text: Two more games; that’s all it will take. Two more games and Jose Mourinho will have confirmed his mastery of the Premier League with a third title in five attempts at the trophy and Chelsea will be crowned champions. The clue that this was the decisive game was in the manic nature of the second half. Not on the pitch, but on the touchline. Mourinho and his assistant Rui Faria were up and down with unusual intensity, even for them, waving players back with the most extravagant gestures when they lost the ball. Hold on to this lead, was the implicit message, and a huge step will have been taken to the ultimate goal. In fact, as One Step Beyond played at the end of the game and the players congregated in the centre circle, there was a sense that the celebrations were already in swing. Chelsea forward Eden Hazard (second from left) slots the ball past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea to open the scoring . Hazard's low shot squirms past De Gea as defenders Chris Smalling (left) and Paddy McNair watch on helplessly . Hazard wheels away to celebrate his 13th Premier League goal of the season as De Gea slowly rises to his feet after conceding . A TV camera gets a close-up of the goalscorer as Hazard celebrates with Didier Drogba in front of a section of home fans at Stamford Bridge . Chelsea: Courtois 6, Ivanovic 6, Terry 7, Cahill 6.5, Azpilicueta 6, Zouma 5.5, Matic 7, Oscar 8 (Ramires 6, 67), Fabregas 6 (Mikel 92), Hazard 8.5 (Willian 94), Drogba 5 . Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Cuadrado, Solanke . Goal: Hazard . Booked: Ivanovic, Drogba, Oscar . Manager: Jose Mourinho 7 . Manchester United: De Gea 6.5, Valencia 6, Smalling 6.5, McNair 6.5, Shaw 7 (Blackett 80), Rooney 6, Mata 5 (Januzaj 5, 70), Ander Herrera 7.5, Fellaini 6.5, Young (Di Maria 6, 70), Falcao 4 . Subs not used: Da Silva, Van Persie, Valdes, Pereira . Booked: Herrera . Manager: Louis van Gaal 6 . MOTM: Hazard . Referee: Mike Dean 6 . Attendance: 41,442 . *Player ratings by Oliver Todd at Stamford Bridge . Eden Hazard opened the scoring for Chelsea - CLICK HERE for more in our Match Zone . Two more games of course have to be won and that includes a visit to Arsenal next week. But there can be little doubt as to the destination of the title after this result. The hard work of the winter has been done. Mourinho was haveing none of it of course, rightly so, insisting they need eight points. They need nine, actually, to be sure, but beat Arsenal next week and then they will need just three more. ‘If the celebration is because we beat one the biggest clubs in the world, I understand that,’ he said. ‘If the celebration is because the players gave everything to win that game and they feel the result of the work they did this week, then I also understand that. ‘But if they are celebrating something more than that – not at all. It’s three points. Every point we get is one step in the title direction but no more than that.’ Yet though Chelsea were on the back foot for much of the game, though Manchester United did play well, the champions elect were worth their win not least in the fact that they were more or less in control of their destiny and they had the outstanding player on the pitch in Eden Hazard. When he nut-megged David De Gea for the opening goal, it was as though the race to be player of the season – they are both shortlisted for the award - had become a personal feud. The finish was both ruthless and decisive, an indication of how far he has grown. But he was not alone. The team approached their task with the cold, quite professionalism required of champions; not all titles are won at a canter with a spring in the step. Sometimes getting across the line is enough hand. Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is sent flying by a tackle from Chelsea star Oscar on Saturday evening . Chelsea striker Didier Drogba (left) attempts to steal the ball from Manchester United's in-form wing back Ashley Young . Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini (left) tussles with Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the first half . Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney finds himself surrounded by Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Hazard . Hazard gets up close and personal with some Chelsea fans after missing an opportunity to give his side a two-goal lead . Lone striker Didier Drogba bursts past United defender Chris Smalling as Chelsea continue their pursuit of the Premier League title . Louis van Gaal felt his team, shorn of Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, deserved more. ‘I’m very proud of my team,’ he said. ‘We played the best match this season but in football you can lose in spite of you being the better team. ‘It's amazing how we have played here. When you have seen the statistics, it's unbelievable that the result is 1-0. We count it that we have made a big step forward in our process. But for the fans, they have lost. And Manchester United have lost. ‘We were always in our opponent's half. In spite of the difference and despite Chelsea's defensive organisation, we have created more chances. That's an unbelievable performance – but, read the score.’ Mourinho had the perfect riposte to that. ‘The game was exactly what we wanted. When we manage to play the game we want to play, it's fantastic. The game was exactly what we were working for the game to be. The team was fantastic.’ The truth was somewhere inbetween those two analyses. Mourinho would not have wanted the challenge Gary Cahill made in the final moments of added time, in which Andre Herrera trailed his leg into the clumsy tackle and fell. Herrera received a yellow card for diving – and Mourinho made much play of how his players might have been accused had they done the same – but another referee might easily have given a penalty. Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera knocks the ball past Chelsea defender Gary Cahill inside the home side's box . Herrera sticks out his right leg to make contact with Cahill before falling to the ground and appealing for a penalty in the 95th minute . Cahill and Herrera go head-to-head after the United man was penalised for diving late on at Stamford Bridge . Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho gestures on the Stamford Bridge touchline as he watches his side take on Manchester United . Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao (left) controls the ball as Chelsea's makeshift midfielder Kurt Zouma keeps a close eye on him . Referee Mike Dean is surrounded by Manchester United players as the visitors complain about a decision going against them . Hazard almost made it 2-0 with an acrobatic, close-range shot but his effort hit the bar after surging run forward from Drogba . Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson watches his old club lose 1-0 to Chelsea from the stands at Stamford Bridge . Likewise when Luke Shaw, a constant worry to Branislav Ivanonic, played in Radamel Falcao and he smashed the ball against the post on 76 minutes, that would not have been in the Mourinho game plan. Nor the moment when Shaw found Rooney in the fourth minute and the captain curled the ball wide when he really should have scored. That said, though United dominated midfield with Ander Herrera and Wayne Rooney, Chelsea had the better chances. Having conceded much of the possession, John Terry muscled Falcao off the ball – a foul according to van Gaal – and found Oscar on 37 minutes, whose impudent back heel saw Hazard set off like with an intent that would not be denied. His touch and finish was that of a man wholly sure of himself. Herrera then blotted his copy book, with a wayward pass on 53 minutes, seized on by Didier Drogba, sprinting goal-wards. Chris Smalling made enough of a nuisance of himself to ensure that shot was deflected over David de Gea. Hazard was on hand, tearing in at far post, but, unable to break his stride for a simple finish, he instead flicked the ball and hit the post. Nevertheless, you were left marvelling at the Belgian. He reminds you of Robert Pires when Arsenal were closing in on the title in 2002. It isn’t just that his speed terrorises or that his skill is above that of almost every player on the pitch. It is his state of mind that is so dangerous, that intuitive confidence great players possess; the knowledge that they have the capacity to change the game at any point. He did just that. United goalkeeper De Gea bracely punches a Chelsea cross clear under pressure from Drogba and Chelsea skipper John Terry . Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal and his assistant Ryan Giggs complain to referee Mike Dean . United midfielder Fellaini controls the ball in mid-air as his international team-mate Thibaut Courtois watches on . Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata (left) tries to escape from his compatriot Cesar Azpilicueta on his return to Stamford Bridge . Goalscorer Hazard is congratulated by his team-mates after opening the scoring against rivals Manchester United . Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (right) shows his delight in the stands at Stamford Bridge after Hazard's goal . Brazilian midfielder Oscar goes for a ride on Luke Shaw's back before hitting the turf during Saturday evening's late kick-off . Cesc Fabregas attempts to cut the ball back across goal under pressure from De Gea as Chelsea go on the attack . Chelsea midfielder Oscar slides in on Herrera as the pair battle for the ball in front of a capacity crowd in west London .
target: Eden Hazard gave Chelsea the lead in the 38th minute when he latched onto a flick from Oscar .
  Radamel Falcao complained of a foul by Blues skipper John Terry in the build-up to the opening goal .
  Hazard almost made it 2-0 but his close-range effort hit the bar after a surging run from Didier Drogba .
  United midfielder Ander Herrera was booked for simulation in the 95th minute after trying to win a penalty .
  The result means Jose Mourinho's side are now 10 points clear at the top of the table .
  CLICK HERE to read Oliver Todd's player ratings from Stamford Bridge .