Manchester United‘s hopes of securing European qualification were dealt what could prove to be a significant blow as Chelsea defeated Tottenham.
Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson netted at Stamford Bridge on Thursday as Mauricio Pochettino‘s resurgent side secured the win to move to within three points of United in sixth.
Despite winning just one of their last five, Erik ten Hag‘s side maintained an outside ambition of leapfrogging Spurs before the end of the season to secure a Champions League place.
However, Borussia Dortmund‘s win over PSG earlier this week confirmed only four English sides will qualify for the revamped competition this season.
As such, United now turn their attention to attempting to secure a place in either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League… though even that is far from guaranteed.
Chelsea’s win over Tottenham may have put a dent in Man United’s European hopes
Erik ten Hag’s side must finish in the top seven or win the FA Cup to prevent missing out on Europe for the first time in a decade
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As it currently stands, the teams finishing fifth and sixth this season will automatically qualify for next season’s Europa League
Sixth could move into the Europa Conference League if this season’s FA Cup winners do not qualify for Europe through their league position.
Erik ten Hag’s side take on their noisy neighbours at Wembley later this month, and if Man City repeat last season’s result to triumph, sixth will be a Europa League place with seventh granting qualification to the Europa Conference League.
United could therefore miss out on European football entirely next season if they are overtaken by both Newcastle and Chelsea before the end of the season.
But United have won just one of their last five in the Premier League and face a tough run-in
In their last five Premier League games the club have picked up just six out of a possible 15 points with difficult clashes against Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton still to come.
The last time United failed to qualify for any format of European football was in the 2014/15 season, after David Moyes led the then-champions to a disastrous seventh-placed finish in his one and only season at the club.
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