Marc Cucurella was once again Chelsea’s hero as his headed goal earned a potentially season-defining 1-0 win over Manchester United just as his side’s Champions League hopes looked to be slipping away.

With 20 minutes remaining at Stamford Bridge the Blues were set to head into the final day of the Premier League season with their top-five fate out of their hands, with more poor finishing seemingly condemning them to two crucial points dropped and a third straight season out of Europe’s top competition.

News that Aston Villa had beaten Tottenham in the earlier kick-off and had leapt ahead of Enzo Maresca’s side only added to the tension amongst home fans, which turned to frustration as the enormity of their team’s predicament came grimly into focus.

Then appeared in the box the ebullient, untameable Cucurella, by far Chelsea’s most improved player in the last 12 months and the scorer this season of seven goals – though none as valuable as this – slipping his man to head Reece James’ cross past Andre Onana in the 71st minute and redeem a desperate situation.

A win away to Nottingham Forest next Sunday will confirm a top-five finish.

Chelsea were the better team in the first half, for what that was worth against a United side that had lost five of their last seven in the league and had not won in two months.

Maresca had recently lamented his side’s wastefulness in front of goal this season – the Blues had the second-highest number of big chances missed in the league before kick-off – and Noni Madueke presented the latest.

A brilliant burst through the midfield by Moises Caicedo began the move, knocking the ball centrally to Cole Palmer whose cross to the back post was met first time by Madueke but with the exactitude only to hoist the ball high into the Shed End.

A fractional VAR call then saved Chelsea when Harry Maguire was judged to have strayed offside by inches before turning Bruno Fernandes’ pass beyond Robert Sanchez.

Mason Mount, on his first start on the ground against the club he represented for 12 years, drew taunts from home fans when his first-time shot bobbled out of play for a throw-in, before his former academy team-mate James had a thunderous 20-yard effort thud against a post.

The flag spared Enzo Fernandez his blushes when he skied over with the goal gaping after Onana had made a feeble job of handling Palmer’s bending shot. Replays showed Fernandez probably was offside, but the moment did nothing to alleviate Maresca’s anxieties about his team’s ability to convert chances.

VAR intervened this time on United’s side midway through the second half. Tyrique George tumbled as Onana raced out to meet him in pursuit of a through-ball. Referee Chris Kavanagh said penalty but a pitchside review confirmed the goalkeeper had made no contact.

Then, finally, relief for Chelsea. Pedro Neto played the ball back to James, who with a balletic pirouette corkscrewed away from Alejandro Garnacho and whipped an irresistible cross to where Cucurella was arriving, the defender’s thumped header flashing past Onana into the corner.

Madueke then penned a footnote to his personal anthology of missed chances, slicing wide when clean through on goal.

Sanchez produced a good near-post stop to keep out Amad Diallo, the only moment in the second half when United really threatened.