Rio Ferdinand sparks Arsenal and Chelsea debate after Man United victory

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has ignited a discussion regarding the Reds' opening to the campaign following a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at Old Trafford.

United entered the encounter requiring a victory while Chelsea were looking to bounce back after defeat to Bayern Munich. Unfortunately for the Blues they began poorly when Robert Sanchez was dismissed for bringing down Bryan Mbeumo outside of the penalty area.

Moments later United capitalised on their numerical superiority as Bruno Fernandes tucked home from close quarters following Patrick Dorgu's header across goal. The Red Devils had Chelsea under pressure and doubled their lead in the 37th minute as Casemiro nodded home.

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The Brazilian switched from hero to villain when he received his marching orders in first half injury time for a second bookable offence, leaving both sides level at ten men each. Ruben Amorim's team appeared to be coasting towards victory until Trevoh Chalobah's header established a thrilling finale.

Chelsea could not press home their momentum though as United succeeded in holding on and claiming a vital three points for them. Following the match, Ferdinand posted on X to seek his followers' opinions on the start to the season, with the implication from the former centre-back being that he was pleased with the points accumulated.

"After five games playing Arsenal/Manchester City/Chelsea, are we satisfied with seven points," he posted. As previously noted, United have already squared off against three of the traditional 'Big Six' this season, suffering losses to Arsenal and City before triumphing over Enzo Maresca's side.

Outside of the 'Big Six', United remain undefeated in the Premier League. The Reds secured a victory over Burnley in a rollercoaster match, following a 1-1 draw at Fulham in a lacklustre performance.

A penalty shootout loss to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup has increased the pressure on Amorim, with United fans' responses to Ferdinand's question reflecting this sentiment. The majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the current points tally, but there wasn't a significant outcry for Amorim's dismissal.

At the time of writing, United are sitting ninth in the Premier League table, just two points shy of the top four. As for Arsenal and Chelsea, they both sit in better positions.

The Gunners have the opportunity to cut the gap to three points on leaders Liverpool if they can defeat City on Sunday. As for Chelsea, that was their first league loss of the season and they sit sixth.