Chelsea breathed life into their quest to qualify for Europe after defeating Manchester United 4-3 in an instant Premier League classic.
The Red Devils were leading in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time yet somehow contrived to lose the match, with Cole Palmer scoring a hat-trick to down his boyhood team.
Erik ten Hag's side had already battled back from 2-0 down in the first half at Stamford Bridge but were once again undone by a late collapse in west London, having given up a 99th-minute equaliser away to Brentford last time out.
The result means United are nine points outside the top five with just eight games to play, leaving their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification looking all but over. Chelsea are five points further behind and could yet secure a place in European football, even if the top four or five places are also beyond their reach.
Chelsea vs Man United final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Chelsea | 3 | Gallagher 4', Palmer p 19', p 90+10', 90+11 |
| Man United | 4 | Garnacho 34', 67', Fernandes 39' |
Chelsea were on a 12-game winless run against United in the Premier League but quickly set about bringing that miserable recent record to an end, with Conor Gallagher giving his side the lead just four minutes in after sweeping home a low finish when the visitors failed to clear Malo Gusto's cross.
Palmer doubled the lead from the penalty spot a quarter of an hour later after a clumsy foul on Marc Cucurella by Antony, but United responded well to draw level before halftime. Alejandro Garnacho prodded a left-foot finish past Djordje Petrovic after a dreadful loose pass from Moises Caicedo, and Bruno Fernandes headed in Diogo Dalot's cross five minutes later following good work by Antony.
United went ahead in the match when Garnacho nodded home an excellent delivery from Antony on the break, sparking delirium among the visiting supporters. Even though the Red Devils lost Jonny Evans to injury moments later — the veteran defender had only come on at halftime to replace the injured Raphael Varane — it seemed as though they would hold firm and claim a valuable victory in their bid to return to the Champions League.
That was until the 100th minute of an enthralling contest. Dalot tripped and brought down Noni Madueke inside the box, allowing Palmer to convert his second penalty of the night. Incredibly, there was enough time for one more dramatic moment: United fell asleep at the back as Enzo Fernandez played a short corner to Palmer, whose shot deflected off the chest of Scott McTominay to leave goalkeeper Andre Onana helpless and become the latest winning goal on record in Premier League history at 100:39.
99:17 - Manchester United were leading in this game at 99:17, the latest a side has ever led in a Premier League match they’ve gone on to lose. Collapse. pic.twitter.com/1DKFpBEmbG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 4, 2024
Chelsea vs Man United stats
| Chelsea | Stat | Man United |
| 28 | Shots | 19 |
| 10 | Shots on target | 5 |
| 3.04 | Expected goals | 1.57 |
| 57% | Possession | 43% |
| 549 | Passes | 426 |
| 12 | Corners | 3 |
| 7 | Fouls | 15 |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Chelsea vs Man United lineups, team news
Ben Chilwell did not participate over the weekend after starting both matches for England during the international break, so he missed this game. Malo Gusto recovered from a hamstring injury to start.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella — Caicedo, E. Fernandez — Palmer, Gallagher, Mudryk — Jackson.
Chelsea subs (9): Sterling, Madueke, Chalobah, Chukwuemeka, Gilchrist, Thiago Silva, Bettinelli, Casadei, Tauriainen
Erik ten Hag was powerless as both starting centre-backs from this weekend's match, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane, went down injured during the Brentford clash. Varane was able to start here but went off with yet another issue. His replacement, Jonny Evans, also got injured.
Mason Mount came off the bench against his old club, while Marcus Rashford was also omitted from the starting lineup.
Man United starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana (GK) — Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Varane, Dalot — Casemiro, Mainoo — Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho — Hojlund.
Man United subs (9): Mount, Rashford, Evans, McTominay, Kambwala, Amrabat, Eriksen, Diallo, Heaton
Chelsea vs Man United kickoff time
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Thu, Apr. 4 | 3:15 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Thu, Apr. 4 | 3:15 p.m. ET |
| UK | Thu, Apr. 4 | 8:15 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Fri, Apr. 5 | 6:15 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Fri, Apr. 5 | 12:45 a.m. IST |
Chelsea vs Man United live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | NBC USA Network | Fubo, NBC app/website |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | JioTV, Hotstar |
USA: This game is available on the NBC USA Network with streaming options on Fubo with the latter currently offering a FREE trial.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live-streaming exclusively via Fubo.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on-demand on Optus Sport.
UK: This game is available via live broadcast on TNT Sports with streaming options on discovery+.
India: This Premier League match can be streamed on JioTV and Hotstar.
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