Manchester United secures Champions League return with 4-1 win over Chelsea

Manchester United secured a return to the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday.

Goals from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford secured a victory that means a top-four Premier League finish is now certain in Erik ten Hag’s first year at the club.

United moved up to third place and two points above Newcastle in the final game of the season.

United needed a point from their last two games to secure Champions League qualification and took the lead in the sixth minute when Casemiro headed home a Christian Eriksen free-kick.

Mykhaylo Mudryk should have put Chelsea ahead before that, but the $108m signing completely failed with only goalkeeper David de Gea to beat.

Martial doubled United’s lead in first-half injury time to put the home side in control at the break.

Fernandes added a third from the penalty spot in the 73rd after being brought down by Wesley Fofana.

It got worse for Fofana and Chelsea when the defender’s errant pass was capitalized on and substitute Rashford added a fourth five minutes later.

Another substitute, Alejandro Garnacho, hit the crossbar later as United went in search of another.

Chelsea substitute Joao Felix scored a consolation in the 89th but it was another miserable night for the Londoners, who have now lost eight of their 10 games under interim manager Frank Lampard.

One of United’s concerns was a first-half injury to Antony, who looked distressed as he left the field on a stretcher.

Report from The Associated Press.

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