Champions-in-waiting Chelsea needed a solitary goal to see off Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup as Jose Mourinho endured another frustrating night at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Marcus Rashford, down with illness prior to the match, started up front for the visitors who opted to match the 3-4-3 of Chelsea’s with a similar formation of their own. Ashley Young was also afforded a rare start as the home team opted for a front three of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Willian.

David de Gea was called into action early on in the game, as Hazard easily turned away from Chris Smalling before unleashing a shot which the Spanish no. 1 could only parry away for a corner. Gary Cahill tested de Gea from the resulting corner.

The diminutive Belgian was at the heart of the action, terrorizing United’s defence as Herrera was shown his first yellow for a blatant bodycheck on the winger. The Spanish midfielder was then sent off for a rash tackle on Hazard after the Chelsea man had gone past Herrera.

The sending-off drew an irate reaction from Mourinho on the sidelines provoking a reaction from Antonio Conte. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was taken off for Marouanne Fellaini as the United manager sought to restore some control to United’s midfield.

N’ Golo Kante then gave Chelsea the lead in the second half as he ran clear of Paul Pogba before drilling a shot past de Gea. The best United could conjure up was a one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois courtesy of an error from David Luiz but was unable to level for United.

The match ended with cries of “Judas” from the Chelsea supporters even as Mourinho held up three fingers, signifying three Premier League titles won with Chelsea.

United now turn their attentions to the Europa League while Chelsea remain on course for a domestic double, with their semifinal against Tottenham one of two all-PL draws, alongside Manchester City versus Arsenal.

Brief Scores:

Chelsea 1 (N’Golo Kante) beat Manchester United 0