Marc Cucurella scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season to strengthen Chelsea’s position in their pursuit of Champions League qualification and condemn Manchester United to a ninth away defeat of the season.
Harry Maguire had a first-half goal ruled out for offside and VAR also overturned a penalty awarded to Chelsea in the second-half when Andre Onana was first judged to have brought down Tyrique George; replays showed he had played the ball before the winger, who was making his first Premier League start.
Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Tottenham, who United will face in the Europa League final on Wednesday, lifted them to fourth and dropped Chelsea out of the qualifying places in the live table, before Cucurella’s goal took them back fourth and bumped out Manchester City, who are one point behind.
Here The Athletic’s Simon Johnson, Mark Critchley and Conor O’Neill break down the key talking points.
Where does this leave Chelsea’s Champions League hopes?
Chelsea got the victory they needed to keep their top five hopes — and qualifying for the Champions League — in their own hands.
Their superior advantage over Aston Villa in the goal difference department means that a win at Nottingham Forest next Sunday should book their spot.
Chelsea’s advantage over Unai Emery’s men stands at 11 goals and as bad as Manchester United have been this season, it is hard to see them conceding that many times against Aston Villa at Old Trafford a week on Sunday. They have also applied a bit of pressure on Newcastle and Manchester City ahead of their fixtures against Arsenal and Bournemouth respectively.
But a win at Nottingham Forest, who are chasing Champions League football themselves, is by no means assured.
Chelsea have won just once away from home since defeating Tottenham on December 8. That was against Fulham on April 20 and it took two late goals to turn that match around.
A draw will be enough to see them above Nottingham Forest but will rely on Manchester United, who have equalled a club record nine home league defeats this season, doing them a favour.
And United may be feeling a little bit of a hungover from the Europa League final, whether they lift the trophy or not.
How was Tyrique George’s first Premier League start?
It was always going to be a difficult task for Chelsea to play without a recognised centre forward and so it proved.
With Nicolas Jackson suspended due to being sent off at Newcastle on Sunday and Marc Guiu yet to be fit after injury, Enzo Maresca turned to academy graduate George to lead the line.
The 19-year-old has proved his worth in the role of late, scoring key goals in wins at Legia Warsaw and Fulham.
But with Chelsea knowing this was a must-win game for their top five hopes, there was a lot more pressure on the youngster’s shoulders.
Physically it was a mismatch, with Harry Maguire watching his every move in the first half. George tried his utmost to make an impact but was kept fairly subdued.
There was a nice bit of forward play when he took the ball on his chest and laid the ball off to Noni Madueke. Maresca also applauded George when he pressed Maguire in possession and the England centre half just booted the ball into touch.
But reality was biting as Pedro Neto and Madueke sent crosses into the area and George did not come close to winning the ball in the air. This was not his fault, he is a winger by trade.
It was looking like more of the same after the interval. One moment just before the hour mark highlighted the problems he was having. After being knocked off the ball by Patrick Dorgu, he then gave a careless free kick in a desperate attempt to win it back.
But then out of the blue George was in behind Manchester United’s defence for the first time and was felled by Andre Onana as he went to dribble past the opposition keeper.
Referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot but Chelsea’s celebrations were short lived as Onana got the ball first. VAR Craig Pawson sent Kavanagh to the monitor and it was rightly overturned.
It just shows how much Maresca rates him though that he kept faith with George and left him on the pitch to keep harassing Manchester United’s backline. And thanks to some magic from Reece James and Cucurella, they were able to find the crucial breakthrough anyway.
George was given a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Romeo Lavia in the 81st minute, which says a lot about how popular he is at Stamford Bridge already. Maresca may still have a decision to make about what to do for the final fixture at Nottingham Forest, though.
Simon Johnson
Is this Amorim’s Europa League XI?
Ruben Amorim named a strong line-up just five days out from the Bilbao final, as he had hinted he would, reasoning that establishing rhythm was worth risking any injuries. The gamble paid off.
Tiredness should not be an issue anyway given his studious rotation of this squad recently, making at least five changes in United’s last six league outings. Could we now see this same line-up at San Mames? There were clues we might.
Onana returned in goal after sitting out of the last two league games. The teenagers that have debuted recently were confined to the bench. Alternatives in the back three and up top are few and far between in any case.
Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho might argue they deserve a spot, especially as they started all four legs of the Europa League quarters and semis.
But Amad and Mason Mount’s re-emergence have given Amorim options to reconfigure and move others around, and provided two of United’s brighter individual displays here.
Yet despite that tinkering, and after signs of promise in the opening half hour, United largely looked as goal shy and limp in attack as usual. This was the first time Amorim selected this XI. If it is to start in Bilbao too, it will need to play a lot better.
Mark Critchley
How vital are Cucurella’s goals?
Cucurella might feel hard done by after Moises Caicedo picked up Chelsea’s player of the season, not least because of his newfound nose for goal this campaign. The left-back has scored five league goals, matching Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, with his latest strike the most crucial yet.
The assist came from James, restored to his more familiar right-back role after a recent stint in midfield, in one of the few moments of quality in an otherwise drab contest. Collecting the ball on the edge of the box, James performed a neat pirouette before floating a cross that Cucurella met with a powerful header past Onana.
Cucurella’s other headed goal in the league was pivotal in their 2-1 win against Brentford back in December. It’s not just the number, but the context of his goals that stands out. His driven strike from outside the box against Leicester secured a nervy 1-0 victory.
Most importantly, Cucurella has been excellent in his defensive duties this season, and his runs down the wing provide Maresca’s side with width during build up. But if Chelsea are to secure Champions League football next weekend, it’s his unlikely knack for goalscoring that will be remembered.
Conor O’Neill
What happened with Hojlund?
It was another one of those evenings for Rasmus Hojlund, who toiled up top and failed to trouble Chelsea’s defence, not even registering a shot on goal.
It is hard not to have some sympathy from Hojlund given he feeds off a diet of largely long, speculative passes from out the back rather than considered build-up play. His hold-up play has looked better at times recently, but he struggled here.
A number of United attacks died at Hojlund’s feet, including one flowing move that ended with him turning into trouble on the edge of Chelsea’s box. He was subject of Bruno Fernandes’ ire on several occasions for failing to make the right run.
None of that is particularly new for Hojlund this season, but there was one bizarre moment at the start of the second half when he was ordered off the pitch by referee Chris Kavanagh to remove a wearable electronic device on his wrist, leaving United a man short at a drop ball.
Hojlund appears to have worn the item regularly this season but under IFAB’s laws of the game using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted and players can be booked if they refuse to comply or if they wear it again.
Very little is going right for him at present, despite the hope goals against Bournemouth and Athletic Club would inspire a turnaround in form. Amorim has little option but to start the Dane in Bilbao. How he must wish he could count on a firing No 9.
Mark Critchley
How bad is United’s record this season?
This was United’s final away day of the Premier League campaign and it ended in yet another defeat, their ninth on the road this season. Throw six draws in too and 18 points is their lowest tally on the road during the post-1992 era — less than a point a game.
Not that they’ve been much better at Old Trafford, of course, but it is in stark contrast to last season when United had the sixth-best away record in the top flight.
This term, United’s vocal travelling support has had to put up with some dross since August. The only grounds they have celebrated a win at that they will revisit next season are Craven Cottage and the Etihad.
There is still a possibility that United will end the campaign fourth-bottom, having beaten only four of the teams above them. Amorim will only have beaten three during his time in charge.
None of this is particularly surprising anymore, and has to a degree been exacerbated by attentions turning towards Europe, but it simply has to improve next season whatever the result on Wednesday night.
Mark Critchley
What did Maresca say?
On Cucurella: “Cucu has a background with the Barcelona academy, La Masia. He grew up in a club where the philosophy or the idea that I like is similar,” Maresca said. “So the reason why Cucu is doing so good with us is also because we know him, what he can do and the way we like to play is exactly the way that is good for him. So it’s in both ways.
“We try to work day by day and I said before that it’s not important how big you are or how small. It’s important to understand where you have to be, the position, the moment and he’s doing very well. The other one that is doing very well is Enzo Fernandez. This season he scored goals, assists and he could score more.”
What did Amorim say?
On the Europa League final: “We have five days to prepare, two days to fully recover, two days to prepare and one day to play. We are excited to be in the final and we will be prepared for the final. When you have the final of any cup we show up, so we are prepared for that.”
What next for Chelsea?
Sunday, May 25: Nottingham Forest (Away), Premier League, 4pm UK, 11am ET
What next for United?
Wednesday, May 21: Tottenham, Europa League final (Bilbao), 8pm UK, 3pm ET
(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
