Manchester United 4-1 Chelsea: Player ratings as Red Devils seal Champions League place | OneFootball

Manchester United booked their spot in next season’s Champions League with a resounding 4-1 win over Chelsea this evening.

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors, and it’s one they should have done better with. Lewis Hall fed Mykhailo Mudryk with a pass, but the Ukrainian skewed his effort horribly wide.

And he was left to rue that miss, as the Red Devils took the lead just moments later. Christian Eriksen whipped in a free kick, and Casemiro was on hand to head into the top corner.

Despite the setback, the Blues continued to threaten. Kai Havertz put a free header wide from Hall’s cross, and Conor Gallagher missed the target when played through by Enzo Fernandez.

And once again, Chelsea were punished for their profligacy. Casemiro slipped a beautiful through ball to Jadon Sancho, who unselfishly squared for Anthony Martial to tap in just before half-time.

United took complete control after the break. Bruno Fernandes slammed an effort off the post, and Eriksen was unable to convert from close range when teed up by Tyrell Malacia.

The third goal eventually came. Fernandes was brought down by Wesley Fofana, and the Portuguese picked himself up and coolly slotted the penalty away.

Things got worse for Fofana shortly afterwards, as the hosts got a fourth. The former Leicester City defender sloppily gave the ball away to Fernandes, who found Marcus Rashford with a pass.

The Englishman’s first attempt was saved, but it fell kindly for him to tap in for his 30th goal of the campaign.

And it could have been worse for Chelsea. Alejandro Garnacho hit the crossbar and had another shot saved, while Scott McTominay could only fire straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga when found by Sancho.

But there was something to celebrate for the travelling fans. Second-half substitute Joao Felix picked up the ball from deep, drove forward and excellently found the bottom corner with a low drive.

The goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation, as the full-time whistle went soon after.

The victory confirms Man United’s place in the Champions League for next season. A win against Fulham on Sunday will seal their position in third place.

As for Chelsea, they remain in 12th. They could fall as far as 14th on the final day of the season depending on results elsewhere.

Manchester United

David de Gea (6/10) – Hardly tested. Could do little about Felix’s goal.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (7/10) – Solid at the back. Offered some attacking support.

Raphael Varane (7/10) – Not given much of a challenge by Havertz. Coped reasonably well.

Victor Lindelof (7/10) – Made a couple of tackles. Calm on the ball.

Luke Shaw (6/10) – Had a fairly solid first half. Substituted at half-time.

Casemiro (9/10) *MOTM* – Opened the scoring with a fine header. Contributed to the second with a brilliant through ball. Seemed to win every challenge. A dominant display.

Christian Eriksen (7/10) – Good on the ball as ever and swung in a good free kick for the opener. Missed one huge chance early in the second half.

Antony (NA/10) – Substituted in the first half with an injury.

Bruno Fernandes (9/10) – Absolutely ran the show in the second half. Scored the third, contributed to the fourth, and unlucky not to have more.

Jadon Sancho (7/10) – A bit hit and miss at times, but still an overall positive. Got into some good areas and assisted the second goal.

Anthony Martial (6/10) – Scored the second. A few loose touches in good areas.

Substitutes

Marcus Rashford (8/10)

Tyrell Malacia (7/10)

Fred (7/10)

Alejandro Garnacho (7/10)

Scott McTominay (NA/10)

Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga (6/10) – Maybe could’ve done better for Rashford’s goal. Made a few saves to keep the score down.

Cesar Azpilicueta (4/10) – Provided nothing going forward. Battled hard, but often beaten at the back.

Trevoh Chalobah (5/10) – Did little to stop the Man Utd frontline. A difficult evening.

Wesley Fofana (3/10) – Struggled for large parts, and completely fell apart towards the end. Responsible for the third and fourth goals.

Lewis Hall (7/10) – The bright spark in a disappointing Chelsea performance. Ought to have had at least one assist.

Enzo Fernandez (5/10) – Some bright moments in the first half. Lost control of the game after the break.

Carney Chukwuemeka (5/10) – A few nice touches, but not involved enough. Overran at times.

Conor Gallagher (4/10) – Lost the ball on several occasions. Missed a brilliant chance at 1-0.

Noni Madueke (5/10) – Quiet for most of the game. Showed the occasional glimpse of promise.

Kai Havertz (5/10) – Found it difficult to have an impact. Missed a glorious chance in the first half.

Mykhailo Mudryk (5/10) – Caused some problems, but not decisive enough in the final third.

Substitutes

Joao Felix (7/10)

Christian Pulisic (5/10)

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (NA/10)

Hakim Ziyech (NA/10)

David Datro Fofana (NA/10)