Chelsea’s Champions League fate remains in their own hands thanks to an unlikely source – who could be now set for a lifetime stadium ban.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Blues<\/a> beat Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Friday night in an end-to-end affair which saw the visitors have a first half goal ruled out for offside.<\/p>\n 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Marc Cucurella<\/a>‘s second half strike proved to be the difference between the two sides.<\/p>\n The result proved crucial for Enzo Maresca<\/a>‘s side after Aston Villa had beaten Tottenham<\/a> earlier in the evening.<\/p>\n Chelsea moved up to fourth with the victory, although Manchester City<\/a>, now in sixth spot, have a game in hand against Bournemouth on Tuesday.<\/p>\n However, the west London outfit will be assured of a Champions League return if they beat Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.<\/p>\n Fans have a new hero to thank for boosting their top five hopes after a pitch invader disrupted a promising United attack during stoppage time.<\/p>\n As the Red Devils<\/a> came forward with Harry Maguire<\/a> in search of an equaliser, the match was halted by the intruder.<\/p>\n They could be seen sprinting across the pitch and past several players from both teams.<\/p>\n Their antics came to a dramatic end, though, as a steward perfectly timed a tackle to send the fan to the turf.<\/p>\n talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface described the moment the fan entered the field of play on commentary, stating: “Ball up towards Maguire, Maguire tries to flick it on\u2026<\/p>\n “There’s somebody on the pitch here who has come onto the playing surface and that’s delayed the end of the match, it’s going to add vital seconds onto the match.”<\/p>\n 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Once the invader had been tackled, he added: “Maguire is saying [to the referee] that the ball should be with them because the ball was in Man United’s possession when this idiot fan came onto the pitch.<\/p>\n “He’s been wrestled to the floor by some orange-wearing stewards. He’s still trying to fight.<\/p>\n “Well done fella, you’ll never come back here again. What an excellent thing to do.”<\/p>\n Meanwhile, supporters were also quick to react to the incident on social media, with one writing: “The pitch invader is the man of the match.”<\/p>\n Another quipped: “That pitch invader needs to be given an award<\/p>\n A third added: “That lifetime ban from the pitch invader was absolutely worth it.”<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/stewards-tackle-pitch-invader-ground-995404184.jpg?strip=all&w=960\")
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