The visitors dominated the first half at Old Trafford, but were unable to break through De Gea, who saved goals from Kai Havertz and N’Golo Kante.
Midway through the second half, Chelsea finally broke the deadlock when Marcos Alonso volleyed home from an angle.
Manchester United reacted within a minute, with Nemanja Matic delivering a wonderful cross into the box for Cristiano Ronaldo to take a touch before hammering a shot into the net.
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That sparked Old Trafford to life, as there had been a lukewarm atmosphere inside the stadium up to that point, while unhappiness with the club’s owners was still present outside for the second home game in a row, with protests.
Reece James hit the outside of the post, while Ronaldo might have given the hosts all three points but Edouard Mendy saved his effort from a tricky angle.
However, the game finished in a draw, as Chelsea moved closer to a top-four finish. With five games remaining, Thomas Tuchel’s side is in third place, eight points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham.
Manchester United sit in sixth place, five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal despite having played two more games.
photo: man utd via getty image