Easy-peasy final day UCL qualification for Man United and Chelsea
The 2019/20 Premier League season came to an end on Sunday, and we’ll be looking forward to September 2020 for next season. The final day was devoid of any major drama, especially in the race for the UEFA Champions League.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United made it to UCL with relatively easy victories although one would have thought that their opponents on the day would give them some shivers.
Manchester United finished third for the season with a comfortable 2 nil victory against Leicester City at the King Power with all goals coming in the second half. The first goal was a penalty converted by Bruno Fernandes and the second from the unlikeliest of players, Jesse Lingard.
Remember the guy who placed a bet on Lingard not to score throughout the 2019/20 season? Well, it took the last kick of the season for his bet to be ruined, no thanks to Kasper Schmeichel who tried to dribble past him in a moment of craziness.
The result showed that the Foxes just weren’t good enough having relinquished a double-digit point advantage to lose a place in the top four.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard and his men finished fourth as they dispatched Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves with ease. Wolves were fighting for a place in the Europa League and needed a win or draw to consolidate on their place as Tottenham Hotspur drew.
However, this was not the case as they lost to goals by Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud. The first goal was a stunning free-kick by the England midfielder at the stroke of halftime before Olivier Giroud showed amazing strength to slot the ball in the back of the net for the second in the same period.
The favorites on paper qualified with ease and kept clean sheets in the process. I dare to say that this wasn’t expected considering what was at stake for both sides.
It’s a good one for Chelsea and Manchester United although the Red Devils shouldn’t have had any business jostling for a top 4 place on the final day considering the investments they made last summer.
Frank Lampard proved to be the right man for the Blues in his first season without making any signing. This was in doubt after their first game of the season when they were beaten 4 nil by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
