Man Utd are back where they belong! Winners and losers as Erik ten Hag clinches a top-four finish - but Chelsea looks miles off a Champions League return

The top four is the minimum requirement for any Manchester United manager and the Dutchman has achieved the objective at the first time of asking. It has not been an easy ride and it has been far from a perfect season, but given he inherited a team that had just registered United's lowest points total in 30 years in the Premier League, it has been an impressive debut campaign from the Dutchman.

He also overcame a nightmare start to the campaign as United lost their first two matches for the first time in 30 years, and has gone on to record 40 victories from 60 games, a better win ratio than any of his predecessors in a debut season. He has also taken more points than any manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era in a debut campaign.

Ten Hag has taken some tough decisions, such as dropping club captain Harry Maguire and routinely leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting line up before he left. But he has also overseen great improvements in individual players such as Rashford and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and given a chance to the club's next great academy player Alejandro Garnacho.

Chelsea's starting forward line cost the club a combined £190 million, but neither Kai Havertz, Mykhailo Mudryk or Noni Madueke looked capable of troubling David de Gea. And that was despite being presented with some glorious chances in the first half.

Lewis Hall, Chelsea's most impressive player, teed Mudryk up early in the game, but he barely made contact with the ball. Hall then sent in an inviting cross towards Havertz, but the German headed well wide of the target. Madueke had some nice touches and crafted out a few promising moves, but he failed to control a pass which would have set him free towards goal.

With such a toothless attack, it is little wonder that Chelsea have only scored 37 goals this season in the Premier League (only one more than Erling Haaland), their lowest tally in 31 years in the Premier League.

The Brazilian was an indomitable force all night, winning tackles all over the pitch and galvanising his team-mates as well as the crowd. He has rediscovered his hunger for goals, and his crashing header from Christian Eriksen's free-kick was his second in as many games after his outrageous bicycle kick against Bournemouth.

Speaking of outrageous, his no-look pass shortly before half-timed outfoxed the Chelsea defence, allowing Jadon Sancho to serve up the second goal for Anthony Martial.

Casemiro was signed days after United's shock 4-0 defeat at Brentford and he famously told his agent "I will fix this" when he urged him to get the deal done. Nine months on, he has dragged United back into the Champions League, a competition he has won five times.

He has been United's most important player this season along with Rashford, and at last the crowd have a chant for him, his name echoing around Old Trafford at a deafening volume, making almost as much noise as his crunching tackles.

The Portuguese sulked his way out of United in November with the help of Piers Morgan, bemoaning the low standards at the club. He got his wish by moving to Al Nassr and becoming the best-paid player in the world, but United have had the last laugh by storming back into the Champions League, which used to be Ronaldo's playground.

While they will be playing against Europe's elite again and enjoying the glamour of the continent's best competition next season, Ronaldo will be toiling in the Saudi Pro League. And even though his sudden departure sent shockwaves through the club, it has proved to be a key factor in United's strong end to the season.

Ten Hag's side have looked far more cohesive without the brilliant but egotistical five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and are much more effective on the pitch without him too. Even though United's options at centre-forward since his departure are a half-fit Martial and the bulky Wout Weghorst, both players understand the importance of team work and tracking back.

As three-time European champions and five-time finalists, United naturally feel as if they belong in the Champions League. But for much of the last decade since Ferguson's retirement, they have not deserved to be in it.

Missing out on the competition on four occasions in the last 10 years has badly affected the club's position among the continent's elite, and while they have been absent, Liverpool have gained ground on them in terms of global status, reaching the final three times between 2018 and 2022.

United have not gone beyond the quarter-finals since 2011 and have only reached the last eight twice since then. They have a lot of work to do in order to get back to being one of Europe's true elite clubs, but they could not afford a second successive season outside the Champions League.

The famous music will be returning to Old Trafford in September, and with it a platform for United to recoup their status as one of Europe's top sides.

The Brazilian was writhing in agony when he went down with a foot injury, and after trying to get back to his feet, he collapsed back on to the floor, bursting into tears as he was carried off on a stretcher.

It was a terrible and cruel ending to what has been a pretty disappointing debut campaign. Antony arrived as United's second-most expensive player ever after an £85 million move from Ajax, and he has not justified his price tag at all. There have been flashes of brilliance, but he still looks like a one-dimensional and one-footed player.

His season is almost certainly over now and he is likely to spend most of the summer recovering from injury. The only hope is that he can come back stronger from an agonising end to a difficult first year in England.