Chelsea’s loss to Manchester United at the weekend was perhaps the most un-Chelsea performance of the season so far, especially since the switch to Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system after losses to Liverpool and Arsenal.

The Blues never really looked in the game at Old Trafford, despite former manager Jose Mourinho opting for exactly the same tactic as that deployed in the loss at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup quarter-final earlier this year.

With United’s Ander Herrera, who was sent off in that cup tie at the Bridge, carrying out his manager’s orders to a tee, hampering the effect of Eden Hazard all night coupled with another below par performance from Diego Costa, Conte was hopeless to halt United as he tinkered with his beloved system.

Although a loss against the Red Devils is far from ideal, especially with Tottenham’s third 4-0 home win on the bonce – this time against Bournemouth – closing the gap at the top to just four points, the work put in by Conte’s side earlier this season will now begin to pay dividends.

Their ten point gap from a couple of weeks ago has now been significantly cut, with the loss against Crystal Palace a surprise bonus for the chasing pack, however, looking ahead there should be little to worry about with Chelsea having a seemingly softer run-in than those around them.

After their FA Cup semi-final with Tottenham this weekend, the Blues’ biggest hurdles between now and the 21st of May, the final weekend of the season when they face Sunderland, are Southampton and Everton.

The Saints and the Toffees will present tough opposition, however, they should still be sides that the likes of Hazard and Costa are dispatching with ease.

Furthermore, their semi-final opponents and closest competitors in the re-invigorated title race, still have the small matter of the last North London Derby at White Hart Lane, as we know it, to contend with as well as the visit of Manchester United and another London derby with their first trip to the London Stadium for a Friday night clash with West Ham.

Taking everything into stock, although the loss at Old Trafford was a huge disappointment for the club and fans, there should still be no real problem for Conte and his players between now and the close of the season, with Saturday’s game at Wembley giving them the perfect chance to shoot down Spurs once again.