the summer, a temporary switch to Chelsea was agreed on transfer deadline day.
It is understood that Sancho’s loan agreement will be made permanent if achievable conditions are met this season. He has already made an impact in West London and played his part in an impressive attacking performance against Brighton.
How United might have hoped to put together such a display, but their toothless front line failed to create much of note against Spurs. Head coach Ten Hag is now fighting for his long-term future having overseen only three wins in eight matches this season.
