When Brighton won at Old Trafford in August, we wondered if Erik ten Hag would reach September as Manchester United manager, let alone the Champions League.
It was the last time United were beaten at home in a Premier League season which ended at home to Fulham on Sunday, however, and victory over Chelsea here confirmed that Ten Hag had indeed brought the club back into the league. European elite.
It was his No.1 target when he arrived from Ajax last summer and United needed a point from these last two games to be sure of achieving it.
They did it from the first time thanks in large part to Casemiro who scored for the second game in a row and then produced a moment of magic when Anthony Martial won the second.
However, victory comes at a cost. Brazilian winger Antony was stretched off in the 28th minute after injuring his right ankle during a challenge with Trevoh Chalobah and must now be a serious doubt for the FA Cup final against Manchester City in eight days.
Man United beat Chelsea 4-1 at home to secure Champions League football for next season
However, the win came at a cost with Antony stretched off the pitch at the start of the first half
Casemiro opened the scoring for United before Anthony Martial (above) added to the tally
Despite the scoreline, if United play like this at Wembley it could get ugly. Defense has been their bedrock this season: they are by far the worst scorers in the top six and it would have been their seventh consecutive clean sheet in the league at Old Trafford had it not been for a late consolation from Joao Felix.
But Chelsea were guilty of an awful finish and City won’t be so merciful.
United also squandered their fair share of chances in an error-strewn game. There have been epic encounters between these two clubs over the years, and this was not one of them.
For Chelsea, the end of a miserable season – and the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino – cannot come soon enough.
They were already guaranteed to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League for the first time in 27 years, and it set a new record of 16 defeats in a 38-game season. Interim boss Frank Lampard has now lost eight of his 10 games.
Ten Hag named an unchanged side, although Marcus Rashford was fit to return to the bench where he lay for less than half an hour before scoring the fourth.
“I hope you are all prepared and ready to use your voice tonight because, as we welcome Frank Lampard and Chelsea to Old Trafford, we must all be excited,” the United boss wrote in his program notes.
Lampard, meanwhile, faced a much tougher challenge as he roused his troops after Sunday’s cross-town visit to Manchester City resulted in their seventh defeat in nine games in all competitions since taking charge. of interim manager last month.
Bruno Fernandes (midfielder) found the back of the net from the penalty spot after being fouled
Marcus Rashford (right) added Manchester United’s fourth and final goal of the game
He took the opportunity to rest Raheem Sterling and Thiago Silva, bringing Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke into what was Chelsea’s youngest starting line-up in the Premier League at 23 years and 238 days.
“This moment is difficult but you have to be proud to play against a very good team in a big arena to play football. Some days I wish I could still do that,” Lampard lamented before kick-off.
Even a month before his 45th birthday, Lampard would probably have done a better job of marking than his players when United took a sixth-minute lead.
Christian Eriksen whipped in an excellent free-kick from the left and Casemiro was able to cross the thin blue line too easily, walking between Wesley Fofana and Kai Havertz to nod Kepa Arrizabalaga from close range.
Although it wasn’t as dramatic as the overhead kick that proved decisive in Saturday’s win at Bournemouth, it was just as effective. VAR thought long and hard about it, of course, but the Brazilian was clearly in on it.
For Chelsea, it seemed typical of their discomfort. It was evident at the other end of the field when Mykhailo Mudryk made a terrible hash of an early chance and again when Havertz had the simple task of putting the ball to Conor Gallagher in front of goal but somehow got over-hit the pass.
Antony managed to spot Anthony Martial in a similar situation when United broke shortly after, but the Frenchman’s lack of urgency allowed Cesar Azpilicueta to come back and meet a goal challenge – a point Bruno Fernandes failed to did not hesitate to assert to Martial.
United would have been punished for this if Chelsea hadn’t continued to waste in front of goal before half-time.
Havertz headed wide past Lewis Hall’s cross and Enzo Fernandez sent Gallagher on but he fired his shot wide from the far post.
United took advantage of the abandonment in the fifth of the extra six minutes for Antony’s injury. Casemiro again played a pivotal role in goal, sending a fine pass over the Chelsea defense for Jadon Sancho. He controlled the ball and slid it towards the back post where Martial was aware of Azpilicueta’s presence this time as he scored into an empty net.
Joao Felix managed to score a consolation goal for Chelsea in the 89th minute of the game
The result means Manchester United have secured Champions League football for next season
Lampard’s expression when Stuart Attwell huffed at half-time said it all. Chelsea had given as well as they had in an open first half, but they were going in half.
The odds continued to beg in the second half. Fernandes shook the bar from 15 yards within two minutes of the restart and Eriksen couldn’t quite get the ball over the line just inches away.
Fernandes finally got the third from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute after being knocked down by a careless challenge from Fofana. Rashford tapped in the fourth before substitute Felix responded late.
The misery will end for Chelsea at home to Newcastle on Sunday. The win puts United above Eddie Howe’s third-place side, but it would be a surprise if Ten Hag risked further injury for the Cup final by going full force against Fulham. Only one game counts now.
