Chelsea’s revival under Thomas Tuchel continued as the Blues closed to within a point of the top four with a hard-fought 2-1 win at bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
Mason Mount’s well-worked opener just before half-time was cancelled out by a bizarre own goal from Antonio Rudiger as Chelsea conceded for the first time in four games under Tuchel.
But Jorginho’s penalty quickly restored the visitors’ lead and they held out for a third win in four games since the German replaced the sacked Frank Lampard.
Chelsea are now breathing down Liverpool’s necks for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Tuchel has benefited from a kind run of fixtures to bed himself into English football, but the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has quickly implemented his ideas, even if it has come at the cost of a number of big names.
N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech were again left on the bench, while there was no place in the squad for Kai Havertz or Christian Pulisic.