Enzo Maresca has revealed that Robert Sanchez took full responsibility for his red card in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United and apologized for it in the dressing room.
Sanchez was given his marching orders inside the opening five minutes of the clash at Old Trafford after he brought Bryan Mbeumo down outside the penalty area. The numerical disadvantage proved costly for the Blues as they suffered their first Premier League defeat of the 2025/26 campaign.
After the match, the Spanish goalkeeper took to his Instagram story to apologize for the unfortunate incident. Ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Lincoln City, Maresca revealed that Sanchez did not only posted an apology on social media but also apologized directly to his teammates.
Maresca was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official website:
“Rob for a long time has been very good. Unfortunately, he made a mistake the other day and he recognised it. I know he made a post on Instagram in public, but he also did so after the game in the changing room. He recognised it was a mistake. He is an intelligent person, and he recognised that.”
The red card means Robert Sanchez will sit out Chelsea’s Carabao Cup clash with Lincoln, which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, at Sincil Bank.
Joe Hart delivers damning verdict on Chelsea goalkeeper after red card incident
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart slammed Robert Sanchez for inconsistency between the sticks after picking up a red card in the Manchester United vs Chelsea match. Speaking on BBC Sport’s Monday Night Club, Hart said:
“He’s very athletic, and on his day, he’s a dominant goalkeeper. He comes for things. He’s very, very springy. He’s a big, tall man, and he makes electric saves when his day is flying. Unfortunately, as a goalkeeper, especially in the Premier League at the top, you can’t just be an on his day player. You’re not a striker. You can’t just score a goal and then be horrendous for the rest of the game, and no one really cares about it.”
“That will never go away from him. That will just never go until he can have a rock-solid season, and Robert Sanchez just doesn’t look like he’s capable of that at the moment.”
While Sanchez will miss the clash against Lincoln, he will be available for selection in Enzo Maresca’s starting XI next Saturday, as he received only a one-game ban.