Ross Barkley continued his fine form under new manager Maurizzio Sarri by slotting home late on to give Chelsea a share of the spoils against United at Stamford Bridge.
As Chelsea desperately searched for an equaliser, they began to bombard the visitors penalty area.
A deep cross into the box from the right hand side, courtesy of Spaniard Pedro, was excellently nodded down into the middle of the box by centre half David Luiz.
A melee ensued between the United defenders and Antonio Rudiger, who had ventured forward in order to try to grab something for his team.
Within the sixth minute of stoppage time, this looked to be Chelsea's best and last hope for an equaliser. German Rudiger pounced on the knock-down from David Luiz, but was unfortunate to see his stooped header saved excellently by United keeper David de Gea.
However, the danger was not cleared, and, Rudiger's saved header produced one more opening for the hosts.
The saved effort could only be tipped onto the post by United goalkeeper de Gea; and the rebound presented itself in the middle of the six yard box.
Opportunist Ross Barkley saw the opening, and with a cool head, slammed the bass into the back of the net to give his side a deserved equaliser and a share of the points.