Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd: The bus speeds towards the throne

Chelsea accepted to play defensively at home at Stamford Bridge but won with the only goal from Eden Hazard.

Drogba (11) was a major contributor to Chelsea's most recent Premier League title five years ago and is now playing alongside new star Eden Hazard. Photo: Reuters.

Hazard's goal was scored in the 38th minute after a quick attack in the middle. Oscar was the one who created it with a technical backheel that helped Hazard run into the 16m50 box before "threading the needle" of goalkeeper De Gea. The Belgian midfielder almost doubled the gap in the second half if the crossbar had not denied a beautiful kick. As for Man Utd, the away team also had a shot that hit the post from Falcao's decisive shot.

The win over Man Utd puts Chelsea 10 points clear of Arsenal. Both teams have six games left before the end of the season and Mourinho and his men have one hand on the title. Meanwhile, Man Utd are in danger of being closed in by Man City and Liverpool, meaning they will have to continue to struggle in the race for the top four.

As for coach Van Gaal, he has yet to find a way to defeat his former assistant after three meetings (two losses, one draw). Both the first defeat in the 2010 Champions League final (Inter 2-0 Bayern) and this time saw Van Gaal's team having more possession and attacking but having to pay the price after a sharp counter-attack.

Chelsea entered the match in the way many people predicted, playing a safe defense. Coach Mourinho did not hide this intention when he pushed center-back Kurt Zouma to play in midfield with Matic, creating a powerful shield in front of Chelsea's defense. This pair prevented Man Utd from finding a way in from the center and forced them to move the ball to the wing. However, Man Utd's crosses in this match were not very effective because Chelsea's defense neutralized them all.

Man Utd brought a patchwork lineup to Stamford Bridge when they fielded the central defenders Smalling and McNair, Rooney had to move to midfield and Falcao started from the start. Man Utd's unexpected turmoil was fortunate to not face much pressure from Chelsea because the home team proactively ceded possession to apply a defensive counter-attacking style of play.

Mourinho's plan almost went awry in the first few minutes. Rooney had a chance to open the scoring with a free shot inside the box, but he sent the ball wide of the post. Rooney's unbelievable miss even made goalkeeper De Gea celebrate, thinking the ball had gone into the net.

Hazard's goal helped Chelsea advance to the championship, and also gave him a chance to win the Premier League Player of the Season award. Photo: Reuters.

After the defensive lapse, Chelsea immediately tightened up and there was no space left for the Man Utd players. On a rare day on the field, Falcao had to face a crowded Chelsea defense, making him invisible for almost the entire match. However, in his only two finishing situations, Falcao hit the post of Chelsea's goal once.

Falcao was closely marked and Rooney dropped into midfield, leaving Fellaini as Man Utd's hope. The Belgian star has been in good form recently but could not shine against Chelsea because his space was always limited by the muscular midfield duo Zouma and Matic. Fellaini was very poor in tight spaces and often lost the ball to a large number of Chelsea players.

Falcao and Fellaini were deadlocked in front of Chelsea's blue wall. Photo: Reuters.

Mourinho's defensive style proved too difficult for Man Utd, and while the visitors pressed forward without finding a goal, they paid the price. Hazard proved he was a strong candidate for the Premier League Player of the Year award by coolly dispatching direct rival De Gea in a one-on-one situation.

The goal seemed to give Hazard more confidence, helping him to perform many technical dribbles that made it difficult for the Man Utd defense. This was extremely useful for Chelsea to reduce the tempo of the match and pressure from the opponent. Besides Hazard, Drogba showed his experience in a top match when he created invisible pressure on the Man Utd defenders with foul tricks. The "Wild Elephant" had some chances but lacked the strength to stretch in the final phases.

The game ended with Herrera diving as Man Utd's last ditch effort. Chelsea players hugged each other in celebration as they knew the title was not far away. This was Chelsea's fourth consecutive one-goal victory in the Premier League. The blue bus was moving slowly but there was no obstacle on the road that could stop them now.

According to VNE