Hat-trick hero Cole Palmer left Erik ten Hag at breaking point with the latest winner in Premier League history.
Palmer scored TWICE in added time as Manchester United virtually kissed goodbye to their fading hopes of Champions League football next season. Deluded United boss Ten Hag claimed United deserved to win - despite his side facing 28 shots.
They were leading 3-2 nine minutes into stoppage time when Palmer buried his second penalty of a madcap thriller at Stamford Bridge - and appeared to have rescued a point for Chelsea.
But incredibly, there was still time for Palmer to deliver the knockout blow after 100min 39sec as his 20-yard shot took a telling deflection off Scott McTominay. And Palmer added one last twist of the knife - by admitting he grew up as a United fan.
He gasped: "I don't know [how Chelsea came back]! We were 2-0 up and then we made silly mistakes.
“When the eight minutes got added on it gave us a lift and I thought let’s go for it. It was madness. We need to try to win as many games as possible, but to win like that, there is nothing better.
"We thought when we scored the third goal the fans lifted us and I saw the gaffer say there were two minutes left - and thankfully I scored again.”
Palmer said he was “buzzing” to score the first hat-trick of his career and clinch Chelsea’s first Premier League win in 13 games against United. For Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag, Chelsea’s sensational fightback was a disaster.
United - watched by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe - remain nine points behind fifth-placed Tottenham with just eight games left.
Ten Hag said: “You saw we were dominating the game and it was brilliant how we played - we deserved to win the game. But, you cannot give it away like we did and we have to manage this game better.
"When it gets chaotic you have to deal with it as a team and we made the wrong decisions and we didn't help out as a team. Out of possession we made bad decisions - a lack of concentration.
"Also, I think it was unlucky at the end with the penalty situation, questionable and very soft but we have to do better."