Manchester United breezed their way back into the Champions League next season with a resounding 4-1 win at home to Chelsea.
Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford each struck once to condemn Frank Lampard to his eighth defeat in 10 games as the Blues' interim boss. United were two goals to the good at the break, despite Chelsea threatening throughout the first half but failing to convert through the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk and Kai Havertz.
Fernandes' penalty and a scrappy Rashford goal then secured a top-four finish for the Red Devils, who unfortunately lost Antony to a serious-looking injury in the opening stages which puts his chances of featuring in the all-Manchester FA Cup final in deep jeopardy. For Lampard's side, who pulled a late consolation goal back through loanee Joao Felix, the season can't end quick enough.
Here are six talking points from Old Trafford.
1. Mudryk punished by Casemiro
It's been a hard few months for Mykhaylo Mudryk. After joining Chelsea in an eye-watering £88.5million move in January, the Ukrainian wonderkid has flopped - and hard.
Without a goal in his first 16 games for the Blues, he's had arguably no better opportunity to break his duck than the chance he was given after four minutes at Old Trafford. As young left-back Lewis Hall burst down the flank and squared a perfectly-weighted ball across United's penalty area, Mudryk somehow failed to make decent contact and fired a tame effort past the post of a relieved David de Gea.
Two minutes later and the 22-year-old winger was made to rue his sitter even more, as Casemiro popped up to nod in a Christian Eriksen free-kick and give the Red Devils an early lead which should've really belonged to Chelsea. The midfield powerhouse has made a knack of scoring near-post headers in his debut campaign and Frank Lampard's Blues were his latest victim.
2. Antony's agony
Just as it was going swimmingly for Erik ten Hag's side and they embarked on another probing attack, a lunging but fair challenge on Antony by Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah saw United's No.21 go tumbling over. At first it appeared to be yet another melodramatic appeal for a foul, but as referee Stuart Attwell allowed play to continue, Anthony's screams didn't stop.
The Brazilian winger, who's been slowly progressing over the course of his first season in English football, had suffered a nasty-looking injury as a result of Chalobah's good piece of defending. Soon enough a stretcher was on and so was Marcus Rashford to replace him.
Antony was in tears as he headed down the tunnel with the thought of missing next Saturday's Manchester derby FA Cup final in mind. Ten Hag certainly has other options on the right flank, but none are as natural as the man he brought from Ajax last summer in an £85m deal.
3. Gulf in class
If you turned on at half-time and saw the scoreline 'United 2-0 Chelsea', you'd be well within your rights to assume that the Red Devils had dominated the first half. Yet it was more a case of the visitors squandering chance after chance, a familiar watch for the Stamford Bridge faithful since the beginning of what's been a wretched campaign.
Chelsea had hope at 1-0 but when Casemiro played a brilliant disguised pass into Sancho, the United winger unselfishly saw Anthony Martial free for a tap-in at the back post and the Frenchman neatly tucked away. It was excellent attacking play from the hosts, who demonstrated that the difference between these sides on the night was quality in the final third, but boss Ten Hag won't have been pleased with Red Devils' overall sloppiness which continued to allow the Blues in behind.
4. Hall a real handful
Bright spots have been few and far between for Chelsea of late, but the emergence of Lewis Hall has been something to savour. Blocked from joining up with England's under-20s for the ongoing World Cup in Argentina, the Blues academy graduate has had to be patient for his opportunity before injuries to fellow left-back Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella.
Having got the nod from Lampard for the third successive game, Hall caused problems for United's back line all night with crosses and one powerful shot which was beaten away by De Gea. After Mudryk failed to convert from the teenager's pass in the first few minutes, Kai Havertz did the same after Chelsea had gone behind. Still only 18, Hall showed signs that incoming - although not yet confirmed - boss Mauricio Pochettino will love and was described by Gary Neville as "really impressive."
5. Rashford gifted his 30th
As he approaches the end of his best-ever campaign from a goalscoring standpoint, Marcus Rashford hasn't had an easier strike than United's fourth of the night in what became a turgid end to the game from a Chelsea perspective. Having lost their composure in the aftermath of Fernandes' coolly-converted penalty and causing aggro, the Blues soon gifted their hosts another goal.
Tapping in after Kepa Arrizabalaga's inital save, Rashford became the first player to score 30 in all competitions since Robin van Persie did so in Sir Alex Ferguson's final year in charge, 2012-13. There're two more games to go for the England international, who loves a goal against Manchester City and will fancy increasing his tally over the next two Sundays.
Have your say! Will Mauricio Pochettino turn Chelsea around? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
6. Next stop: Champions League
Thursday night football is no more for United - at least until 2024. The Red Devils returned to the Champions League with the win, having only needed a draw to secure their return to Europe's first-rate competition.
One of Ten Hag's primary objectives in his first campaign at the helm perhaps took longer to secure than the Red Devils' would've liked, with Liverpool almost catching them, but the job is done. Victory over Fulham on Sunday would wrap up third place, too, while Chelsea know that they'll have to deal with the embarrassment of a bottom-half finish.
