Manchester United earn three massive points at Stamford Bridge thanks to a 44th minute combination from Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, completing the league double over Chelsea.
The match also marked the first clean sheet for the Reds in nearly two months.
Manchester United spent the second half of the match under siege by Chelsea as the hosts dominated possession, shots, corners, and touches in the opposition area.
Twice, Chelsea were denied by the woodwork, first in the 56th minute and again in the 67th
minute. Both attempts were similar as a whipped-in ball from the right side would find the the waiting heads of Liam Delap and Wesley Fofana, respectively.
Meanwhile, United did not offer much in the attacking end, seemingly satisfied to just defend.
On the counter in the 52nd minute, Cunha played a clever backheel to Fernandes who ran onto the ball before hitting a curling shot outside of the penalty area. The Chelsea keeper dived for it, but the ball would go wide of the far post.
United nearly doubled their advantage with the help of friendly fire from Chelsea. A forced a turnover in the 65th minute saw Fernandes with the ball at the top of the box. He played a pass in the direction of Cunha that was deflected by a Chelsea defender toward goal. The ball hung precariously in the air with spin, forcing an unexpected save by the Chelsea keeper.
The Reds entered the first half with the advantage thanks to Bruno Fernandes setting up Matheus Cunha for the opening strike. The goal marked Fernandes’ 18th assist of the season and Cunha’s 10th goal involvement of the season.
After Fofana had to come off the field temporarily to receive treatment, United pressed the opportunity in the 44th minute. Bryan Mbeumo flicked a ball to Fernandes up the right wing, and the midfielder carried the ball to the touchline. Fernandes ripped a cross back into the box that Cunha ran onto.
Unlike a similar opportunity in the 25th minute that saw Cunha take a heavy touch and upend a goal-scoring opportunity, Cunha one-timed a laser of a shot to break the stalemate.
Chelsea had the lion’s share of the ball in the first half with 57 percent possession, and they had their moments to make the match uncomfortable for United.
In the 10th minute, Cole Palmer got to the ball first at the top of United’s penalty area as Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw both made contact with the attacker. VAR took a look but it was ruled that no foul occurred in the penalty area.
United were lucky not to be down a goal in the 33rd minute after Enzo Fernandez was able to keep possession in the box following a challenge. He had enough space to quickly curl a shot that beat Senne Lammens but mercifully went just wide of the far post.
Fernandez had another opportunity five minutes later, taking a shot from outside of the box that was saved by Lammens but deflected off the keeper’s hands. Palmer collected the ball and squared it to Liam Delap who tapped the ball into the net. However, the sideline referee negated the score as Palmer was ruled offside when Fernandez took the initial shot.
United return home on Monday, April 27, to host seventh-place Brentford, who are on an interesting run of form with five straight draws. The match will be pivotal for both squads as they vie for their places in European competitions next season.
