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Harry Maguire was on the scoresheet as Manchester United blew the Premier League\u2019s top-four race wide open with a controversial 2-0 victory at misfiring Chelsea.<\/p>\nHarry Maguire was on the scoresheet as Manchester United blew the Premier League\u2019s top-four race wide open with a controversial 2-0 victory at misfiring Chelsea.<\/p>\n
Maguire was fortunate to escape a red card for kicking Michy Batshuayi in the groin, while Chelsea saw goals for Kurt Zouma and Olivier Giroud chalked off by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).<\/p>\n
England defender Maguire twisted the knife on the sloppy Blues, meeting Bruno Fernandes\u2019 corner with a thumping header to confirm a seismic Red Devils win in west London.<\/p>\n
Anthony Martial buried United\u2019s sole chance of the first half as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer\u2019s men punished Chelsea\u2019s profligacy to register a first league double over the Blues in 32 years.<\/p>\n
Batshuayi missed two glorious first-half chances, the Belgium striker deputizing for England hitman Tammy Abraham who missed out with ongoing ankle issues.<\/p>\n
Blues boss Frank Lampard has already branded VAR a \u201cpassion killer\u201d, and two ruled-out goals here will only cement his frustrations with the innovation.<\/p>\n
Chelsea could have opened up a nine-point gap on United with victory on Monday night. Instead the Red Devils now trail Lampard\u2019s men by just three points.<\/p>\n
Tottenham head to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where a win for Spurs would now allow Jose Mourinho\u2019s men to leapfrog Chelsea for the first time this season.<\/p>\n
Chelsea\u2019s ninth defeat of the season and fifth at home accounts for their struggles to hold onto a top-four berth.<\/p>\n
Add this stuttering defeat to the lackluster home losses to West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton, and any more missteps could see Chelsea slip out of the Champions League qualification berths.<\/p>\n
Chelsea tried and failed to bolster their frontline in January, and another blank in front of goal only underscores the lack of quality and depth available to Lampard.<\/p>\n
This was yet another microcosm of Chelsea\u2019s season of travails in front of goal, especially before the break.<\/p>\n
Willian overcooked a cutback to leave Batshuayi flailing for any kind of connection for the first gilt-edged chance.<\/p>\n
Pedro then threaded a delicate through-ball for Mason Mount, and the midfielder\u2019s pull back laid it on a plate for Batshuayi, but the struggling striker stubbed his effort woefully wide.<\/p>\n
Willian was booked for diving in a poor decision from referee Anthony Taylor when Fernandes had clearly fouled the Blues winger.<\/p>\n
And then Taylor rejected any kind of punishment when Maguire kicked out and connected with Batshuayi\u2019s groin.<\/p>\n
United buried their sole chance of the half, when Aaron Wan-Bissaka skinned Willian and whipped in a smart cross that Martial flicked into the far corner.<\/p>\n
Then Batshuayi drilled another shot well wide to close the half.<\/p>\n
Chelsea\u2019s miserable misfortune continued after the turnaround, as replacement center-half Zouma saw his potential equalizer chalked off by VAR.<\/p>\n
The French defender turned home a corner in style, to show the misfiring Blues forwards how to finish \u2013 only for Cesar Azpilicueta\u2019s push on Brandon Williams to be ruled a foul.<\/p>\n
Chelsea will doubtless lament the fact that Fred pushed Azpilicueta into Williams, leaving the Blues captain with little option but to make contact with the United man.<\/p>\n
Fernandes struck the post with a cute United free-kick, but worse was to follow for the Blues.<\/p>\n
Just when the hosts expected to pile on the pressure for an equalizer, Portuguese star Fernandes delivered a pinpoint corner and Maguire headed home in style.<\/p>\n
Another killer blow was somehow in store for the Blues, as Giroud nodded in from Mount\u2019s cross \u2013 only for VAR to chalk off a second Chelsea goal, this time for offside.<\/p>\n