Referee Stuart Attwell did not give Manchester United a first-half penalty after consulting the pitchside monitor
Manchester United lost further ground on Premier League leaders Manchester City after they played out a drab goalless deadlock with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Ole Gunnar Solkjaer's side remain second but are now 12 points adrift of City while the result left Chelsea outside the top four a point behind West Ham United.
Manchester United - who have lost only one of their last 20 league games - thought they were about to be offered the chance to make a breakthrough in the first half, but a penalty appeal for handball against Callum Hudson-Odoi was dismissed by referee Stuart Attwell after he was instructed to consult a pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee.
Chelsea, who remain unbeaten under new manager Thomas Tuchel, had chances but United keeper David de Gea made a fine second-half save from Hakim Ziyech while opposite number Edouard Mendy saved well from Scott McTominay and Fred was narrowly off target with a long-range effort. Mendy also punched away a late effort from Bruno Fernandes.
In the end, however, this was another game to add to the list of meetings between the so-called top six that ended in stalemate.
- Reaction to Chelsea v Man Utd, plus the rest of Sunday's Premier League action
Chelsea tough to beat under Tuchel
Chelsea will feel a sense of disappointment at not getting the victory that would have moved them into the top four, but this draw means it is now nine matches without defeat for manager Tuchel since he succeeded sacked Frank Lampard in January.
Tuchel has made Chelsea resilient and tough to beat but they lacked a cutting edge here and moments of discomfort were rare for Manchester United's defence and they can have no complaints because they did not deserve victory.
It has still been a promising start for Tuchel. He has toughened up Chelsea and with the attacking talent at his disposal they are in a good position to make a serious bid to move into the top four, while they still have high ambitions in the Champions League and FA Cup.
Tuchel is slowly but surely making his mark and Chelsea can feel in upbeat mood about the weeks ahead.
Manchester United fall short
Manchester United's title aspirations flickered briefly when then went top after a draw at Liverpool in January - but all logic suggests they have been snuffed out now with the Premier League crown heading back to Manchester City.
United's statistics are impressive, they are now unbeaten in 20 league matches away from Old Trafford, a sequence that includes 13 wins, but they have never truly showed the belief and ruthless edge of potential champions.
And here, while they certainly deserved their point, United again failed to provide the final flourish that could have turned one into three.
Solskjaer's side are certainly on an upward curve but this uninspiring encounter was further proof that any title talk was little more than a pipe dream and a serious gulf in quality still exists between Manchester United and Manchester City.
The two meet in the Manchester derby at Etihad Stadium next Sunday - and with the gap between the teams now 12 points City may just view it as the opportunity to kill off any lingering questions about the destiny of the Premier League this season.
More to follow.
Player of the match
MaguireHarry Maguire
with an average of 6.19
- ChelseaChelseaChelseaMan UtdManchester UnitedManchester United
ChelseaAvgSquad number7Player nameKantéAverage rating
6.13
Squad number19Player nameMountAverage rating
6.05
Squad number2Player nameRüdigerAverage rating
5.65
Squad number17Player nameKovacicAverage rating
5.56
Squad number21Player nameChilwellAverage rating
5.52
Squad number18Player nameGiroudAverage rating
5.49
Squad number24Player nameJamesAverage rating
5.49
Squad number28Player nameAzpilicuetaAverage rating
5.46
Squad number4Player nameChristensenAverage rating
5.45
Squad number16Player nameMendyAverage rating
5.41
Squad number20Player nameHudson-OdoiAverage rating
5.30
Squad number10Player namePulisicAverage rating
5.16
Squad number22Player nameZiyechAverage rating
5.12
Squad number11Player nameWernerAverage rating
4.75
Manchester UnitedAvgSquad number5Player nameMaguireAverage rating
6.19
Squad number23Player nameShawAverage rating
5.49
Squad number1Player namede GeaAverage rating
5.47
Squad number21Player nameJamesAverage rating
5.25
Squad number29Player nameWan-BissakaAverage rating
5.22
Squad number2Player nameLindelöfAverage rating
5.12
Squad number39Player nameMcTominayAverage rating
5.07
Squad number17Player nameFredAverage rating
4.93
Squad number11Player nameGreenwoodAverage rating
4.81
Squad number10Player nameRashfordAverage rating
4.75
Squad number18Player nameBruno FernandesAverage rating
4.32
Squad number9Player nameMartialAverage rating
3.91
- Line-upsMatch StatsLive Text
Line-upsChelsea
Formation 3-4-2-1
16Mendy28Azpilicueta4Christensen2Rüdiger20Hudson-Odoi7Kanté17Kovacic21Chilwell22Ziyech19Mount18Giroud
- 16Mendy28Azpilicueta4Christensen2Rüdiger20Hudson-OdoiSubstituted forJamesat 45'minutes7Kanté17Kovacic21ChilwellBooked at 62mins22ZiyechSubstituted forWernerat 78'minutes19Mount18GiroudSubstituted forPulisicat 65'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Arrizabalaga3Alonso5Jorginho10Pulisic11Werner15Zouma24James29Havertz33Emerson
Man Utd
Formation 4-2-3-1
1de Gea29Wan-Bissaka2Lindelöf5Maguire23Shaw39McTominay17Fred21James18Bruno Fernandes10Rashford11Greenwood
- 1de Gea29Wan-Bissaka2Lindelöf5MaguireBooked at 79mins23Shaw39McTominay17FredBooked at 50mins21James18Bruno Fernandes10Rashford11GreenwoodSubstituted forMartialat 79'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Bailly9Martial19Diallo26Henderson27Telles31Matic33Williams34van de Beek38Tuanzebe
Referee:Stuart AttwellMatch StatsHome TeamChelseaAway TeamMan UtdPossessionHome57%Away43%ShotsHome18Away11Shots on TargetHome6Away4CornersHome3Away4FoulsHome11Away12Live TextPost update
Match ends, Chelsea 0, Manchester United 0.
90'+4'Full Time
Second Half ends, Chelsea 0, Manchester United 0.
90'+3'Post update
Attempt saved. Fred (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes.
90'+3'Post update
Attempt saved. Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
90'+3'Post update
Attempt blocked. Mason Mount (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
90'+2'Post update
Mason Mount (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
90'+2'Post update
Foul by Daniel James (Manchester United).
89'Post update
Reece James (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
89'Post update
Foul by Luke Shaw (Manchester United).
88'Post update
Foul by Christian Pulisic (Chelsea).
88'Post update
Harry Maguire (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86'Post update
Foul by Mason Mount (Chelsea).
86'Post update
Luke Shaw (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
85'Post update
Attempt missed. Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Andreas Christensen.
85'Post update
Attempt saved. Timo Werner (Chelsea) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by N'Golo Kanté.
80'Post update
Attempt missed. Andreas Christensen (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mason Mount with a cross following a set piece situation.
79'Booking
Harry Maguire (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
79'Post update
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
79'Post update
Foul by Harry Maguire (Manchester United).
79'Substitution
Substitution, Manchester United. Anthony Martial replaces Mason Greenwood.
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Source: bbc.com