Manchester United upset the odds to beat lacklustre Chelsea and give prospective Premier League champions a scare

Manchester United beat Premier League title-chasers Chelsea to leave second-placed Tottenham with a glimmer of hope of catching the leaders.

Youngster Marcus Rashford, who burst onto the scene last season but has suffered inconsistent form this time around, slotted the hosts in front early on.

And Ander Herrera’s deflected shot early in the second half saw United romp to victory against an ineffectual Chelsea.

The result consigned the Blues to a second defeat in four Premier League games, having only lost three in the previous 28 matches, which will ensure a nervy finish to their campaign which seems destined to end in glory.

Both teams were hit by a string of injuries before the match, with the Red Devils starting star man – and prolific striker – Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench.

Chelsea were forced to cope without first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and wing-back Marcos Alonso, who pulled out through illness before kick-off, as Asmir Begovic and Kurt Zouma replaced them.

And the defensive reshuffle unsettled the Blues, with Rashford missing a big chance after just five minutes, scuffing comfortably wide after a fine pass from Jesse Lingard.

Two minutes later though, the 19-year-old prodigy made no mistake, slotting past Begovic with aplomb after a delightful through-ball from Herrera.

The goal came in controversial fashion after the Spain midfielder, who played the striker through on goal, appeared to handball in the lead-up.

Old Trafford nearly erupted on 16 minutes when Lingard found Ashley Young in space down the left, but his cross-shot narrowly evaded Rashford in the six-yard box, who was waiting to pounce.

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Young twice fired efforts wide from the edge of the box before half time, either side of Chelsea defender Gary Cahill inadvertently almost diverting Rashford’s cross into his own net.

And Herrera, without a Premier League goal in 14 months, doubled United’s lead just three minutes into the second half with a strike from the edge of the box which deflected off Kurt Zouma and into the net, having wrong-footed Begovic.

AS IT HAPPENED: Manchester United beat Chelsea at Old Trafford

Rashford fired a scorching effort at goal which hit the side-netting, before Pedro saw a wicked effort deflected over the crossbar at the other end.

Man-of-the-match Herrera then came to United’s rescue as he blocked Diego Costa from scoring from close range following a Chelsea corner.

And it was Rashford once more who nearly put the game beyond doubt, wriggling his way through Chelsea’s lop-sided defence before forcing Begovic into a fine save.

United were comfortable in the dying exchanges of the fiery clash, and held on to ensure Jose Mourinho finally got one over his old team.