Maurizio Sarri admitted tired Chelsea got “lucky” as they moved to the brink of Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win over Watford, yesterday.
Sarri’s side was booed off after a sloppy first half, but two goals in three minutes from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and David Luiz lifted the mood at Stamford Bridge.
Gonzalo Higuain sealed the victory and third-placed Chelsea are now one point clear of fourth-placed Tottenham after their first win in four games in all competitions.
If the Blues win their last league game of the season at Leicester next Sunday they will be certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.
Sarri conceded he was relieved to survive such a poor opening.
“In the first half we were in trouble because we were tired physically and mentally. But Watford lowered their level after that. We were lucky of course,” Sarri said.
“After the first goal probably we improved mentally and were able to play very well for 35 minutes. It’s not easy to play again after a Europa League away match.
“We were not able to think in a simple way. When you are tired you have to move the ball quickly, the ball is not tired, the man is!”
Before heading to Leicester, Chelsea host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semifinals on Thursday, with the tie poised at 1-1 after the first leg.
Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted some his squads have made their last appearance for Manchester United while insisting the Europa League is the “right place” for his team after a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield ended any hope of a top-four finish.
The result at the John Smith’s Stadium means United will not play in the Champions League next season and could even have a Europa League second qualifying round first leg on July 25 if they finish sixth and Watford beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
“There is the chance you have seen the last of players but I wouldn’t say that about any individual,” Solskjaer, who is set to embark on an overhaul of his squad in the summer.
“We gave ourselves a chance to be in the Champions League, something we didn’t think was possible.
“We had so many opportunities to grab third or fourth. We didn’t and it is probably the right place for us to be next year, the Europa League.”
United are scheduled to play a pre-season friendly against Tottenham in Shanghai on July 25 but there remains a possibility their Europa League campaign could now start on the same date.
It would complicate Solskjaer’s summer plans and the Norwegian admitted he will cheering on City at Wembley if they finish sixth.
“It is not what we want,” said Solskjaer. “Let’s see what happens next week and with Arsenal and in the final with City. That is the reality. The kids will get chances to play games.”
Jose Mourinho on Friday, admitted that Manchester United are in “trouble” following serious knee injuries to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo.
This comes at a time of mounting injury crisis at Old Trafford, with midfielder Juan Mata sidelined for the rest of the season while defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have also been struggling.
Both Ibrahimovic and Rojo are feared to have suffered season-ending knee injuries in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final victory over Anderlecht.
And Mourinho has expressed concerns as the Red Devils battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League or by winning the Europa League, where they’ve been drawn against Spanish side Celta Vigo in the semi-finals, Goal writes.
“We are in trouble,” Mourinho said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Burnley. “We are in trouble.
“In this moment, Eric Bailly played six matches in a row, and we lost Marcos Rojo, we don’t have Jones or Smalling, we are in trouble and now we lose Zlatan too.
“But in attack, we have options and [Wayne] Rooney is coming, and let’s see if Mata can also return before the end of the season, let’s see what happens.”
United presently sit fifth in the Premier League, four points adrift of fourth-placed city rivals Manchester City with seven matches left.
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