It has not all the time gone easily for Erik ten Hag in his first 12 months in cost at Manchester United. There may be nonetheless a lot work to be completed if the 20-time league champion is to be restored to its former glories.
However on Thursday night time, in entrance of a packed Outdated Trafford, Ten Hag achieved what he referred to as his “fundamental goal” of securing a return to the Champions League with a 4-1 win towards Chelsea. “It’s a profitable season however the season shouldn’t be completed,” he mentioned. “This membership belongs within the Champions League so you need to qualify within the first 4. We performed a superb season within the Premier League. I believe an excellent season.”
Objectives from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford fired United to a victory which means a top-four end is now sure. United moved as much as third and two factors above Newcastle going into the season finale. It might get higher nonetheless for Ten Hag, who has already lifted his first trophy — the League Cup in February. United faces Manchester Metropolis within the FA Cup remaining on June 3 at Wembley.
Watch highlights of Manchester United win over Chelsea HERE…
Reducing by means of the defence with precision _@Casemiro _ @Sanchooo10 _ @AnthonyMartial _#MUFC || @RemingtonUK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) Could 25, 2023
Whereas silverware provides sparkle to an encouraging debut season beneath the Dutch coach, qualification for the Champions League has been the final word measure by which his predecessors have been judged throughout a turbulent 10 years since iconic former supervisor Alex Ferguson retired. David Moyes and Louis van Gaal had been fired after failing to qualify for European soccer’s elite competitors.
Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departed when the workforce’s kind meant qualification was in severe doubt. Ten Hag was employed final 12 months to show United’s fortunes round, and whereas he has had his difficulties in an eventful first 12 months in English soccer, he has completed simply that.
Needing only a level from its final two video games of the season, first half targets from Casemiro and Martial put United on target for the win towards Chelsea that ensured there can be no late slip as much as let in archrival Liverpool. United’s win assures Liverpool will end fifth with a Europa League spot, which Mohamed Salah mentioned shouldn’t be ok. The Liverpool ahead tweeted that he’s ‘devastated’.
Jubiliant scenes at Outdated Trafford
The jubilant scenes at Outdated Trafford had been a world away important setbacks — a 6-3 loss to Manchester Metropolis and a humiliating 7-0 rout by Liverpool as just lately as March. Ten Hag needed to cope the disruption attributable to Cristiano Ronaldo, who publicly criticized the membership forward of his acrimonious departure in November, in addition to accidents to key gamers like Martial, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
Via all of it, the previous Ajax coach has remained centered on the goal of prime 4 and his long-term imaginative and prescient of rebuilding a membership that has been in decline since Ferguson’s departure. And Ten Hag took the chance to remind United that it’s nonetheless a way from difficult Metropolis’s Premier League dominance after Pep Guardiola’s workforce received a fifth title in six years this season.
He desires backing within the switch market in the summertime when a prime striker shall be his precedence. “It’s a superb base to construct on, however the requirements should go up, the calls for should rise,” he mentioned.
“We’ve got to work in the summertime with this squad, but additionally within the window. See for those who can strengthen the squad. Now we’re distant so now we have plenty of work to do. We make progress on this workforce on this squad, however we’d like higher gamers if we wish to compete for the best.”
United was too good for Chelsea on Thursday. Needing some extent from its remaining two video games to safe qualification to the Champions League, it went forward within the sixth minute when Casemiro headed in Christian Eriksen’s free kick.
Mykhaylo Mudryk misfires
Mykhaylo Mudryk ought to have put Chelsea forward earlier than that, however the $108-million signing utterly misfired with solely goalkeeper David de Gea to beat. Martial doubled United’s lead in first-half stoppage time and Fernandes added a 3rd from the penalty spot within the 73rd after being introduced down by Wesley Fofana.
It obtained worse for Fofana and Chelsea when the defender’s misplaced move was seized on and substitute Rashford added a fourth 5 minutes later. One other substitute Alejandro Garnacho hit the bar late on as United went in the hunt for one other.
Chelsea substitute Joao Felix scored a comfort within the 89th, however it was one other depressing night time for the Londoners, who’ve now misplaced eight of their 10 video games beneath interim supervisor Frank Lampard. “It’s a nasty 12 months for the membership,” Lampard mentioned. “The vital factor is you resolve the way it improves.”
A priority for United was a first-half harm to Antony, which Ten Hag described as severe, whereas Luke Shaw additionally needed to come off at halftime.