Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Chelsea ruined Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge by thumping his new club 4-0 on Sunday. Pedro opened the Blues' account after just 30 seconds, before Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante added strikes of their own.

The lopsided win put Chelsea into the top four of the Premier League on goal difference ahead of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. As for United, Mourinho's men remain seventh but only six points off the pace after both Arsenal and leaders Manchester City drew this weekend.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte stuck with the same personnel and 3-4-3 formation he used in the 3-0 win over champions Leicester City last time out. It meant a start for Pedro up front, while Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses manned the flanks, per the club:

Meanwhile, United confirmed a starting XI not featuring the injured Wayne Rooney, and summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan was again left out:

Rooney had to miss the game because of a problem he picked up during a training session, the club confirmed. Yet Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News offered one reason why fit-again Mkhitaryan could feel aggrieved at being overlooked:

Mourinho won three league titles and a host of cups during two spells at Chelsea, but he found his old team in an unsentimental and ruthless mood at the Bridge.

Pedro stole in between United defenders Chris Smalling and Daley Blind to give the Blues a dream start. The Spaniard's first touch, with his chest, was excellent, as was his calm finish.

It continued the tough run United goalkeeper David De Gea has experienced on trips to Stamford Bridge, according to Squawka:

United responded well, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggled to find his range in front of goal. For all United's endeavour, though, Chelsea kept the visitors contained.

In particular, Conte's men were pressing high and outnumbering United out wide. Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News attributed the problems on the flanks to Chelsea's system:

The hosts' early dominance was soon reflected by a more commanding lead when Cahill prodded home amid a scramble in the box from a corner. Diego Costa nearly made it three moments later, but he couldn't quite meet Hazard's near-post cross.

United finally posed their own threat when Thibaut Courtois had to make a double save to deny Jesse Lingard. Still not impressed, Mourinho was contemplating a change or at least sending a message as early as the half-hour mark:

Chelsea were in firm control but received a moment of luck when defender David Luiz only received a booking for a stud-high clip of Marouane Fellaini. It was a dubious decision from referee Martin Atkinson given the nature of the challenge, per Squawka News:

Mourinho finally made his changes at the break, introducing Juan Mata and Marcos Rojo for Fellaini and Eric Bailly. But the adjustments did little to stop the rot for United.

First Hazard, superb on the day, found the net after some trademark fancy footwork in the box. Then holding midfielder Kante nearly outdid the Belgian wizard to create his shooting chance for the fourth.

United's defending was due a mountain of criticism, but things were also far from clicking at the other end. The struggles up front prompted Jamie Jackson of the Guardian to chide misfiring Ibrahimovic:

Chelsea saw things out against a United side appearing keen to see the inside of the team bus again.

Post-Match Reaction

Mourinho and Conte appeared to exchange some heated words at the full-time whistle, but the United manager refused to elaborate afterwards, per Tom Williams of Agence France-Presse:

For his part, Conte also sought to keep the nature of the exchange between the two managers, according to ESPN's Miguel Delaney: 

Conte had been wildly gesticulating to encourage the Chelsea supporters to out-sing United fans boisterous in the away end, despite the score. The Italian endorsed his role as cheerleader in typically colourful fashion:

Back to the game, Mourinho oddly claimed he'd set his team up to attack, per BBC Sport:

It was a strange statement considering United often had six at the back, with wide forwards Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard positioned very deep, especially in the first half.

Whatever United's plan was, Mourinho did acknowledge his tactics were ruined by the early mistakes leading to Pedro's goal, per the league's official site:

Finally, the United chief provided worrying news about the fitness of centre-back Eric Bailly:

Conte's team offered a reminder of the talent in the ranks, quality good enough for a sustained title challenge. Mourinho and United will also be in the mix despite this setback. But it's a result that raises worrying questions about the squad he expensively assembled this summer.