Football riddles: How did United overpower Chelsea with a massive four-goal score to secure UCL qualification?

In a stunning display of dominance, Ten Hag’s men have revealed once again why they sit comfortably atop the Premier League standings. Their latest masterpiece came against Chelsea, visiting Old Trafford only to suffer a crushing defeat. The hosts scored twice in the first half, added one penalty, and finished off with a Rashford fourth to seal the deal, with a mere Felix consolation for the dejected Lampard’s team.

Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, and Marcus Rashford all got on the scoresheet in a relentless assault that secured a well-deserved third-place finish for the Red Devils. Meanwhile, a catastrophic result underlined Chelsea’s forgettable campaign. Despite splashing over £500 million in the transfer market, Lampard’s men fell to their eighth defeat in ten games since his return as interim manager.

In contrast, Ten Hag’s successful first season in charge of United can be attributed to his priority of securing a top-four finish and ending the club’s six-year trophy drought that he accomplished by winning the League Cup in February. More silverware could be within reach next month when United takes on Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

The revival of United’s fortunes coincided with the arrival of Casemiro from Real Madrid, whose class and experience shone through in the midst of Chelsea’s youthful squad, guilty of inefficiency in both boxes. Ukrainian Mykhailo missed an excellent opportunity to score his first Chelsea goal on five minutes, with visitors trailing a mere sixty seconds later when a free header from Casemiro turned home Christian Eriksen’s free-kick. Despite chances flowing at both ends and a promising start from Kai Havertz and Conor Gallagher, a poor first touch from Fernandes and Martial proved costly.

However, Antony was stretchered off with an ankle injury, raising concerns that he may miss the FA Cup final. Nonetheless, Ten Hag’s men wrapped the game up before halftime when a no-look pass from Casemiro opened up Chelsea’s defense, with Martial latching on to Jadon Sancho’s square ball. The home side continued to dominate in the second half, with Fernandes hitting the bar, and Eriksen failing to convert Tyrell Malacia’s cross from close range.

Fernandes eventually got his goal from the penalty spot, before calamitous Chelsea defending allowed Rashford to become the first United player to score 30 goals in a season in ten years. Despite his team’s woeful season, Joao Felix showed a glimpse of his splendor by scoring a late consolation that denied De Gea his 18th clean sheet of the season.

Finally, with a tweet from the official Manchester United Twitter account on May 25, 2023, the world marveled at a team that showed immense tenacity and skill on display at Old Trafford.