Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea: Red Devils Qualify for the UEFA Champions League in Style, Casemiro, Martial, Fernandes & Rashford on Target>>

Manchester United sealed qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League in emphatic fashion, by thumping Chelsea 4-1 in a rescheduled Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

The visitors had a great chance to take the lead as early as the fourth minute, but Mykhailo Mudryk could not beat David de Gea as the opportunity went begging.

Soon after, the Red Devils went in front through Brazilian international Casemiro who headed in a free-kick from Christian Eriksen in the sixth minute.

Erik ten Hag’s side later doubled their advantage in first half injury time after a beautiful team move saw Casemiro pass to Jadon Sancho. The winger then teed up Anthony Martial, who poked into an empty net as both teams went into the interval with the Red Devils holding the lead.

The second half saw a flurry of action on both ends of the pitch. First, it was Bruno Fernandes whose effort struck the post, then Mykhailo Mudryk’s lame shot was saved by David de Gea before Casemiro saw his effort saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The hosts put the tie beyond the reach of Chelsea when Bruno Fernandes converted a 73rd minute penalty, after Wesley Fofana had fouled in the area. Marcus Rashford who was a first half substitute for Antony, put the icing on the cake with a fourth in the 79th minute.

Chelsea got a consolation goal in the 89th minute through substitute Joao Felix, as the Blues endured yet another miserable outing.

The result saw the Red Devils return to the UEFA Champions League, after a season away and they join league champions Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United as England’s representatives in Europe’s elite club competition next season.

🔴 Live Blog:

FULL-TIME AT OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea

GOOOAAALLL!!! Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea (J. Felix)

89′ MIN: Substitute João Felix scores a consolation for the Blues.

GOOOAAALLL!!! Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea (M. Rashford)

79′ MIN: Marcus Rashford wins the ball deep in the Chelsea half and pokes home his 17th Premier League goal of the campaign.

GOOOAAALLL!!! Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea (B. Fernandes)

73′ MIN: Bruno Fernandes makes no mistake from the spot, sending the goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga the wrong way.

PENALTY!!! To Manchester United

72′ MIN: Referee Stuart Attwell points to the spot for a penalty, after a foul by Wesley Fofana.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY AT OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea

HALF-TIME AT OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea

GOOOAAALLL!!! Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea (A. Martial)

45+5′ MIN: The Red Devils double their lead on the cusp of half-time through Anthony Martial’s cool finish from Jadon Sancho’s delicate pass.

GOOOAAALLL!!! Manchester United 1-0 Chelsea (Casemiro)

6′ MIN: Casemiro scores for the second Premier League match in a row, heading in from Christian Eriksen’s pinpoint free-kick.

KICK-OFF AT OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea

The Red Devils who are eyeing a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, need only one point against Chelsea tonight in order to clinch the ticket. Erik ten Hag’s men could still aim for a win in their final home game of the current campaign, as they build momentum ahead of their FA Cup Final clash against neighbours Manchester City at Wembley next month.

As for the visitors, they are guaranteed to finish in the bottom half of the table following a disastrous campaign. But interim manager Frank Lampard could ruffle a few shoulders and aim to earn a famous win, which will set them up nicely ahead of the last Matchday of the season this weekend.