Chelsea’s new interim manager, Guus Hiddink, watched from the stands as his team beat Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday, while Norwich City won at Manchester United.
Appointed hours before kick-off in place of the sacked Jose Mourinho, Hiddink was in the stands at a discontented Stamford Bridge as Chelsea prevailed through goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro Rodriguez and Oscar.
The match unfurled amid tension, as Chelsea’s fans took out their anger over Mourinho’s dismissal on their own players, and there was also a bilious atmosphere at Old Trafford, where Norwich won 2-1.
It was United’s third straight defeat in all competitions, sending them out of the top four, and saw Van Gaal assailed with boos from the home supporters.
A world away from the managerial intrigue, Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, saw his Leicester City side win 3-2 at Everton to guarantee that they will top the table on Christmas Day.
Hiddink, 69, has returned to Chelsea in the hope of pulling off a salvage job similar to the one he masterminded in 2009, when he led the club to FA Cup glory after being parachuted in by owner Roman Abramovich.
With first-team coach Steve Holland taking charge of the team, Hiddink sat alongside Abramovich and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba as the bedraggled champions began life without Mourinho.
Pro-Mourinho banners were visible around the ground — one bearing the message “You let Jose down, you let us down” — and his name was chanted by the home supporters right from kick-off.
Despite the hostility from their own fans, Chelsea made a storming start, Ivanovic heading in Willian’s corner in the fifth minute and Pedro slamming home from Willian’s cross eight minutes later.
