MISSION ACCOMPLISHED for Erik ten Hag with Champions League qualification confirmed.
Now after Sunday’s final game of the season at Old Trafford it will be mission impossible.
ReutersIt was a glorious early summer afternoon of work for Man United who took their chances[/caption]
ReutersAfter a positive first half, Chelsea were all at sea for most of the second[/caption]
His task, should he choose to accept it, is to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.
Just as in the famous series and films it seems a ridiculously difficult problem to solve.
Ten Hag will point to the victory here in the derby on January 14th as proof it can be done.
But Pep Guardiola’s men have lost only once since then in all competitions, a run of 25 games.
They have built up a head of steam that promises to take the blue trophy winning machine through Wembley and to Istanbul to complete a treble.
While they have already won at Wembley once this season in the Carabao Cup Final, it is a shame for the Red Devils they can’t play the game here where the fortress has been rebuilt.
They have not lost at Old Trafford in the league since the opening day of the season and victory on Sunday will see them equal a club record 27 wins at home in all competitions this season.
They only needed a point to confirm their place in the top four but, orchestrated by the brilliant Casemiro, they waltzed to victory.
At the same time they shuffled past Newcastle into third by two points with just that final game left.
It was always going to be too easy against a lamentable Chelsea outfit who have now lost eight of Frank Lampard’s ten games in charge.
His final farewell from Stamford Bridge this Sunday promises to be very different to his first when he departed as the club’s greatest ever goalscorer.
Mind you the chants of ‘Super Franky Lampard’ from the away fans suggests they don’t blame him for this sorry slide.
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