Stamford Bridge witnessed Chelsea claim victory over Manchester United in a game that saw the London outfit make a huge stride in the Premier League towards a return to Champions League Football.
Marc Cucurella provided the crucial goal, which proved to be all that the Blues required to see off United on a night where Ruben Amorim’s side could not produce any form of fightback ahead of their Europa League Final.
The First Half – A lack of threat from both sides
Manchester United were the side to have the ball in the net first via Harry Maguire, who has popped up with important goals for the Red Devils throughout this season. His finish this time, however, would not stand as he was just leaning past the final Chelsea defender with VAR deeming him to be offside.
Half an hour in, Chelsea were starting to gain control of the match as the chances began to arrive for Enzo Maresca’s side. The best of Chelsea’s opportunities came from Reece James, who pulled the trigger from the edge of the box. The attempt was an incredibly powerful half volley that just did not curl back inwards enough and instead struck Onana’s left post.
Overall, the game had a disjointed feel to it as Chelsea looked like they were struggling to get into any passing rhythm and were also unable to get Tyrique George involved in the opening 45 minutes. The youngster only managed six touches of the ball in the first half.
United would certainly have been the happier of the two sides at half-time as the pressure was growing with the knowledge that Champions League rivals Aston Villa were leading Spurs 2-0 in their match.
Chelsea did carry more threat in the first half, but would certainly have hoped to test Andre Onana more than they did, as the Cameroonian was only forced into one save the entire half. Chelsea’s xG of 0.53 to United’s 0.13 echoed that they were the more menacing side in the opening 45 minutes.
The Second Half – A season-defining moment
The second half picked up exactly where the first half left off, with the game lacking any real rhythm. Stamford Bridge was getting more tense by the minute as the clock continued to tick in a Champions League battle where they were now on the back foot.
Similar to the opening minutes, Manchester United had a good spell early in the second half, but this was soon halted as Chelsea attempted to produce a moment of magic that would see them gain ascendancy in the match.
Chelsea thought they had a penalty when Tyrique George was seemingly tripped by Onana. However, VAR asked for an on-field review, with the replay showing there was very little contact on George, leading to Chris Kavanagh overturning his original decision.
This is exactly what the Blues managed to do in the 71st minute through Marc Cucurella. Reece James was the architect of the goal as he cut in, turned and delivered a perfect ball to Cucurella, who darted into the box and fired his header past Onana to give Chelsea an invaluable lead on the night.
It was almost two for Chelsea straight after the opener as Noni Madueke was played through on goal but sliced his attempt wide – a golden opportunity for the winger.
Following the goal, it looked more and more apparent that Manchester United were focusing on the final ahead, as Ruben Amorim pulled both Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw with Ayden Heaven and Kobbie Mainoo coming on in their place.
Chelsea would hang on to a crucial win that moves the Blues back into the Champions League spaces once more, with a trip to Nottingham Forest being all that is between them and putting an end to their three-year hiatus from the prestigious competition.
The Teams:
Chelsea: R. Sanchez, R. James, T. Adarabioyo, L. Colwill, M. Cucurella, M. Caicedo, E. Fernández, P. Neto (M. Gusto, 90+1′), C. Palmer, N. Madueke, T. George (R. Lavia 81′)
Booked: C. Palmer
Unused Substitutes: F. Jorgensen, M. Bettinelli, B. Badiashile, T. Chalobah, A. Anselmino, J. Acheampong, K. Dewsbury-Hall
Manchester United: A. Onana, V. Lindelöf, H. Maguire, L. Shaw (A. Heaven 81′), N. Mazraoui, Casemiro (M. Ugarte 70′), B. Fernandes (K. Mainoo 81′), M. Mount (A. Garnacho 70′), P. Dorgu, A. Diallo, R. Højlund
Booked: B. Fernandes, Casemiro, N. Mazraoui, A. Diallo, M. Ugarte, A. Heaven
Unused Substitutes: A. Bayindir, H. Amass, T. Fredricson, C. Eriksen, T. Collyer