Jesse Lingard Header Gives United Victory Over Chelsea

Jesse Lingard’s second half header inspired Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over top-four rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils had to come from behind after Willian put Chelsea ahead in the first half with a beautiful strike.

The home side levelled the game before the break when Romelu Lukaku overpowered Marcos Alonso inside the area to score against his former club for the first time.

The Belgian set up Lingard in the 75th minute to put United ahead for the first time in the game and take Jose Mourinho’s men back into second place.

Speaking after the game, a slightly rambling Jose Mourinho says his side “deserved” to beat a “phenomenal” Chelsea side.

“It is not special because it is Chelsea, it is very special as we beat the champions, who are a fantastic team, who are very difficult to beat and because this is the three points that keep us in second place which is the place we are fighting for,” the Portuguese said.

“It opens a little gap, not much to Chelsea, and it is a very important result for us. It feels special as the players gave everything. It is not possible to win against a team with the quality of Chelsea without the quality we gave.

“We did not start well, Chelsea started much better, but we found our position on the pitch and found our concentration and we grew up throughout the game.”

Defeat leaves the Blues in fifth place after Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 1-0 earlier on Sunday.

Chelsea had a goal disallowed late in the game which would have brought the Blues back at 2-2, but it seems Alvaro Morata wasn’t offside.

“I think the draw was the fair result for this game. But we are talking about a defeat and that’s all,” Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte said.

“I must be honest, I didn’t see the situation, but if you’re telling me Alvaro Morata wasn’t offside, I think VAR is very important, especially in England. There are a lot of moments in the game where there are things to super-check.

“We had to be more clinical, instead we kept the game open, and the opponent made us pay. Manchester United are a great team, and we must be disappointed, because I repeat today, we could have done better.

“We know there is a battle [for the top four] and it will be difficult to find a place in the Champions League.”