David de Gea’s howler gave Chelsea the advantage in the race for the top four after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Super Sunday.
United came out brightest and took the lead through Juan Mata’s close-range finish after a fine team move (11), but De Gea’s week went from bad to worse as he fumbled Antonio Rudiger’s long-range shot into Marcos Alonso’s path, allowing the defender to squeeze home (44).
The hosts struggled to break down Chelsea in a turgid second half, and Marcos Rojo was lucky not to see red for a nasty tackle on Willian before the Argentine saw his own header cleared off the line by Pedro late on, but for United it looks like a season outside of Europe’s elite competition for only the second time since 1995.
The result means that with two games to play, Chelsea sit fourth, two points clear of Arsenal in fifth and three clear of United in sixth.
