While the Premier League title race has been contested by two thoroughbreds the battle to finish third and fourth has descended into a demolition derby in which Chelsea emerged from the wreckage to seal a top-four finish on Sunday.
Maurizio Sarri’s team beat Watford 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in their penultimate game to ensure they will return to the Champions League next season but Manchester United will definitely not be joining them.
United’s prospects were already slim but a woeful 1-1 draw away to bottom club Huddersfield Town ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side can finish no higher than fifth.
Arsenal then handed their London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur a welcome gift by only drawing 1-1 at home to a Brighton & Hove Albion side whose top-flight survival had been sealed 24 hours earlier.
That meant Chelsea were guaranteed a top-four finish while Tottenham Hotspur, whose domestic form has collapsed culminating in a nine-man defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, are all but assured of a Champions League spot due to their superior goal difference.
