Cunha punishes dominant Chelsea's misses as United win the battle for UCL!

Football isn’t always fair. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they felt it firsthand tonight. Liam Rosenior’s men put in one of the best performances since the Englishman took over the London side’s bench, but still suffered a painful 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.

The Blues were quite dominant throughout the game, controlling possession and taking more shots. They hit the woodwork three times, but failed to find the net behind Senne Lammens’ back.

On the other hand, the Red Devils seized their only chance and scored the winner through Matheus Cunha two minutes before the break, while the ten-man Chelsea were without the defender Wesley Fofana, who was receiving treatment off the pitch.

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After the break, Michael Carrick’s men barely crossed the halfway line, opting solely for defence, and that tactic eventually paid off, as the Old Trafford club is now on the verge of booking a UCL ticket.

Based on what we saw tonight, the Blues are as worthy of the Champions League spot as the Red Devils are. Nevertheless, they may not be part of the elite competition next season, as they suffered their fourth consecutive league defeat, and currently sit four points behind Liverpool and the UCL zone, though the Reds have one game in hand.

Tough times seem to be upon Chelsea…

Thanks to Stamford Bridge and the home crowd’s impact, or something else, Chelsea looked like a much better team in the opening stages of the game.

The Blues mainly controlled possession and kept the ball, while United focused on counterattacks, which they rarely got a chance to launch.

In the 11th minute, Estevao threatened for the first time, as his strike grazed the post. Unfortunately, the Brazilian picked up an injury just five minutes later and was forced to leave the pitch. Alejandro Garnacho replaced him and was welcomed with boos because of his recent social media activity directed against his current club.

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In the 33rd minute, Enzo Fernandez wasted a massive chance after snatching the ball between two rival defenders in United's box, missing the entire target.

Five minutes later, Chelsea scored through Liam Delap, but his goal didn't stand as Cole Palmer had previously been caught offside.

And after all those misses, the punishment came. Interestingly, the visitors seized the chance while the Blues' defender Wesley Fofana was off the pitch receiving medical treatment.

Two minutes before the break, the Red Devils finally organized one proper attack and instantly crowned it with a goal, when Matheus Cunha smashed the ball into Robert Sanchez's net following Bruno Fernandes' cross from the right flank.

Despite United's shocking opener, the London side's pressure continued after the break, as Liam Rosenior's men didn't give up.

In the 57th minute, Delap met Pedro Neto's cross in the visitors' area with a superb header, but only hit the bar. Ten minutes later, a similar situation and, sadly for Chelsea, the same outcome - a cross from the right flank and a header that hit the crossbar, only this time, Noussair Mazraoui nearly scored an own goal.

By that time, the Red Devils had already been focused solely on counterattacks, defending with all the players in their own half. Michael Carrick's strategy was risky, especially considering how close the Blues were to an equalizer, but still, with a quarter of an hour to go, United's fortress was intact.

The ultimate chance for the home crew to avoid a painful defeat was Moises Caicedo's long-range missile in the 85th minute, that went narrowly wide of the right post.

Man United, in the end, held on to their lead and made a gigantic step towards the Champions League, handing the Blues a massive blow. The final six EPL games will decide, though tonight's rivals await them in completely different moods.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 33

Saturday

Brentford - Fulham 0-0

Leeds - Wolverhampton 3-0 (2-0)

/Justin 18, Okafor 20, Calvert-Lewin 90+5 pen/

Newcastle - Bournemouth 1-2 (0-1)

/Osula 68 - Tavernier 32, Truffert 85/

Tottenham - Brighton 2-2 (1-1)

/Porro 38, Simons 77 - Mitoma 45+3, Rutter 90+5/

Chelsea - Manchester United 0-1 (0-1)

/Cunha 43/

Sunday

16.00: (1.70) Aston Villa (3.60) Sunderland (5.30)

16.00: (3.00) Everton (3.40) Liverpool (2.35)

16.00: (1.50) Nottingham Forest (4.20) Burnley (6.75)

18.30: (1.85) Manchester City (3.80) Arsenal (4.05)

Monday

22.00: (2.40) Crystal Palace (3.35) West Ham (2.95)

***odds are subject to change***