Man. Utd humiliated ... Chelsea held, Watford relegated
Brighton and Hove .... 4 Man. United ............... 0
LONDON – Manchester United crashed to a 4-0 dismal defeat at Brighton that ended their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four, while Chelsea blew a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw with Wolves in front of prospective owner Todd Boehly yesterday.
At the other end of the table, Watford were relegated after a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
United have endured a host of humiliations in one of their most embarrassing seasons for decades and this lacklustre loss was among the very worst.
Ralf Rangnick’s side were routed by goals from Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard at the Amex Stadium.
After 5-0 and 4-0 defeats against arch rivals Liverpool, a 4-1 loss at Watford that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in November and an FA Cup at home to Championship side Middlesbrough, it seemed impossible for United to fall any further.
But they were so gutless and hopeless on the south-coast that even United’s travelling supporters turned on them.
Sixth-placed United are certain to miss the Champions League for only the fifth time in 30 seasons.
With 58 points and only one game left, United’s fifth successive away defeat means they will finish with their lowest points total in the Premier League era.
MIXED EMOTIONS
It was a day of mixed emotions at Stamford Bridge.
Los Angeles Dodgers co-Owner Boehly and his consortium have won the battle to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in a £4.25 billion (US$5.2 billion) deal.
Boehly’s consortium still need to satisfy the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test and gain approval from the UK Government, but Chelsea expects the sale to be completed by the end of the month.
After the protracted sale sparked fears for Chelsea’s future, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel welcomed the takeover, saying: “It gives us an outlook, if terms are agreed and hopefully the process will be streamlined and go forward as soon as possible. Good news.”
But Tuchel’s third-placed team were unable to celebrate the deal with a victory, as they squandered an opportunity to move closer to qualifying for the Champions League.
Romelu Lukaku, who has endured a wretched season following his £97 million club record move from Inter Milan, converted a VAR-awarded penalty after he was fouled by Romain Saiss in the 56th minute.
The Chelsea striker followed his first Premier League goal since December 29 with another, two minutes later.
This time he produced a fine 20-yard finish from Christian Pulisic’s cross, as Boehly rose from his seat to celebrate.
But Wolves forward Francisco Trincao set up a tense finish when he hammered home from the edge of the area in the 79th minute.
Chelsea cracked deep into stoppage time, as Conor Coady nodded a close-range equaliser to leave Boehly shaking his head in frustration.