Man United wins chaotic match against Chelsea and Liverpool remains perfect

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Bruno Fernandes struck his 100th goal for Manchester United in a chaotic 2-1 win against Chelsea and helped ease pressure on coach Ruben Amorim on Saturday.

Fernandes and Casemiro struck in a wild first half at Old Trafford where both teams went down to 10 men and Chelsea lost star player Cole Palmer to injury.

Fernandes hit a century of goals in his 200th Premier League appearance. But the biggest celebration came after the final whistle as United won for only the second time this season.

“Every win, especially in this moment, is important against a great opponent,” Amorim told the BBC. “Our crowd, our fans are easy to please. If you give everything they will be there. That is something our players need to understand. To have the crowd with us we just need to run, to fight and tackle.”

Earlier, defending champion Liverpool maintained its 100% start with a 2-1 victory against Everton at Anfield in the Merseyside derby.

Amorim will take wins however he can get them after a torrid 10 months in charge.

After overseeing the 20-time English champion's worst ever Premier League campaign last season, there have been more struggles this term, raising questions about his ability to revive United.

So when Sanchez was shown red for bringing down Bryan Mbeumo just outside the area, it looked like the perfect chance for United to get back to winning ways following last week's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

And United took advantage with Fernandes converting from close range in the 14th and Casemiro heading home in the 37th.

In a half that needed VAR to confirm Fernandes' goal and saw Chelsea make three substitutions, referee Peter Bankes played nearly 10 minutes of added time. During that period Casemiro was issued a second yellow for a foul on Andrey Santos.

United continued to make better chances but when Trevoh Chalobah headed a goal for Chelsea in the 80th it set up a nervy finish before the home fans erupted with relief at the final whistle.

“We deserve this, but we complicated our lives,” Amorim said.

The win moved United up to 10th and one point behind sixth-placed Chelsea, which was tipped to challenge for the title this season.

"We have to forget the good feeling of winning the game and get back to the urgency of feeling we need to win the next game,” Amorim said.

Ryan Gravenberch scored and assisted to help improve Liverpool's record to 5-0. For the first time this season, it didn't require a late goal to secure victory.

Gravenberch put Liverpool ahead in the 10th when Mohamed Salah lofted a one-hop pass into his path. The defensive midfielder extended his right leg and on the half volley lifted the ball over the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Gravenberch made a perfect through-pass in the 29th and Hugo Ekitike slotted the ball through Pickford’s legs and inside the far post.

Idrissa Gueye scored on a long-range shot after Iliman Ndiaye tapped back Jack Grealish’s cross. About to turn 36 next Friday, Gueye became the second oldest Everton player to score in a Merseyside derby behind 37-year-old Sam Chedgzoy in 1926, according to Opta.

Liverpool has won five consecutive home games against Everton for the first time since 1937.

In another bad day for West Ham coach Graham Potter, his team lost for the fourth time in five games, going down at home to Crystal Palace 2-1.

Former Chelsea coach Potter has won just six times in 25 games since being hired in January and has lost 14 of them.

The subject of insulting crowd chants at London Stadium, Potter said, “I didn’t hear it. I understand the frustration, but there’s nothing I can say."

He lasted only seven months at Chelsea and there has already been speculation in the British media about potential replacements at West Ham, including former Nottingham Forest coach Nuno Espirito Santo and club icon Slaven Bilic.

When asked if he thought he had the backing of the club hierarchy, Potter said: "I’ve no reason to think not. But I also understand the environment and the results.”

Tyrick Mitchell scored a 68th-minute winner for Palace after Jean-Philippe Mateta's opening goal was canceled by Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham was 18th in the standings with three points.

It's even worse for Wolverhampton after losing at home to Leeds 3-1.

Vitor Pereira's team was in last place and still looking for its first points after five games.

Pereira signed a new contract at the club this week, but it looks like he's set for a tough season.

Defeat came despite Ladislav Krejci firing Wolves ahead inside eight minutes. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal for Leeds since his move from Everton in the summer.

Anton Stach and Noah Okafor also got on the score sheet for the newly promoted team.

Trailing 2-0 at Brighton, Tottenham came back to salvage a 2-2 draw.

Goals from Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari looked like putting Brighton on course for only its second win of the season. But Richarlison halved the deficit before halftime and an own goal from Jan Paul van Hecke in the 82nd secured a point for Spurs.

Ange Postecoglou got his first point as Nottingham Forest coach in a 1-1 draw at Burnley and Fulham beat Brentford 3-1 at Craven Cottage to climb to seventh.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Casemiro, left, celebrates with Bruno Fernandes after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison, second left, scores his sides first goal during English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur match at the American Express Stadium in Brighton, England on Saturday Sept. 20, 2025. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

West Ham's head coach Graham Potter sits on the bench prior to the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at the London Stadium in London, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Everton's Idrissa Gueye, left, celebrates with Everton's Iliman Ndiaye after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)