Mooy’s boys safe after draw
AARON Mooy’s Huddersfield Town is celebrating after securing Premier League safety with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, a result that looks almost certain to condemn Swansea City to relegation.
With a Harry Kane goal giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley to secure its Champions League place for next season, Chelsea’s draw may also have caused fatal damage to the Blues’ hopes of a top-four finish.
Meanwhile, champions Manchester City said a fond Etihad farewell to Yaya Toure, routing Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 and moving on to 97 points — the most in a Premier League season — and to the verge of a landmark 100point campaign.
In doing so yesterday, Pep Guardiola’s men, 20 points clear at the top, also set a record for most goals in a season in the Premier League era, with strikes from Danilo, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho taking the tally to 105.
Yet Huddersfield was the toast of the league after the side who returned to the top division last season ensured survival with a second backsto-the-wall effort after earning a draw at Manchester City on Sunday.
Huddersfield took a shock lead in the 50th minute when a long ball from Australia’s Mooy found Laurent Depoitre, who won a challenge with Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero and put the ball in the empty net. Chelsea was back level 13 minutes later when a defensive clearance struck Marcos Alonso on the head and rebounded into the net.
But the visitors held on to secure a second Premier League season and Chelsea remained outside the Champions League spots in fifth place with one game left in the season.
Huddersfield manager David Wagner said: “If you have the passion, desire and spirit you can compete sometimes with top, top quality.
“We had lady luck, no doubt about it, but it’s an unbelievable achievement for this football club.”
Huddersfield soared into 16th place on 37 points, four clear of 18th-placed Swansea.