Gary Neville said the Manchester United midfield were "ambushed"
Alvaro Morata’s strike was enough to earn three points for the Blues and close the gap on their rivals.
N’Golo Kante made his return to the Chelsea line-up having missed their previous six games and proved his importance to Antonio Conte’s side by breaking up United’s attack.
The France international’s inclusion also gave Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko the licence to join in Chelsea’s attack.
In contrast, Jose Mourinho opted for a midfield three of Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
I thought they got killed in midfield
Gary Neville
And United legend Neville believes Mourinho is desperately missing the presence of Paul Pogba or Michael Carrick in the middle of the park.
"I thought they got killed in midfield," Neville told Sky Sports.
"Jose Mourinho, since the Liverpool game, has talked about not being able to freshen it up. I thought Herrera, Matic and Mkhitaryan got absolutely ambushed.
"Kante was doing his job brilliantly, Bakayoko was running off him, Hazard and Fabregas were dropping in and controlling the match.
GETTY
Gary Neville believes Paul Pogba is a big miss for Manchester United's midfield
“United were just well short in that area. If you dominate midfield in the big games, you're in business and Chelsea did.
"I think Pogba is a big miss because of his confidence and arrogance. He takes the ball into tight areas, holds the ball, beats a man.
"Michael Carrick, too - he delivers those passes up to strikers, to the side of defenders, and I think those two players would have made a big difference."
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