CHELSEA 0 MAN UTD 2
Red Devils beat the Blues for third time this season after VAR disallow goals from Zouma and Giroud
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FOR the first time in years, Manchester United fans have the local bragging rights.
City have been kicked out of Europe for breaking Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules.
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Now the Red Devils are threatening to replace the noisy neighbours in next season’s Champions League.
“This is how it feels to be City, this is how it feels to be small, this is how it feels when your passport’s back in the drawer” chanted the travelling Reds as they celebrated this triumph.
Glorious headers from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire edged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team to within two points of fifth and a return to Europe’s top competition.
But this was another worrying setback for a fading Chelsea team who are suddenly in danger of being swallowed up by the chasing pack.
Frank Lampard’s team have managed just two points from their last four games, the first time since May 2016 they have gone four games without a win.
Now they are going into a horrendous run of home fixtures against Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City.
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Lampard had every right to feel aggrieved at this latest Stamford Bridge collapse.
He will complain United skipper Maguire should have been sent off long before his 66th-minute goal.
Kurt Zouma and Olivier Giroud both had goals ruled out by VAR and N’Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen were forced off by injury.
Lampard’s team were handicapped from the off when top scorer Tammy Abraham was ruled out by the ankle injury which has been hampering him.
Then Kante limped off with what appeared to be a groin strain just ten minutes into the game.
At least the Frenchman’s departure gave sub Mason Mount plenty of time to impress Gareth Southgate.
The watching England boss would have been disappointed to discover Reece James was the only home-grown player in Lampard’s starting line-up though — and England are not exactly short of right-backs.
Nevertheless, it was James who caught the eye when he took Pedro’s cross on his chest and flashed a shot just wide of the far post.
Willian went even closer with a well-struck curler from the edge of the area but Michy Batshuayi squandered the best first-half chance when he failed to hit the target after being played in by Mount.
Chelsea’s frustration was increased when VAR cleared Maguire of a red card offence, despite appearing to plant a deliberate boot into Batshuayi’s groin.
And insult was added to injury for the home team when Willian went sprawling over the outstretched leg of Bruno Fernandes, only to have his name taken for diving.
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United’s recent £47million acquisition was struggling to make an impact as the visitors were forced back.
Yet they almost snatched the lead on the counter-attack when Martial got away down the left to fire an angled shot across the face of goal.
There was to be no let-off for Chelsea a minute before half-time though.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka whipped in a beautiful cross for Martial to outjump Christensen and steer a glancing header in.
The Dane had only just returned to action after getting a bloody nose in a previous collision with Martial.
And that was to be his last contribution before being replaced by Zouma at half-time. The French sub then thought he had levelled in the 54th minute when he finished Willian’s corner.
But VAR observer Chris Kavanagh spotted Cesar Azpilicueta shoved Brandon Williams out of the way in the build-up, despite Fred pushing Azpilicueta in the first place.
And confirmation someone up there had it in for Chelsea arrived 11 minutes later when Maguire powered in front of Antonio Rudiger to head in Fernandes’ deep corner.
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Any hope of a comeback was abandoned when sub Giroud sent a diving header past David de Gea only for Stockley Park to rule he was millimetres offside.
Mount hit the post with an 89th-minute free-kick to complete the frustration.
But it was joy for United, who completed their first league double over Chelsea since 1987-88.
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