Manchester United missed the chance to close the gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City back to five points this afternoon as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
Alvaro Morata scored the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge, planting a fine header past a statuesque David de Gea having been left unmarked to meet Cesar Azpilicueta's cross.
United didn't apply any real pressure until the closing stages, and by then it was too late as Chelsea held on for a victory which takes them back to within nine points of City.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
This is the second of the big top-six clashes on Sunday, with Manchester City currently leading Arsenal in the other which puts more pressure on both Chelsea and United to keep up with the league leaders here. It is all to play for on Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge, and it promises to be an occasion not to be missed!
Before we take a closer look, though, let's first check out the team news...
Well, we'll start with the home side and the headline news is that N'Golo Kante returns to the starting lineup for Chelsea having missed the last six games with a hamstring injury. Kante has been sidelined since the last international break with the problem, but recently returned to training and has been included from the off by Antonio Conte today - a huge boost for the hosts.
We all know about Kante's ability in midfield, but he also scored in both home games Chelsea had against United last season, so the visitors will need to keep an eye out for him in the final third too.
That means another start for Andreas Christensen in midfield, with the Dane being increasingly trusted by Conte, while David Zappacosta also comes into the side along with Kante. Gary Cahill, who was rested against Bournemouth last weekend, is also included from the start.
Fabregas is certainly adept at playing in that position and unlocking defences, and having been linked with today's opponents in recent weeks he insists that he is happy at Chelsea and wants to extend his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The summer signing once again starts in the middle of the park today, with Zappacosta and Alonso providing the width as the wing-backs. All of them will be aiming to get up in support of Morata - who has blown hot and cold so far this season - and Hazard, who is yet to hit his full stride having missed the start of the season through injury.
That means that the likes of Phil Jones, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young all return to the starting lineup this afternoon having been left out of the midweek Champions League win over Benfica.
Chelsea were understood to be keen on signing him again last summer, only to miss out to United, but Lukaku is currently going through something of a dry patch in front of goal having failed to find the back of the net in his last six outings - that after scoring 11 in his first 10 games for the club.
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The Belgian has scored only 15 goals in 59 Premier League games against 'big six' opposition, averaging a goal ever 295 minutes in that time. Compare that to his record of 77 goals in 137 games against non-big six opposition - an average of a goal every 137 minutes - and it is clear to see that he drops off in these types of matches.
At the other end of the pitch David de Gea tends the goal, as ever, and no goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues has kept more clean sheets than his tally of 22 since the start of last season.
Victory is so important for both sides, though, as it looks as though Manchester City will make it 10 wins from 11 in their clash with Arsenal having just taken a 3-1 lead.
A defeat this afternoon could all but rule them out of the title race by the start of November, and for Antonio Conte it could also prove to be a result which costs him his job if recent speculation is to be believed.
The last two title-winning managers have not lasted the following season, though, and with reports that Conte has fallen out with Roman Abramovich building steam, Conte could become the latest to add to that curious curse if his side lose today.
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Premier League victories over Watford and then Bournemouth have helped steady the domestic ship following back-to-back losses against Man City and Crystal Palace, but neither have been entirely convincing and questions still remain about the champions.
As a result, the Blues have kept only five clean sheets from their last 18 matches across all competitions, while in the Premier League this season they average conceding one goal every game.
Indeed, if only home form counted then Chelsea would currently sit 12th in the table, with the Blues having amassed five more points from the same number of games on the road. Should Chelsea win today, though, they it would be back-to-back Premier League home wins for the first time this season.
Conte has won 112 point from his 48 Premier League games in charge of Chelsea, which is 11 fewer than Mourinho had amassed at the same time as his own Chelsea career, while Mourinho only lost once in that time compared to Conte's eight.
Mourinho was once a hero of the Chelsea faithful having steered the club to three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups over two spells, but his switch to United has soured the relationship and he is now a figure for fans to ridicule rather than praise.
Mourinho is winless in all six Premier League away games against last season's top six, but he will be of the opinion that a draw here is another good result.
Tottenham's victory earlier in the day has also seen them draw level on points with United, and should the Red Devils lost today then just one point would separate second from fourth in the table.
Since the Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid in August United have won 13 and drawn two of their matches, in addition to that shock defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town.
United have lost five of their eight away Premier League games following a European fixture in midweek since Mourinho took charge, though, including each of their last three against Arsenal, Tottenham and Huddersfield.
United have only lost two Premier League games from their last nine attempts, while they are winless in their last two courtesy of the draw at Anfield and defeat the John Smith's.
Indeed, United alone account for 21% of the Premier League goals inside the final 10 minutes this season, so Chelsea will know when it gets to the closing stages that they either need a cushion or need to keep things tight at the back.
Mourinho has a reputation for playing defensively against his direct rivals, particularly away from home, and I cannot see the manager changing his ways for this one. It is likely to be a closely-fought contest, so I'm going for a score draw.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd
The Blues went 12 games unbeaten against United across all competitions prior to that April loss, while United today have the chance to win back-to-back games against Chelsea for the first time since September 2011.
The corresponding fixture here last season saw Chelsea add another win and four more goals to their totals, with Pedro, Cahill, Hazard and Kante all on the scoresheet in a 4-0 victory.
In the Premier League Chelsea have only lost one of their last 15 home games against United stretching back to 2002, with that defeat coming in October 2012.
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill; Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso; Hazard, Morata
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Bailly, Jones, Smalling; Valencia, Herrera, Matic, Young; Mkhitaryan, Lukaku, Rashford
United started the match well, but Chelsea began to gain more control over the game as the first half wore on. Both sides have had chances and could be ahead, though, so it is still all to play for in West London.
The contact was minimal, but Jones exaggerated and ensured that he got the free kick, with Anthony Taylor sparing his blushes by awarding the foul.
Lukaku's only sight of goal so far arrived after 16 minutes when he worked space to shoot from the edge of the area, but his low drive was too close to Courtois, who parried the effort away.
Arguably Chelsea's best opening fell to Bakayoko, but he skewed his finish horribly wide having been found unmarked inside the penalty area. Hazard, Morata, Kante and Zappacosta have all forced saves from De Gea so far, while Christensen failed to test the keeper with a good opening in the closing stages of the half.
Azpilicueta had far too much room to run into down the right channel and it was simple for him to swing his cross into an unmarked Morata, who left De Gea rooted to the spot with a really good header.
It is a deserved win for the home side too, with Alvaro Morata getting the only goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half, although Antonio Conte's side needed to withstand some late pressure to pick up the points. The result restores Chelsea's nine-point gap to leaders Manchester City, but United are now eight adrift of their local rivals.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Chelsea see off Manchester United courtesy of an Alvaro Morata header. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
