The midfielder was one of three changes made by Frank Lampard at Old Trafford, as he fielded our youngest ever Premier League starting XI.

Chukwuemeka slotted into midfield with Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher and despite the Blues showing some positive signs, we couldn’t keep United out who raced into a half-time 2-0 lead thanks to strikes from Casemiro and Anthony Martial.

A penalty from Bruno Fernandes in the second half and a further goal from Marcus Rashford sealed the points before Joao Felix pulled back a consolation for us late on.

Carney himself looked tidy in midfield and even went close to opening the scoring early on, curling just over the bar from inside the area. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old was brutally honest when reflecting on the heavy defeat and has called on the Blues to improve and finish strongly when we welcome to Newcastle to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in our final game of the season.

‘We’re in a difficult period,’ Carney explained post-match.

‘There’s been a lot of transition and change but it’s clear we aren’t playing well enough at the moment. We need to give a lot more for the badge.

‘I thought we had some good chances in the first half and if we’d taken them, then it could have been a totally different outcome on the game.

‘We’re in a difficult period and we need to pull ourselves from this and improve. We’ve got one game left this season and we need to give the fans something to smile about.

‘We need to finish this season on a winning note to take into the summer, then come back in pre-season with a different approach and a different mindset to do better.’

Despite the negative result, being handed a start by Lampard in such a big game was viewed as a real positive by Chukwuemeka and the former Aston Villa man hopes for further opportunities starting with Newcastle’s visit on Sunday.

‘I’ve been waiting a while for an opportunity in the team and I’ve just kept myself ready for whenever the gaffer needed me,’ said the teenager.

‘I think I’ve been training well and I thought I did okay out there. I know I can definitely improve further but I want to be playing for Chelsea on a regular basis and getting the chance at Old Trafford is definitely a step in the right direction.

‘Hopefully I can train well and have more experiences like that.’