Erik ten Hag on Thursday said that Manchester United are back where they belong after a 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea secured a return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were on target as the Red Devils moved up to third in the English Premier League.
A miserable night summed up Chelsea’s season, despite spending more than ￡500 million (US$617 million) in the transfer market as they slumped to an eighth defeat in 10 games since Frank Lampard returned as interim manager.
Photo: AFP
By contrast, confirmation of a top-four finish rounds off a successful first season in charge for Ten Hag after also ending United’s six-year trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup in February.
More silverware could be to come next month should United halt Manchester City’s charge toward the treble in the FA Cup final, but a return to Europe’s elite competition next season was one of Ten Hag’s primary aims when he took the reigns after a disastrous 2021-2022 campaign when United finished sixth.
“I think [it is] a successful season, but the season is not finished,” Ten Hag said. “This club belongs in the Champions League, but this league is very strong, with many clubs competing for this position. It is the main objective of the season to get into the Champions League. The competition is tough, many teams with really good squads, good managers, so you are doing a good job [to qualify]. For this moment it is the maximum, but we want more [next season].”
Casemiro’s arrival from Real Madrid has been fundamental to United’s revival.
The 31-year-old’s class and experience shone through against a youthful Chelsea side who were punished for a lack of efficiency in both penalty areas.
“It was another reality day today when you look at the emphatic nature at the top end of the pitch of United compared to us,” Lampard said. “Results for Chelsea this season are not good enough.”
Mykhailo Mudryk should have netted his first Chelsea goal when the Ukrainian sliced wide a glorious chance after five minutes.
Just 60 seconds later, the visitors trailed as Casemiro was afforded a free header to turn home Christian Eriksen’s free-kick.
A positive night for United was blighted by an injury to winger Antony, who was forced off on a stretcher with an ankle injury that will make him a major doubt for the FA Cup final next Saturday.
The hosts ended the game as a contest in first-half stoppage-time when Casemiro’s no-look pass opened up the Chelsea defense for Jadon Sancho to square for Martial.
Ten Hag’s men should have had more goals to round off a fine night in the second half as Fernandes smashed against the bar and Eriksen somehow failed to turn in Tyrell Malacia’s cross from point-blank range.
Fernandes did finally get his goal from the penalty spot after the Portuguese midfielder was brought down by Wesley Fofana.
More calamitous Chelsea defending invited Rashford to become the first United player in a decade to score 30 goals in a season.
Fernandes pounced on Fofana’s loose pass and teed up the England international, who needed two attempts to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The waste of Chelsea’s season can be summed up by the ￡10 million loan fee splurged on Joao Felix in January for a few months with little left to play for, but the Portuguese international showed a glimmer of his quality with a surging run and low finish for a late consolation that denied David de Gea his 18th clean sheet of the season.
Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi yesterday bowed out at the Malaysia Masters, defeated in the semi-finals a day after an epic quarter-final against the highest-ranked player left in the men’s singles draw. Lin lost to Weng Hongyang of China 21-13, 21-19 after a draining match against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka a day earlier in which the second game had 59 points. The 23-year-old left-hander had won his only previous BWF match against his Chinese opponent. However, Weng booked a place in today’s final after easing past the Taiwanese battler. He faces India’s H.S. Prannoy, who advanced when Indonesia’s Christian Adinata retired while trailing 19-17 in the
Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serb of stirring up political tension by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open. Djokovic wrote the message on a camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the same day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops were hurt in clashes with Serb protesters in the Kosovo town of Zvecan where Djokovic’s father grew up. “Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, center of the most important things for our country,” 36-year-old told Serbian media. Serbian authorities said 52 protesters were wounded
Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5am on Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv. At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk’s nation was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of the war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus in February last year. “It’s something I cannot describe, probably. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. I think I’m better than
China has long been the sleeping giant of men’s tennis, but on Monday the giant stirred as Shanghai trailblazer Zhang Zhizhen advanced to the second round of Roland Garros. One of three Chinese men in the draw, Zhang became the first from the nation to win a main draw match at Roland Garros in 86 years after Serbian opponent Dusan Lajovic retired due to illness when trailing 6-1, 4-1. Compatriots Shang Juncheng and Wu Yibing bowed out in defeat, but 26-year-old Zhang has a big chance to go further when he takes on Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante for a place in
RSS