Alvaro Morata scored the only goal as Chelsea bounced back in style and Manchester United fell nine points behind Manchester City
Updated
Sun 5 Nov 2017 13.24 EST
First published on Sun 5 Nov 2017 10.30 ESTLive feed
Key events
Antonio Conte is wandering around the pitch, celebrating with his players, bumping chests with them, slapping hands, pumping his fists, saluting the crowd. What a win for the Italian, who was feeling the heat after a tough week. Chelsea deserved this. They were miles ahead of Manchester United today and could have won by more than one goal. In the end, though, Alvaro Morata’s splendid second-half header was enough for the champions to stay nine points behind Manchester City. United, meanwhile, are eight points behind the Premier League leaders after another appalling performance away to a big side under Jose Mourinho, who was woefully short of ideas today. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
Full-time: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
It’s all over! Chelsea have beaten Jose Mourinho again at Stamford Bridge.
90 min+5: Rashford’s corner is deep. Chelsea struggle to clear. But they do, and...
90 min+4: Rashford’s free-kick flicks off the wall and flies inches over the angle of post and bar! Corner to United!
90 min+3: Another United attack breaks down and Chelsea counter, Willian knocking a pass through to Morata, who falls over his own feet. Wow. Back come United, going long, and Chelsea concede a free-kick 25 yards from goal!
90 min+2: HIT MAROUANE.
90 min+1: Fellaini was screaming for a penalty, too, after challenging for a cross with Cahill. He felt the Chelsea defender was holding him. Anthony Taylor was unmoved.
90 min: Bailly whacks a long, straight ball into the United area. Fellaini velcros the ball down with his chest after a misjudgement from Christensen, but he scuffs his shot and Courtois manages to push it away! United finally threaten! They’ll have four more minutes to save themselves here! Chelsea, understandably after the week they’ve had, are nervous now.
88 min: Chelsea have pulled back now. Conte is on the touchline, bellowing instructions. United, you fancy, want to load the box. In it comes. The ball’s headed on, but Courtois is commanding enough.
87 min: United start to pump the ball into the Chelsea area. Fellaini can’t reach a high cross, but Valencia keeps it in on the right. His cross is only headed as far Rashford, 18 yards out, and his shot whistles inches wide of the right post. Courtois was motionless. Willian replaces Hazard, who, like Fabregas, was excellent.
85 min: Chelsea have lost a bit of fluency since Fabregas’s withdrawal. They’re still looking comfortable, though. Willian is getting ready to come on.
84 min: Rashford’s deep cross has too much oomph on it and the ball evades Fellaini at the far post.
82 min: The free-kick’s sent high into the United box. It bounces down to Cahill, whose tame shot rolls through to De Gea. United probably need to get into Chelsea’s half if they’re going to score. Fellaini sprays a pass out for a throw.
81 min: Herrera, already booked for a foul on Hazard, bumps into the back of Hazard. United have been execrable in the second half.
80 min: Rudiger’s bending cross deceives everyone, including De Gea, but the ball drifts past the far post. Meanwhile Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made it Everton 2-2 Watford.
79 min: Danny Drinkwater replaces the magnificent Cesc Fabregas.
78 min: United make their final change, Jesse Lingard on for Ashley Young.
77 min: United’s attempts to find an equaliser have been risible so far. Chelsea still look likelier to score a second. As long as the hosts let it stay at 1-0, though, United have hope of snatching a goal. They have enough quality on the pitch.
76 min: Another chance for Chelsea to wrap up the points comes and goes, Hazard skittering through the middle, ignoring Morata to his right and trying to catch out De Gea with a bending shot. The Spaniard plunges to his right to save.
75 min: Fellaini, who has been a clown since coming on, dawdles in possession, failing to realise that Bakayoko was up his back. The Chelsea midfielder steals the ball off him and surges towards goal, only to shoot wide from 18 yards.
74 min: Oumar Niasse has hauled Everton back into it at Goodison Park, where Watford lead 2-1.
73 min: It’s not over yet, but my simple analysis is this: what a difference N’Golo Kante makes.
72 min: Fellaini’s booked for jabbing an elbow in Morata’s jaw. The oaf.
71 min: A corner to United on the left. Rashford can’t beat the first man, but Morata’s clearance goes behind. He gets another opportunity. This one’s better, but Fellaini fouls Courtois. “As a member of the “biased” media, should this result hold, could you give us some inside perspective on where the crisis baton will be passed next?” says Byron Adu-Boakye. You’ve seen the Everton score, right?
70 min: Christian Kabasele has made it Everton 0-2 Watford. Oh dear.
69 min: The corner’s cleared as far as Herrera, who volleys wide from 20 yards.
68 min: Fellaini makes a nuisance of himself on the edge of the area and the ball comes to Rashford, whose shot’s deflected wide.
67 min: Hazard dribbles down the right and feeds Bakayoko, who knocks a cross straight at De Gea.
66 min: Antonio Rudiger replaces Davide Zappacosta. Cesar Azpilicueta moves to right wing-back.
65 min: Busquets Fellaini, looking to calm things down on the edge of the United area, coolly overruns the ball and loses it to Fabregas, whose slide tackle diverts possession to Morata on the right. However he gets himself in a muddle.
62 min: United make that double change, Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini replacing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Phil Jones. United have reverted to a back four.
61 min: Morata pressures Bailly into conceding a corner on the left. Chelsea have been excellent. The corner comes to nothing, though.
60 min: Mourinho is going to bring on Martial and Fellaini soon.
59 min: Lukaku tries to barrel into the area from the left, but Christensen isn’t fazed, calmly getting his body in the way of the United striker and letting the ball run out for a goal-kick. Chelsea haven’t missed David Luiz so far. Christensen does look like a very fine prospect.
58 min: That, by the way, was Morata’s first goal since the win over Atletico Madrid on 27 September. He’d gone six games without finding the back of the net.
57 min: On a booking, Jones trips Morata near halfway. The home fans howl for a second yellow. It would have been harsh. It’s easy, though, to see a United player getting himself sent off here.
56 min: Mourinho is jotting some thoughts down on his notepad. He won’t have failed to notice how his team is being outplayed and outnumbered in midfield. Will he bring on Fellaini? On Sky, Gary Neville has been hammering Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s contribution.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (Morata, 55 min)
This is magnificent! With Manchester United all over the place, Cesar Azpilicueta romps down the inside right channel, no one bothering to engage him. United’s midfield has totally disappeared. Azpilicueta curls a delightful ball into the box. Bakayoko’s run from left to right pulls Smalling out of the middle, leaving Morata all alone, Bailly nowhere near him. Morata still has a lot to do, around 12 yards from goal, but he plants a stunning header into the top left corner, De Gea rooted to the spot!
54 min: Fabregas dinks a cross into the middle from the left. The unmarked Hazard swipes goalwards from 15 yards, without taking a touch to control, but he shoots straight at De Gea! Another chance goes begging.
53 min: United are looking ragged here. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the game at Everton and can report that Everton’s form has made no improvement,” says JR in Illinois. “They look like they’re being controlled by an 8 year old on a Playstation. They have just gone down 0-1 to Watford after a Richarlison goal.”
51 min: Fabregas’s free-kick is an underhit disappointment. It’s not long, though, before Herrera reacquaints himself with Hazard, cynically tripping the Belgian. Herrera, remember, was sent off for his treatment of Hazard in the FA Cup last season. He’s booked for this one. This is pathetic from United, who have received three yellow cards for fouls on Hazard since the start of the second half.
50 min: It’s Matic’s turn to foul Hazard, this time on the right.
49 min: Bakayoko scoops a pass on to the chest of Morata, who turns and volleys wide from 20 yards. Moments later Jones wildly chops Hazard down in the middle. He’s booked.
46 min: Chelsea get the second half underway. Both sides are unchanged. United make a positive start to the second half, Rashford spinning down the left. Azpilicueta’s across to shepherd the ball out of play, though, so Anthony Taylor awards a corner. It’s a poor decision, so he makes up for it by spotting some United pushing in the middle.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United
It’s goalless, but it’s good. Chelsea have had the better of it, though, and the sight of Tiemoue Bakayoko walking off with his head in his hands shows how disappointed he still is about that early miss.
44 min: Valencia barges Hazard over on the left. Conte’s furious. Anthony Taylor has to calm him down.
43 min: This has been a strong performance from Chelsea so far. They look to be playing for Conte.
40 min: Fabregas whips the corner in and Christensen escapes Herrera, only to shoulder the ball over the bar from six yards! Chelsea have spurned a couple of great opportunities.
39 min: Bailly turns Alonso’s low cross behind for a corner on the left.
38 min: Some of the early zip has disappeared from the match. I suspect Mourinho wasn’t too happy with how open it was in the first 20 minutes. United have taken a step back and looked to tighten up.
36 min: Morata’s right sleeve is torn. That is all.
34 min: Fabregas lobs a pass into the area. Morata falls over because someone was near him.
32 min: Fabregas threads a pass through to Morata on the left, but the striker’s lacking belief and his tame low shot doesn’t trouble De Gea.