Lukaku wakes up to help United defeat Chelsea

SPORTS

Jesse Lingard gave Manchester United the win over Chelsea during Sunday’s Premier League action, scoring the final goal in a 2-1 triumph.

Willian gave the Blues a deserved lead just past the half-hour mark, but United soon hit back through Romelu Lukaku.

The Red Devils improved after the break, and Lingard powered home a header for the lead and win.

It took Chelsea just four minutes to send a first clear warning to the hosts, as Alvaro Morata turned a cross on to the woodwork and Eden Hazard forced a save from David De Gea on the rebound.

The Blues dominated possession early, but space in the attacking third was rare, and so were chances. For all of their pressure and constant movement of the ball, De Gea had precious little to do in the first 30 minutes.

Thibaut Courtois also wasn’t very busy, mostly picking crosses out of the air, but he did have to make a stop on Alexis Sanchez after some good work from Anthony Martial.

Willian finally broke the deadlock after 32 minutes, combining well with Hazard to set up a counter and finishing the chance himself.

But while the lead was deserved, it didn’t last very long. Marcos Alonso fired wide with a chance before Lukaku pulled the Red Devils level within 10 minutes of the opener, rounding off a nice passing move.

There would be no more chances in the first half, despite a few adventurous moves ahead of the visitors.

The first chance of the second half fell to Morata again, but after the Spaniard moved past Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof was there to block his shot. De Gea was called into action shortly after, saving a long-range effort from Danny Drinkwater.

Willian had a go for himself, blasting a shot over, while Sanchez didn’t have better luck, pulling his effort wide. Lukaku went close with an acrobatic volley, but compatriot Courtois stood in the way.

De Gea nearly fumbled a Willian shot into his own net, before Lingard gave the hosts the lead. Lukaku turned provider and fired a cross in front of goal, which the winger nodded home.

There was late drama as well, as Morata had an equaliser called back for offside, with replays confirming it was the wrong decision.

Chelsea’s next outing will be back in Manchester against Premier League leaders Manchester City, while United travel to London to visit Crystal Palace.

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