Chelsea close in on Champions League qualification thanks to Cucurella
- By Kaz Mochlinski
- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
Chelsea (0) 1 v Manchester United (0) 0
Cucurella 71
By Kaz Mochlinski at Stamford Bridge
Premier League
Matchweek 37
Chelsea took a very substantial step towards Champions League qualification with a Friday night victory over Manchester United which was one of the side’s most significant successes this season.
It did not come easily, with a solitary goal from Marc Cucurella 19 minutes before the end of normal time being decisive in securing the three precious points in Chelsea’s last home match of the campaign.
Just as the doubts and tension around Stamford Bridge were heightening with the score still goalless going into the closing stages, a moment of magic conjured up the crucial breakthrough.
Chelsea’s two full-backs combined to create it, as a wondrous spin and cross from the right wing by Reece James was met on a brilliantly-timed run by Cucurella with a well-directed header into the top corner of the net.
“Very nice. The assist from the right full-back and the goal from the left full-back” noted the Chelsea head coach, Enzo Maresca, in the aftermath of his best accomplishment at the Bridge so far.
“It’s not about how big you are, tall or small, it’s just to be in the right position in the right moment. And Cucu’s an intelligent player, and he’s also helping us with the goals.”
James’s perfect pass still needed finishing, and Chelsea were extremely grateful that the chance came to Cucurella, who remarkably is their leading scorer in 2025 with four goals in the Premier League and five in total.
While the Spaniard is level with Noni Madueke on the latter figure, in the league he is unsurpassed since the start of the year among all the Chelsea players, showing why as he headed the winner back across André Onana.
In all competitions this season, Cucurella has more goals than any other top flight defender, with seven. Against Manchester United, it was the second time he had struck for a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, to follow beating Leicester City two months ago.
This one was vital, putting Chelsea just 90 minutes away from returning to the Champions League. In that regard, the Blues are now in an identical situation to United, with each having a chance of regaining their place among Europe’s elite clubs.
For Chelsea it will be guaranteed with a victory at Nottingham Forest next weekend, while Manchester United in the meantime travel to the contrasting setting of Bilbao for the Europa League final and their own opportunity against Tottenham Hotspur.
As Chelsea are also in the Conference League final in Wrocław a week later, the contest with United was a match-up of European finalists - and of potentially two out of the three winners of UEFA’s club competitions this year.
However, that was not remotely reflected in the level of football on display in a game which was unequivocally anticipated in advance as the biggest match of the season at Stamford Bridge.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United have been immensely inconsistent, and the unpredictability was increased as a team with no strikers faced a side lacking leading defenders, causing some difficult decisions in selecting the starting XIs.
Teenager Tyrique George replaced the suspended Nicolas Jackson, and James was restored as captain, with Moisés Caicedo back in his most effective central midfield role, ending Chelsea’s first sequence in seven years of three league games unchanged.
United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, sent out an unexpectedly strong formation, probably not too different from his likely line-up to face Spurs. And amid all the extreme anxiety and error-filled passages of play, there were numerous pieces of brilliance too.
Most were produced by Cole Palmer. The boyhood Manchester United fan and ex-Manchester City player was taunted throughout by the away end as a “City reject”, but responded in the best possible way on the pitch.
Last year against United at the Bridge, Palmer scored his first senior hat-trick, including the winning goal in the 101st minute, for a fabulous 4-3 victory. Earlier this month at Brentford, Man U had also lost by the same scoreline on their latest West London visit.
This was an altogether different match, settled by a solitary score. But there was almost a continuation of a recent Chelsea trend of very quick goals, having struck in the third minute v Liverpool and conceded at Newcastle United in the second minute.
Palmer chipped a sublime ball over the United defence for Madueke running into the penalty area but the left winger shot over with just the goalkeeper to beat. In a second half repeat, from a Palmer through ball, Madueke put his attempt wide.
However, the largest let-off for the visitors came just before half-time when Onana misjudged a floated shot from Palmer and clawed it away to Enzo Fernández, who was right in front of the goal but badly skied the rebound into the Shed End.
There were additionally two very big VAR interventions, with a reprieve for Chelsea in the first half and for United in the second half, as the much-discussed and widely-disliked system demonstrated how beneficial it can be.
After a quarter of an hour, Harry Maguire was shown to be offside when volleying in a ball from Bruno Fernandes. And, on the hour, Onana escaped conceding a penalty, having needlessly rushed out to dive at George’s feet.
The referee, Chris Kavanagh, initially awarded a spot kick, but was sent to the review screen to confirm that the goalkeeper had got to the ball before George, who otherwise would have been a Blues’ hero on his first Premier League start.
Late in the opening period, Onana was equally relieved after being unable to reach a superb volley by James, who had a weak defensive clearance fall perfectly for him just outside the box, but his curling effort hit the post.
James eventually made up for it by creating the winning goal, to stretch Chelsea’s unbeaten home run in the Premier League to 10 games, with eight victories and two draws, since being beaten on Boxing Day by Fulham.
During this time, Chelsea have let in only seven league goals at Stamford Bridge, the fewest of any top flight side in 2025. As well as Caicedo protecting the back-four, Levi Colwill again impressed in earning another clean sheet.
But it was a win over just Manchester United. The success is put into context by the opposition, who are down in 16th place in the table and have now lost in the league 18 times this season - their most since 1973-74, when they were last relegated.
Presently in the Premier League, United are winless in eight matches for the first time in the top division for 35 years - with six defeats leaving them having scraped barely two points from a possible 24 since mid-March.
Nevertheless, they are still Manchester United, and Chelsea had to once more show commendable commitment and character to come through a tough test. A 1-0 win during the FA Cup Final weekend followed a 1-0 win over Everton when the semi-finals were played.
It leaves Chelsea with what is in essence a cup-tie of their own, away to Forest. Nominally a Premier League game, which has become a Champions League play-off.
Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Sánchez - James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella - Fernández, Caicedo - Neto (Gusto 91), Palmer, Madueke - George (Lavia 81)
Manchester United: (3-4-3) Onana - Lindelöf, Maguire, Shaw (Heaven 81) - Mazraoui, Fernandes (Mainoo 81), Casemiro (Ugarte 70), Dorgu - Diallo, Højlund, Mount (Garnacho 70)
Attendance: 39,849
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