The Theatre of Dreams in decline: Chelsea look to exploit Man Utd's vulnerability

There was a time when Old Trafford was synonymous with intimidation. Manchester United's home ground was the fortress upon which Sir Alex Ferguson's empire was built, a venue where opponents arrived in hope rather than expectation.

But the aura has been fading for some time, and in the last two seasons, the decline has accelerated to the point of being impossible to ignore. The Theatre of Dreams, once a stage reserved for United's dominance, now too often resembles a hunting ground for visiting sides.

Ten of the nineteen clubs in this season's Premier League have left victorious on their most recent trips — a statistic that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

This weekend, attention turns to Chelsea, who travel north with a peculiar record of their own. Despite assembling squad after squad brimming with international quality, the Londoners have not won at Old Trafford since May 2013.

Twelve attempts have come and gone without a victory, a drought made all the more striking by the fact that, in the same period, almost every other major rival has taken full advantage of United's dwindling home authority.

For Enzo Maresca's men, Saturday represents not just another test in the league campaign, but perhaps the best opportunity in years to break their barren run in Manchester.

Others have endured similar waits, though the context is different. Everton's last victory came in December 2013, yet their decline in competitiveness makes that drought less surprising.

Leeds United, meanwhile, have not claimed three points at Old Trafford since 2010, though their prolonged exile in the Championship explains the gap.

Chelsea's struggles stand apart: a club of their stature, consistently operating at the sharp end of English football, unable to conquer a ground that has recently fallen to the likes of Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

That, ultimately, is the issue that gnaws at Ruben Amorim and the supporters. Defeats to Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City may sting, but they can be rationalised. The sight of Wolves, Brighton or West Ham leaving victorious, however, speaks to a deeper vulnerability.

Old Trafford is no longer the place where title charges were launched and challengers dismissed; it has become a stadium where belief flows into visiting dressing rooms rather than out of them.

Whether Chelsea can finally seize their long-awaited moment, or whether United can belatedly reassert control, will shape the narrative of a fixture that once defined the Premier League era.

Old Trafford's longest winless streaks in English competitions

- Chelsea: 12 matches without a win – last victory 0-1, May 2013

- Everton: 12 matches without a win – last victory 0-1, December 2013

- Burnley: 5 matches without a win – last victory 0-2, January 2020

- Aston Villa: 5 matches without a win – last victory 0-1, September 2021

- Leeds United: 3 matches without a win – last victory 0-1, January 2010

- Sunderland: 3 matches without a win – last victory 0-1, May 2014

- Fulham: 2 matches without a win – last victory 1-2, February 2024

- Manchester City: 1 match without a win – last victory 0-2, October 2023

Teams that won their last visit (0 matches without a win)

- Liverpool: won 0-3, September 2024

- Tottenham Hotspur: won 0-3, September 2024

- Newcastle: won 0-2, December 2024

- Bournemouth: won 0-3, December 2024

- Nottingham Forest: won 2-3, December 2024

- Brighton & Hove Albion: won 1-3, January 2025

- Crystal Palace: won 0-2, February 2025

- Wolves: won 0-1, April 2025

- West Ham: won 0-2, May 2025

- Arsenal: won 0-1, August 2025

*Brentford have never won at Old Trafford in the Premier League era.