Chelsea’s Champions League fate remains in their own hands – despite a pitch invader forcing them to cling on longer than necessary against Manchester United.
The Blues beat the Red Devils 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Friday night in an end-to-end affair which saw the visitors have a first half goal ruled out for offside.
Chelsea’s Champions League hopes remain in their hands after beating United[/caption]
GettyThe Blues held on after a pitch invader halted a late attack from the visitors[/caption]
Marc Cucurella‘s second half strike proved to be the difference between the two sides.
The result proved crucial for Enzo Maresca‘s side after Aston Villa had beaten Tottenham earlier in the evening.
Chelsea moved up to fourth with the victory, although Manchester City, now in sixth spot, have a game in hand against Bournemouth on Tuesday.
However, the west London outfit will be assured of a Champions League return if they beat Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.
As the Red Devils came forward with Harry Maguire in search of an equaliser, the match was halted by an intruder wearing a Chelsea shirt.
They could be seen sprinting across the pitch and past several players from both teams.
Their antics came to a dramatic end, though, as a steward perfectly timed a tackle to send the fan to the turf.
While some fans on social media credited the pitch invader with stopping a Man United move, talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface described how the idiotic behaviour actually hurt Chelsea.
Matterface said: “There’s somebody on the pitch here who has come onto the playing surface and that’s delayed the end of the match, it’s going to add vital seconds onto the match.”
Once the invader had been tackled, he added: “Maguire is saying [to the referee] that the ball should be with them because the ball was in Man United’s possession when this idiot fan came onto the pitch.
GettyThe fan ran onto the pitch during the closing stages at Stamford Bridge[/caption]
GettyStewards swarmed the pitch invader before tackling them to the ground[/caption]
“He’s been wrestled to the floor by some orange-wearing stewards. He’s still trying to fight.
“Well done fella, you’ll never come back here again. What an excellent thing to do.
“It’s an uncontested drop ball for Man United. It’s almost like a free-kick now. That fool in a Chelsea shirt, who is apparently supposed to be a Chelsea fan, has given Man United the advantage.”
The disruption could prove to secure Chelsea’s top five finish as they held on for the victory.
A United equaliser would have seen the hosts drop two points and head into the final day outside the Champions League places.
Instead, the Blues remain ahead of Villa on goal difference with just one match remaining for each side.
Maresca is aiming to secure a place in the competition for the first time in two years.
GettyMaresca’s side are on the cusp of sealing a return to the Champions League[/caption]
The two-time winners have not appeared in the Champions League since losing to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals back in 2023.
“Off the ball I think we played a fantastic game,” Maresca said.
“The team was very aggressive until the end, we tried to press higher, and I think we deserved to win the game.
“It is nice to work on some solutions and then you score.”
