Michael Carrick was in awe of an "immense" performance from Manchester United's makeshift backline after they won 1-0 at Chelsea to close in on a top-five finish.

United travelled to Stamford Bridge without all four of their senior centre-backs, with Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez serving suspensions and Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt injured.

Nineteen-year-old Ayden Heaven made just his ninth Premier League start of the season, with natural right-back Noussair Mazraoui partnering him at centre-back.

And the pair had plenty of work to do as Chelsea fired off 21 shots and accumulated 1.55 expected goals (xG), compared to four shots and 0.29 xG for the Red Devils.

But they held firm in the face of severe pressure as Matheus Cunha's strike late in the first half proved decisive, moving United 10 points clear of Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day afterwards, Carrick said: "We feel it was deserved. With the setbacks we have had the last few days, and the centre-back partnership we had, it was a challenge, but I felt the defence was immense in difficult circumstances.

"We looked dangerous on the break. The performance, to come here and win, we had to be disciplined, and the attitude was top drawer.

"I thought through the middle of the team we were particularly good. They have some really good players and you can't switch off."

The xG differential in the game – +1.26 in favour of Chelsea – was the largest to go the Blues' way in a Premier League defeat since September 2023 (+1.54 against Nottingham Forest).

Though United had to ride their luck at times, with both Liam Delap and Wesley Fofana hitting the woodwork after half-time, Carrick singled out his centre-backs for praise in a separate interview with TNT Sports.

"I can't play that one down, that was massive, that was a big win for us," he said. "They had some opportunities, but to keep a clean sheet and defend like we did... there was a lot of work that had to go into the last day or so, in terms of prepping the team with a new back four.

"I thought Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui coming in were incredible, Ayden being such a young age and Noussair not really playing centre-back in a back four. 

"I have to give the coaching staff a lot of credit on getting the boys ready for that. I thought the boys put a magnificent performance in tonight."

After United's win, the Opta supercomputer assigns them a 98.4% chance of a top-five finish and a return to UEFA's premier club competition, while Chelsea's hopes are rated at a mere 8%.

But Carrick was determined to enjoy the win on its own merits, saying: "There's a gap in the league. It wasn't so much about that, but just the enjoyment of the win. 

"Coming here is tough, we have found it hard over the years and to have that moment in the end, they are the ones you want to remember. We won't get carried away but we will enjoy the result."