Eden Hazard's first-half goal was enough to give Chelsea a 1-0 win over Manchester United which puts them two victories shy of the Premier League title.

The Belgian struck after 38 minutes to settle an even encounter at Stamford Bridge and bring the Blues to the brink of the trophy that has eluded them since 2010.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the players' performances in West London this evening.

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Goal

Thibaut Courtois: Barely had anything to do in 90 minutes thanks to the four players in front of him. Quiet evening for the Belgian. (6/10)

Defence

Branislav Ivanovic: Significantly struggled to contain Shaw throughout the second half until Ramires helped him out from 67 minutes onwards. (6/10)

John Terry: Won the ball off Falcao to inspire the counter-attack that led to the opening goal in one of many individual victories over the Colombian striker this evening. (8/10)

Gary Cahill: Looked just as solid beside the skipper with a similar 'thou-shall-not-pass' performance. (8/10)

Cesar Azpilicueta: Kept Mata relatively quiet throughout, and Januzaj after him in a good performance from the Spanish left-back. (7/10)

Midfield

Kurt Zouma: Looked uncomfortable in his unfamiliar defensive midfield role once or twice, but overall competently sat in front of that back four alongside Matic. (6/10)

Nemanja Matic: Ensured that Rooney would not add to his four-goal career total away to Chelsea with a good performance to shackle the United skipper. (6/10)

Oscar: Arguably his best performance in recent months as the Brazilian impressed at both ends, bagging a brilliant assist to set up Hazard. (7/10)

Cesc Fabregas: Endured a troubled start but eventually grew into the contest, though he still looks quite a bit away from the form that saw him dazzle earlier in the season. (6/10)

Eden Hazard: The Belgian seems to be becoming less and less involved in recent weeks, but he remains as decisive as ever with a fine finish for what was the winning goal. Numerous other bright moments too. (8/10)

Attack

Didier Drogba: At 37, the Ivorian is nowhere near as dangerous up front as he once was, but still had a few promising moments in a quiet performance overall. (5/10)

Substitutes

Ramires: The Brazilian helped sure up the Blues' left-hand side at a period when Shaw looked to have freedom in the final third. Good 23-minute cameo from Ramires. (6/10)

Goal

David De Gea: Could do very little about the goal and did not have a whole lot to do other than that. (5/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: Got forward well in the first half but was nowhere near as prominent after the break. (5/10)

Chris Smalling: Looked uncomfortable in possession at times and could have done a little better for Hazard's decisive goal. (5/10)

Paddy McNair: Assured performance from the young defender. Had not featured in the senior team as of late, but there was only positive things from the Northern Irishman this evening. (7/10)

Luke Shaw: Brilliant performance on his return to first-team duties following injury as he constantly caused Chelsea problems down the left-hand flank. (7/10)

Midfield

Ander Herrera: Playing in the holding role, Herrera should have been more alert and anticipated Hazard's run in the build-up to the opening goal. Also conceded possession cheaply on a host of occasions.. (4/10)

Juan Mata: Barely given an inch in which to work his magic against his former teammates in a quiet performance. Still left the field to applause from both sets of fans on 70 minutes. (5/10)

Wayne Rooney: Started in midfield and had arguably United's best chance when he curled wide after just four minutes. Perhaps could have gone up front in the final 10 or 15 minutes. (5/10)

Marouane Fellaini: Nowhere near his imposing best of recent weeks, Fellaini was quiet here and never really got going. (4/10)

Ashley Young: Slightly better second half, but the United winger was seldom involved in anything throughout his 70 minutes on the field. Replaced by Di Maria. (5/10)

Attack

Radamel Falcao: Lost possession in the build-up to the decisive goal during what proved another unsuccessful performance from the Colombian, though his head never dropped. (5/10)

Substitutes

Tyler Blackett: Saw plenty of the ball after replacing Shaw, but did not have as much joy in attack as his predecessor. (5/10)

Angel Di Maria: Had little to no impact throughout his 20-minute cameo. (5/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan