While both sides have flattered to deceive in the early portion of the 2023-24 campaign, the Red Devils find themselves three places and five points better off than Mauricio Pochettino's team in the standings after 14 games.
However, Erik ten Hag's men deservedly suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in their most recent top-flight affair on Saturday night, where Anthony Gordon's second-half goal sunk the Red Devils.
In contrast, Chelsea - who were thumped 4-1 at St James' Park two weekends ago - made a return to victorious ways by defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 on Sunday, where an Enzo Fernandez double and Levi Colwill header made the difference.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 193
Man Utd wins: 82
Draws: 56
Chelsea wins: 55
A festive reunion is appropriate for Man United and Chelsea, whose first-ever competitive meeting came 118 years ago on Christmas Day 1905, and the two titans of the English game have now locked horns on 193 occasions across all tournaments.
Eighty-two of those contests have seen Man United emerge triumphant, including in their most recent Old Trafford clash in May, where Ten Hag's side sealed a place in the 2023-24 Champions League by crushing Frank Lampard's Chelsea 4-1.
Prior to that springtime success, Man United and Chelsea had shaken hands on a draw in five successive contests, playing out a trio of 1-1 stalemates between November 2021 and October 2022 after a pair of drab goalless affairs behind closed doors in the 2020-21 season, which some fans may have been grateful not to attend.
Thanks to that run of one-pointers, this fixture holds the honour of being the most drawn Premier League match in history with 26 stalemates between the pair - 19 of which have been score draws with another seven ending without the net rippling once.
Chelsea's most recent beating of the Red Devils came just before that quintet of stalemates began, as the Blues came up trumps 3-1 in the semi-finals of the 2019-20 FA Cup thanks to a horror show from David de Gea, only to fall to Arsenal's superiority in the final.
Blues fans have to go even further back to November 2017 for their most recent Premier League success over Man United, where Alvaro Morata came up with the decisive moment in a 1-0 triumph, but Chelsea have since gone winless in 11 top-flight meetings with the Red Devils.
Before their unsightly sequence began, Chelsea went unbeaten in 12 successive games against Wednesday's hosts across all competitions, during which they marched to their most recent Premier League win at Old Trafford in May 2013, where Juan Mata scored the only goal against his future employers.
Formerly of both Chelsea and Manchester United, Mark Hughes has scored more goals than any other player in this fixture with 11 strikes to his name, while Wayne Rooney, Denis Law and the late Sir Bobby Charlton registered nine apiece for the Red Devils.
Last 20 meetings
May 25, 2023: Man Utd 4-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 22, 2022: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd (Premier League)
Apr 28, 2022: Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Nov 28, 2021: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd (Premier League)
Feb 28, 2021: Chelsea 0-0 Man Utd (Premier League)
Oct 24, 2020: Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Jul 19, 2020: Man Utd 1-3 Chelsea (FA Cup Semi-Finals)
Feb 17, 2020: Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
Oct 30, 2019: Chelsea 1-2 Man Utd (EFL Cup Fourth Round)
Aug 11, 2019: Man Utd 4-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 28, 2019: Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 18, 2019: Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd (FA Cup Fifth Round)
Oct 20, 2018: Chelsea 2-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
May 19, 2018: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd (FA Cup Final)
Feb 25, 2018: Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Nov 05, 2017: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd (Premier League)
Apr 16, 2017: Man Utd 2-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Mar 13, 2017: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd (FA Cup Quarter-Finals)
Oct 23, 2016: Chelsea 4-0 Man Utd (Premier League)
Feb 07, 2016: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
May 25, 2023: Man Utd 4-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 22, 2022: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd (Premier League)
Apr 28, 2022: Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Nov 28, 2021: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd (Premier League)
Feb 28, 2021: Chelsea 0-0 Man Utd (Premier League)
Oct 24, 2020: Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 17, 2020: Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
Aug 11, 2019: Man Utd 4-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 28, 2019: Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 20, 2018: Chelsea 2-2 Man Utd (Premier League)
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