A 51st-minute strike from N’Golo Kante proved to be the difference as Chelsea edged holders Manchester United 1-0 in the marquee FA Cup quarterfinal on Monday night at Stamford Bridge in a low-scoring but eventful encounter between the Premier League giants.

Antonio Conte made one notable change to his Chelsea side, replacing Cesc Fabregas with the more defensive-minded Nemanja Matic as he looked to stretch the Blues’ unbeaten record against the Red Devils to 12 games.

Jose Mourinho, revered at Stamford Bridge after two successful tenures at the London club, was keen to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing 4-0 defeat United suffered in the English Premier League back in October. His cause wasn't helped with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended for the tie and to make matters worse, Anthony Martial and club captain Wayne Rooney were ruled out due to illness as well.
As a result, United trotted out in a 3-5-2 formation to counter Chelsea’s 3-4-3, Marcus Rashford playing as the lone striker with support from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ashley Young

And contrary to expectations, the visitors gave Chelsea a real run for their money with a spirited and positive display in the opening half-hour. Mourinho had been expected to shut up shop and hit his former side on the counter but United did the opposite and spent the first 10 minutes almost entirely in their opponent’s half.

Their plan to keep Chelsea’s mercurial winger Eden Hazard under close watch proved to be their bane, however, as after several visiting players had hacked down the Belgian, match referee Michael Oliver issued a stern warning to United captain Chris Smalling.

Unfortunately for United, the next man to come under his scanner was Ander Hererra.

Already on a yellow card for elbowing Hazard in the 20th minute, he was sent off 15 minutes later for an outstretched leg which tripped the Belgian. Michael Oliver felt compelled to send him off for a second bookable offence as he sought to protect Hazard from some rough treatment.

Mourinho was forced to make a change and he brought in Maruoane Fellaini in for Mkhitaryan, hamstringing United’s chances of hitting the Blues on the counter in favour of bringing balance to the midfield.

Hazard was the star of the first half for Chelsea, coming close to scoring early on after turning past Smalling near the halfway line but United keeper David de Gea got the slightest of touches to tip it around the post. On the resulting corner, Gary Cahill almost broke the deadlock but again the Spaniard custodian proved to be defiant as he made an even-better save.

As the managers clashed in the aftermath of the Herrera dismissal, which had changed the complexion of the game completely, it looked like United would be able to go into the break level despite Chelsea’s dominance.

And they did, but as the first half had ended, Chelsea started the second, applying pressure on the visitors. And as they swamped the United box, the pressure paid off via an unlikely source in N’Golo Kante. The defensive midfielder, who coincidentally scored his only goal of the season against United in October, wasn't closed down quickly enough by Paul Pogba on the edge of the box and promptly let fly. His shot bounced and swerved into the bottom corner to beat de Gea with just five minutes played in the second period.

If Hazard had been the star performer in the offensive third for the hosts in the first half, it was all about Willian in the second. The Brazilian winger was everywhere and while his new hairstyle was definitely questionable, his display was not. Coming close to adding a second that would effectively seal the deal on a number of occasions, the winger kept popping up as the opponents began to tire.

United had a golden chance to equalise as Chelsea pressed for that killer second, with Rashord beating last-man Cahill easily but found Thibaut Courtiois up to the challenge. Apart from that and a weak Paul Pogba effort from outside the box, United rarely threatened as man disadvantage began to show as the game progressed.

With both managers making changes with different objectives in the final minutes, those expecting a close finish were disappointed as United were unable to truly threaten Courtois’ goal and the Blues remain on course for a league and cup double this year.

The FA Cup semifinal draw took place immediately after the game and Chelsea are scheduled to take on derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur while the other semifinal will be between Arsenal and Manchester City.