Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United: Marc Cucurella goal enough for Blues to earn huge win in Champions League race | OneFootball

Chelsea know victory on the final day of the Premier League season will earn them Champions League football after a crucial 1-0 win over Manchester United.

Harry Maguire had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside, before Tyrique George was awarded a penalty after the break after going down under pressure from Andre Onana, but that was overturned after the referee’s visit to the pitchside monitor.

With no attacking options on the bench, Chelsea’s situation was increasingly concerning for the home fans, but Marc Cucurella headed in with 20 minutes remaining after brilliant work from Reece James and that provided enough for a huge three points.

The result leaves Chelsea level on points with Villa but with a goal difference that is 11 better, so Enzo Maresca’s side will secure a return to Europe’s top table next season if they can win away at Nottingham Forest on the final day.

United, who host Aston Villa next weekend, now turn their attention to a Europa League final against Tottenham on Wednesday night, offering them a route back into the Champions League despite a dismal season.

Chelsea were the better team in the first half, for what that was worth against a United side that had lost five of their last seven in the league and had not won in two months.

Maresca had recently lamented his side's wastefulness in front of goal this season - the Blues had the second-highest number of big chances missed in the league before kick-off - and Noni Madueke presented the latest.

A brilliant burst through the midfield by Moises Caicedo began the move, knocking the ball centrally to Cole Palmer whose cross to the back post was met first time by Madueke but with the exactitude only to hoist the ball high into the Shed End.

A fractional VAR call then saved Chelsea when Maguire was judged to have strayed offside by inches before turning Bruno Fernandes' pass beyond Robert Sanchez.

Mason Mount, on his first start on the ground against the club he represented for 12 years, drew taunts from home fans when his first-time shot bobbled out of play for a throw-in, before his former academy team-mate James had a thunderous 20-yard effort thud against a post.

The flag spared Enzo Fernandez his blushes when he skied over with the goal gaping after Onana had made a feeble job of handling Palmer's bending shot. Replays showed Fernandez probably was offside, but the moment did nothing to alleviate Maresca's anxieties about his team's ability to convert chances.

VAR intervened this time on United's side midway through the second half. George tumbled as Onana raced out to meet him in pursuit of a through-ball. Referee Chris Kavanagh said penalty but a pitchside review confirmed the goalkeeper had made no contact.

Then, finally, relief for Chelsea. Pedro Neto played the ball back to James, who with a balletic pirouette corkscrewed away from Alejandro Garnacho and whipped an irresistible cross to where Cucurella was arriving, the defender's thumped header flashing past Onana into the corner.

Madueke then penned a footnote to his personal anthology of missed chances, slicing wide when clean through on goal.

Sanchez produced a good near-post stop to keep out Amad Diallo, the only moment in the second half when United really threatened.