Chelsea kept their Champions League qualification hopes firmly in their control with a narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United, thanks to Marc Cucurella’s decisive goal. The victory lifted the Blues to fourth place in the Premier League.
Despite having one eye on next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim fielded a stronger lineup than expected. The Red Devils pushed Chelsea hard but ultimately suffered their 18th league defeat of the season, leaving them stuck in 16th place.
Chelsea’s triumph, along with Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Spurs in Friday’s other match, saw both sides climb above Manchester City into the top five. However, City still have a game in hand and are set to face Bournemouth on Tuesday after contesting the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
A win over Nottingham Forest on the final day will secure Chelsea’s return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.
Meanwhile, United’s disappointing campaign now hinges on the outcome of their Europa League final in Bilbao. Amorim opted not to rest key players, with Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, and Casemiro all included in the starting XI at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were forced to play without a recognized striker as Nicolas Jackson served a suspension and Christopher Nkunku remained sidelined through injury. In their absence, teenage winger Tyrique George was thrust into an unfamiliar centre-forward role, and the Blues struggled to pose a serious attacking threat.
Manchester United began brightly and thought they had taken the lead when Harry Maguire turned in Bruno Fernandes’ cross, only for VAR to rule the goal out for a marginal offside.
Chelsea’s best chance of the first half came from Reece James, whose powerful long-range strike rattled the post. Cole Palmer provided Chelsea’s main creative outlet and came close with a dipping shot that Andre Onana spilled into the path of Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine blazed the rebound over the bar with the goal at his mercy, though the offside flag spared his embarrassment.
A game punctuated by frequent stoppages and VAR delays never really found its rhythm. United again started the second half with intent, with Mason Mount firing wide on his return to Stamford Bridge and Fernandes sending a shot over the bar.
Controversy followed on the hour mark when referee Chris Kavanagh awarded Chelsea a penalty after a collision between George and Onana. However, VAR overturned the decision as replays clearly showed the goalkeeper played the ball.
The breakthrough finally came 20 minutes from time, and it was Chelsea’s full-backs who delivered it. Reece James turned neatly on the edge of the box and delivered a pinpoint cross that Marc Cucurella headed home for his seventh goal of the season.
Noni Madueke had a golden opportunity to seal the win moments later but dragged his shot wide after a sharp pass from Palmer. That miss nearly proved costly, as Robert Sanchez was forced into a smart save to deny Amad Diallo at the near post.
In the end, Chelsea held firm to secure a vital victory and move within touching distance of a long-awaited return to Champions League football.
