Manchester United 2 Chelsea 0
The only possible complaint for Manchester United after this match would be why they could not have played with this kind of authority more often this season. They chose a good time to deliver their best performance of the season and, in the process, they have opened up the Premier League title race with a level of expertise that makes it feel bewildering that they are so far back in Chelsea’s wing-mirrors.
José Mourinho can certainly take enormous satisfaction from the way his players out-thought and out-fought those of Antonio Conte, even if United's manager must also harbour a deep sense of dissatisfaction that it still leaves his team 15 points back, not even guaranteed the prize of Champions League football next season. Mourinho had devised a tactical masterclass. His players were enthusiastic students and it probably sums up the way Chelsea were rattled that N'Golo Kanté, of all people, was responsible for losing the ball in the build-up to the second goal.
Chelsea still have a much more obliging run-in than Tottenham Hotspur but Conte’s men have seen a 13-point lead whittled down to four in just under a month and, if nothing else, it has breathed some new life into a title race that was in danger of turning into a procession. And, though it would be out of character for Chelsea suddenly to lose their nerve, perhaps United have shown the blueprint here when it comes to finding a way to negating the team.
It cannot have been easy for Mourinho to leave out Zlatan Ibrahimovic but it did make sense when Marcus Rashford had the acceleration to expose David Luiz and Gary Cahill. Rashford was exceptional but Ander Herrera pushed him close to be recognised as the game's outstanding performer on a day when he was deployed in an old-fashioned man-marking role on Eden Hazard. Herrera stuck to his man like a limpet on the side of a rock but also weighed in with the second goal and set up the first for Rashford with the outstanding pass of the day.
To give Chelsea their due, Herrera also got away with an obvious handball before that opening goal, seven minutes in, but it would be a surprise if the league leaders used that as excuse for everything that followed. United’s starting XI had managed only 12 league goals all season but Mourinho had worked out everything to a tee, as he often does on the big occasions. It was his first win against Chelsea since leaving the club and, though Conte still leads 2-1, this was at least a reminder that opposition fans might have been a little quick in serenading him with chants of “you’re not special any more” this season.
Mourinho's formation – loosely speaking, 3-1-4-1-1 – was certainly unorthodox. Matteo Darmian had his own tactical role, rarely leaving Pedro's side, while Herrera stuck to Hazard and Ashley Young, an unusual choice of captain, played with the workrate of a man who liked the feel of that armband. Antonio Valencia moved forward from his usual full-back slot and Jesse Lingard's selection just behind Rashford reinforced the sense Mourinho might have suspected Chelsea's centre-backs could be vulnerable to quick, penetrative running.
That was certainly the case with the opening goal and the controversy surrounding Herrera's handball should not entirely obscure the fact it was a beautifully weighted pass from the Spaniard once he had been given the reprieve. Equally, it was easy to understand why Chelsea were so aggrieved. Chelsea had been on a promising counter-attack of their own, breaking forward at speed after a scuffed kick from David de Gea, when Herrera used his left hand to intercept Nemanja Matic's pass towards Hazard. At this level, it was particularly poor refereeing from Robert Madley to let it go and in a matter of seconds Rashford was clear, running behind David Luiz, taking a couple of touches to steady himself and then angling his shot past Asmir Begovic.
Begovic was in goal for Chelsea because Thibaut Courtois had injured himself filming a promotional basketball shoot for the NBA and, as if that was not galling enough for Conte, there was more disruption in the warm-up when Marcos Alonso was forced out. Kurt Zouma was fast-tracked into the team's defence, with Cesar Azpilicueta initially switching to Alonso's role as a left wing-back before swapping places with Victor Moses on the right. Azpilicueta is a fine defender but he did not look comfortable with his more attacking role.
Chelsea had lost their full-strength XI with unfortunate timing but that does not fully explain their lack of cohesion. Moses was removed eight minutes into the second half and, however much of a pest Herrera was, Conte is probably entitled to think Hazard ought to be used to the close attention of opposition players. Diego Costa had one of those days when he seemed to base his entire strategy on antagonising whoever was marking him. Defenders know his tricks by now and Mourinho's had been drilled not to react.
If anything, the damage could have been worse for Chelsea bearing in mind the dangers Rashford posed his markers and the rare sight of Kanté being eclipsed in midfield. Kanté will be a deserving recipient of the season's individual awards but he was crowded out at times in the proximity of Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini and the second goal was a personal ordeal for the Chelsea man. First, it was his miscontrol that allowed Young to dispossess him and then, when Zouma prodded the ball away again, the luck went against the visitors. Herrera had let fly from 20 yards and the deflection skimmed off Kanté's instep to wrong-foot Begovic and leave Chelsea's position at the top of the table looking a lot more vulnerable than it was a month ago.
(Guardian service)
