League Division One · Matchday 40
Manchester United v Chelsea
5–0
Manchester United beat Chelsea 5–0 at Maine Road on Saturday 17th April 1948 in the League Division One. Charlie Mitten (11'), Jimmy Delaney (43'), Stan Pearson (83', 89') and Jack Rowley (48') scored for United.
Timeline
Running score
- Kick Off
- 11' Charlie Mitten pen 1–0
- 43' Jimmy Delaney 2–0
- Half Time
- 48' Jack Rowley 3–0
- 83' Stan Pearson 4–0
- 89' Stan Pearson 5–0
- Full Time 5–0
Match Facts
- United's biggest win over Chelsea at the time, in their 33rd meeting.
- Charlie Mitten's 10th goal of 1947-1948, and his 17th for United.
- Jimmy Delaney's 7th goal of 1947-1948, and his 15th for United.
- Stan Pearson's brace took him to 22 in 1947-1948 and 43 for United.
- Jack Rowley's 26th goal of 1947-1948, and his 70th for United.
Starting XI
Substitutes
Substitutes were not permitted
Managers
MUFC
Matt Busby
Manchester United
OPP
Billy Birrell
Chelsea
United vs Chelsea History
Meeting 33 of 200
200
Played
82
Won
61
Drawn
57
Lost
312
Goals For
240
Goals Against
All-time record, from the first meeting on Monday 25th December 1905. After this match United had played Chelsea 33 times: 17W 10D 6L.
4 Sep 1946 W 3–0 D1 18 Sep 1946 D 1–1 D1 29 Nov 1947 W 4–0 D1
17 Apr 1948 W 5–0 This match
13 Nov 1948 D 1–1 D1 9 Apr 1949 D 1–1 D1 10 Sep 1949 D 1–1 D1 | All-time | P | W | D | L | F | A | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 94 | 42 | 32 | 20 | 148 | 88 | 44.7 |
| Away | 95 | 37 | 25 | 33 | 149 | 138 | 38.9 |
| Neutral | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 27.3 |
Match results, lineups and goalscorers compiled from mufcinfo.com; advanced match statistics (xG, shots, possession) via FBref and FotMob where available. Last updated 9 November 2026. How we compile this data →