LONDON: Former champions Manchester United and Chelsea sealed Champions League places on Sunday as Bournemouth and Watford were relegated on final day.
Liverpool were crowned champions last month but there was much to play for in the final 90 minutes of a campaign that started on August 9 last year and was interrupted by a three-month coronavirus shutdown.
United finished third after a nervy 2-0 win in a Champions League shootout against Leicester while Chelsea ended in fourth spot after beating Wolves by the same scoreline at Stamford Bridge.
At the other end of the table, Bournemouth and managerless Watford dropped to the Championship while Aston Villa fans breathed a huge sigh of relief after they got the draw they needed at West Ham.
Leicester, in fifth spot, will play in the Europa League next season where they will be joined by Tottenham, who drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace to leapfrog Wolves.
Wolves still have two routes to qualify for European competition next season — either through winning the Europa League or if Chelsea beat Arsenal in next week’s FA Cup final.
Chelsea required just a draw to seal Champions League qualification for next term and two goals in first-half stoppage time gave them breathing space.
Mason Mount whipped in from a free-kick to give Chelsea the lead and the home side went further in front almost immediately, when Olivier Giroud slid home.
“There were a lot of unknowns when I came in, could we move forward without Eden Hazard?” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“We knew we had lost a massive player. We’ve a real spirit within the group now and it’s a real team effort now.
“Myself and the staff want to improve every time — the challenge now is to see what more we can do next season.”
United, whose form has dipped in recent weeks after they pulled themselves back into contention for the Champions League, were locked at 0-0 at half-time at the King Power Stadium.
But they finally broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, when Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot after Anthony Martial was upended. Jesse Lingard scored late to seal the win.
The result is a huge lift for coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose team were 14 points behind the Foxes at the start of the year but is a bitter blow for Brendan Rodgers, whose side have been camped in the top four for almost the entire campaign.
“I’m delighted,” said Solskjaer. “We’ve achieved a Champions League spot, we’ve come from way, way behind teams and gone past them. We’ve shown that we’ve got the consistency, the right mentality. We’re building a group and a performance culture here that we can be proud of.”
