Manchester United blew the Premier League title race open with a 2-0 win over leaders Chelsea on Sunday.Marcus Rashford gave the hosts an early lead, and Ander Herrera doubled the advantage in the second half. Chelsea had no answers for the Red Devils, who boosted their chances of finishing in the top four.The Blues' lead over Tottenham Hotspur is down to just four points.Thibaut Courtois was unavailable for the visitors, while United started without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News shared the teamsheet for Sunday's match:Marcos Alonso was supposed to start for the Blues, but he picked up a knock while warming up and was replaced by Kurt Zouma.In a surprise twist, United started with a three-man defence that featured Matteo Darmian in a more central role. Chelsea clearly were not ready for the tactical change.The first chance fell to the hosts, as Rashford fired a shot wide after a mistake by David Luiz, and just one minute later, the youngster opened the scoring.Herrera beautifully sent in Rashford, who got past Luiz too easily and calmly slotted home past Asmir Begovic.Per Bleacher Report UK, the Red Devils didn't need Ibrahimovic after all:While it was exactly the start United needed, it didn't come without controversy. Replays suggested Herrera handled the ball before playing the pass for Rashford.United's unconventional tactics proved the perfect foil for Chelsea's strong form, and the Blues spent much of the first half in frustration. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Diego Costa and Marcos Rojo had another physical battle, with several altercations from the opening minute.Chances were few, with most of the looks falling to the hosts. Begovic was far from convincing when he punched a cross from Rashford clear with Jesse Lingard lurking, and Ashley Young couldn't keep his effort on target, firing wide.Costa was the first man carded toward the end of a feisty half, prompting this tweet by BigSport:Gary Cahill almost beat his own goalkeeper after blocking a shot by Rashford at the end of the half, but the deflection landed on the roof of the goal.Young perhaps should have added a second goal just before the whistle, but his shot from close range flew harmlessly over the goal.At half-time, United manager Jose Mourinho was rightly praised for his tactics. Former England international Gary Lineker put it this way:United didn't let up to start the second half. A minute after Cahill ran into a booking for a necessary foul on Marouane Fellaini, Herrera doubled the lead with a lucky strike that took a deflection off Zouma and beat Begovic.Sport Witness loved what they saw from the hosts:Blues manager Antonio Conte responded by introducing Cesc Fabregas in a desperate attempt to gain control of the midfield battle. The chances kept coming to United, however, with Rashford blasting a shot into the side netting.Chelsea took control of the ball and tried to crack the United defence with crosses, but Mourinho kept plenty of men back, barely giving away any space. Rojo proved a huge factor in the air, dominating Costa.Mourinho pulled out all the stops, with even Ibrahimovic making a late appearance. The Red Devils went back to pressing to preserve the clean sheet and complete the final minutes.United's next outing will be against Anderlecht in the second leg of a UEFA Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, while Chelsea will face Tottenham in a semi-final of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Click here to read full news..
