Standup9ja: Chelsea win EPL trophy on Terry’s farewell
Premier League champions Chelsea beat Sunderland 5-1
yesterday as captain John Terry waved goodbye to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues legend, who has spent 22 years at the club, played
26 minutes after starting his second match in a row and was replaced to a
standing ovation and a guard of honour from his team-mates.
Willian’s equaliser (8) had already cancelled out Javier
Manquillo’s third-minute strike by that point, and Eden Hazard (61) and Pedro
(77) scored after the break to put the hosts in control.
Substitute Michy Batshuayi grabbed a late double (90, 90+2)
to seal a record-breaking 30th Premier League victory this season.
It was the perfect prelude to the lifting of the trophy
after the match and for Chelsea’s FA Cup final against Arsenal on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool secured fourth place in the Premier League
and qualification to the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough
yesterday.
Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Philippe Coutinho and Adam
Lallana meant that Jurgen Klopp - in his second season in charge - guided the
Reds into the top four for just the second time in the last seven seasons.
The result saw Arsenal miss out on Champions League football
for the first in 20 years by finishing fifth, while Manchester City will join
Liverpool in playing Europe’s elite after they finished third.
Klopp’s men will face a two-legged play-off in August to
make the Champions League group stage and they could face the likes of
Hoffenheim, Napoli or Sevilla.
For already-relegated Middlesbrough, who had a strong appeal
for a penalty for a foul on Patrick Bamford turned down at 0-0, this defeat was
their 18th consecutive away game without a win - the club’s longest run since
1980.
Also, Josh Harrop scored on his debut as Manchester United’s
disappointing Premier League campaign ended with a comfortable victory over
Crystal Palace.
Harrop was one of four players given their first top-flight
starts as manager Jose Mourinho named the youngest United line-up in Premier
League history, with an average age of 22 years and 284 days.
The 21-year-old midfielder was brimming with confidence and
lashed in a superb finish from inside the box in the first half, and could have
had a second, but curled an effort narrowly wide.
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