Jadon Sancho's first Premier League goal for Manchester United was cancelled out by a Jorginho penalty as Chelsea could only come away with a 1-1 draw after a dominant display at Stamford Bridge.
Red Devils caretaker manager Michael Carrick opted to drop Cristiano Ronaldo for the match, going for a counter-attacking front three which included goalscorer Sancho.
Sancho broke the deadlock on 50 minutes, capitalising on Jorginho's error to give United a shock lead after Chelsea had dominated.
The Blues had their Italian maestro to thank soon after, though, with Jorginho scoring a penalty following Aaron Wan-Bissaka's rash foul on Thiago Silva.
Here are five talking points from Stamford Bridge.
1. Ronaldo benched at the Bridge
Although the game wasn't short of narrative, Michael Carrick made sure the debate kicked off early when he decided to bench Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 36-year-old had scored to help the Red Devils reach the knockout stages of the Champions League in midweek but was dropped by his caretaker manager when United travelled to west London.
Ronaldo was, however, brought on just after the hour mark as Carrick turned to his experience when his side were trying to see the game out, then leading 1-0.
His introduction came shortly before Jorginho's equaliser, prompting further discourse about his role at Old Trafford.
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2. De Gea debt
Like for much of this season, the Red Devils had David De Gea to thank for the game not being out of reach by half-time.
The Spanish goalkeeper made five saves in the first 45 minutes, while opposite number Edouard Mendy was totally untroubled.
Midway through the first half, De Gea pulled off arguably his best save when a powerful Antonio Rudiger 30-yard shot cannoned off the crossbar via the United stopper's fingertips.
3. Carrick's comms
With not much to shout about as Chelsea dominated the opening exchanges, fans noticed that the Red Devils coaching staff and technical director Darren Fletcher were communicating with someone via earpieces.
Supporters began to speculate who that could be, with Gary Neville's pre-match theory potentially being proven right.
Incoming interim manager Ralf Rangnick is said to already be in the country and Neville suggested that the acclaimed German coach had a hand in selecting the hotly-debated starting XI.
"A lot of people having a go at Michael Carrick for dropping Ronaldo and picking that midfield," the ex-United captain.
"I’ve a feeling the the incoming manager has picked that team as it’s a huge departure from midweek and what they’ve been doing."
4. Sancho bags again
Two games under Carrick, two goals.
Jadon Sancho broke the deadlock against the run of play within five minutes of the second half by coolly slotting home to finish an all-too-easy counter attack.
Following his strike against Villarreal on Tuesday, the 21-year-old charged down Jorginho, who attempted to bring the ball down on the halfway line with no support from his team-mates around him.
Despite Marcus Rashford flanking him, Sancho went solo and dispatched past a helpless Mendy.
13 minutes later and the Red Devils' goalscorer was off, making way for Ronaldo.
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5. Zero to hero
After his calamitous error, Jorginho made amends by equalising with a trademark penalty.
The ice-cold Italian stepped up after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's foul on Thiago Silva and sent De Gea the wrong way.
Hoping to at least be on the top-three podium at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, Jorginho redeemed himself in front of the Chelsea faithful by levelling the scores.
The 29-year-old had missed a crucial spot-kick in the 90th minute when Italy drew 1-1 with Switzerland over the international break and were forced into the World Cup play-offs.