Chelsea’s bid to secure European football for next season has received a major boost following Manchester United’s disastrous 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The Eagles’ rampant performance at Selhurst Park extended their unbeaten streak to five games and dealt a significant blow to United’s Europa League aspirations.
The writing was on the wall early for Erik ten Hag’s side as Michael Olise broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter of an hour.
“I think it’s a good night. Obviously, we’ve been working hard and focusing on ourselves and we know what we can bring to the table when we’re at home. The fans were behind us so I just thought, ‘let’s go. It could’ve been [a hat-trick]. Probably [should have been],” man of the match winner, Olise said after the game.
Jean-Philippe Mateta then doubled Palace’s lead shortly before half-time, netting his ninth goal in 11 Premier League games.
“Congratulations – but always stay humble. We know it is not so long ago when we struggled with relegation, just five points away, but now we’ve found ourselves and the players have confidence. That is what we want to read. We are doing well, but we still have a lot to improve.” Palace manager Oliver Glasner remarked.
The second half was no better for United, as Tyrick Mitchell etched himself onto the scoresheet before Olise doubled his tally for the evening with a brilliant strike to seal the game for Palace.
With three games left to play, a lot could still change, but Chelsea’s hopes of securing European football have been significantly boosted by United’s horror show at Selhurst Park.
Premier League
Only the top four teams in the Premier League will advance to the redesigned competition for the following season, since Italy and Germany have earned the extra Champions League qualifying spots. To join Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool, Aston Villa need to pick up three more points from their final two games.
A report by Sport Central Audience Writer, Jake Stokes, noted, “Only Tottenham Hotspur can rival Unai Emery’s side for a place in the top four. Fifth place will qualify for next season’s Europa League, with the team going straight into the new setup rather than playing any additional pre-qualifiers.
“While Chelsea trail Spurs in fifth by six points with only a few games to spare, fifth place remains possible. However, the Blues would have to rely on Newcastle, Manchester United AND Tottenham to drop points – which is unlikely.
FA Cup
Stokes explained, “While Chelsea aren’t, of course, in the FA Cup final, the competition still throws the club a lifeline of some sort. The winners of the FA Cup will claim a place in the Europa League. If the winners finish in the top five of the Premier League – and therefore qualify for the Champions League or Europa League through their league position, the Europa League spot will be passed down to the next-highest ranked English top-flight outfit not competing in Europe.”
Permutations
The report added, “If Manchester United don’t finish in the top five but win the FA Cup, then they qualify for the Europa League, with sixth place claiming the Europa Conference League.
“But, if Manchester City win the FA Cup, then Europa League qualification will be awarded to teams ranked fifth and sixth, while seventh place claims the Europa Conference League. So, Chelsea can finish seventh and still secure European football on the basis that Pep Guardiola’s side defeat the Red Devils at Wembley.
Current Standings
“Manchester United currently sit eighth on 54 points, while, Newcastle rank sixth on 56 points and Chelsea place seventh on 54 points. All three teams have three Premier League games left,” Stokes added.
Remaining Fixtures
Manchester United
Arsenal (H) – Sunday, May 12
Newcastle United (H) – Wednesday, May 15
Brighton (A) – Sunday, May 19
Newcastle United
Brighton (H) – Saturday, May 11
Man United (A) – Wednesday, May 15
Brentford (A) – Sunday, May 19
Chelsea
Nottingham Forest (A) – Saturday, May 11
Brighton (A) – Wednesday, May 15
Bournemouth (H) – Sunday, May 19
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
