Manchester United on Sunday moved onto the shoulder of fourth-placed Chelsea after brushing aside lowly Watford, as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal also staked their claims to play in the UEFA Champions League next season.
With runaway leaders Liverpool looking certain to win the English Premier League, attention has switched to the race for the European places, with just 10 points separating Chelsea from Southampton in 12th place.
New signing Bruno Fernandes opened his account for United at Old Trafford from the penalty spot, before impressive second-half goals from Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood sealed a 3-0 win.
Photo: Reuters
It means United, who have struggled to find consistency all season, are now in fifth place on 41 points, just three adrift of Chelsea.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised his new signing, who picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his display.
“He has done fantastic,” the Norwegian said. “He has given everyone a boost. He wants the ball all the time, he wants to conduct the play. I am very pleased for him. He has done something to the crowd. He shows the attributes of a Manchester United player. He is a great addition to the squad.”
Portugal midfielder Fernandes is under no illusions over his task as United look to return to the Champions League after a season away.
“Everyone knows we want to get into the Champions League places. I am here to help the team conquer this place and keep winning games,” he told the BBC.
Wolves, in eighth, are just two points behind United after a convincing 3-0 win against Norwich City at Molineux.
Diogo Jota scored twice and Raul Jimenez poached his 21st goal in all competitions early in the second half to leave Norwich seven points adrift of safety and looking doomed.
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said his side had managed the game well.
When asked about challenging for a Champions League spot, he said: “We’re going to stay focused because the difficulty is to sustain your performances through the season. After that, we’ll see, but it’s about building your team and getting them ready to compete whenever, wherever.”
In the late kickoff, Arsenal recovered from a terrible start to hand Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton their first Premier League defeat since New Year’s Day.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin finished acrobatically after Arsenal failed to deal with a free-kick in the first minute, but Eddie Nketiah leveled in the 27th minute, and six minutes later the hosts were ahead when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang raced clear and finished coolly.
Richarlison equalized for Everton in first-half stoppage-time, but Arsenal retook the lead moments after the restart through Aubameyang, who is now the joint leading scorer in the league with 17 goals.
Arsenal are unbeaten in seven league matches and the win lifted them to ninth.
Manager Mikel Arteta said it had been his best week since taking charge at the Emirates in December last year.
“The best thing is the spirit we showed after coming back from Europe — three games in seven days,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “And coming back after we went behind. The resilience they showed after they were absolutely shattered.”
Fifth place could be enough to earn a Champions League spot because second-placed Manchester City have been banned from Europe’s elite competition for two seasons, pending an appeal.
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