Manchester United defeated Crystal Palace while Leicester City got the better of Sheffield United to keep third-placed Chelsea under pressure and the top-four battle open. Both United and Leicester have 62 points from 36 matches, but the Foxes sit at fourth due to better goal difference. Chelsea at third have one-point advantage.
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, the top-two scorers for United this season, continued with their brilliant form and helped the Red Devils register the much-needed three points at the Selhurst Stadium after a frustrating 2-2 draw against Southampton at home in last league match.
Following a ferocious penalty appeal by Crystal players – which was denied by the VAR – at the twilight of the first half, Rashford broke the deadlock in the stoppage time. Putting on display his Ronaldo-like skills, he cleverly deceived two defenders and smashed home his 22nd goal of the season.
Palace were denied again in the second half when a goal by Jordan Ayew was called offside by VAR. Martial killed all their remaining hopes in the 77th minute with a clinical finish after he was fed by Rashford who had already done the hard work as a smiling Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the sidelines thumped his fist in the air.
However, with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) overturning Manchester City’s European ban, fifth-placed United will be under intense pressure in their final two games as Champions League action for next season will not be guaranteed without a top-four spot.
After Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Chelsea, United will host and West Ham United on Wednesday before the all-important last league match against Leicester on July 26.
However, one more option the Solskjaer-managed team will have for Champions League qualification is by winning the Europa League this season which is set to resume in August.
Meanwhile, at the King Power Stadium, Leicester managed their first win in three games with the help of goals from Ayoze Perez and Demarai Gray. Sloppy display from the Brendan Rodgers-managed side since the resumption of top-flight football in England had resulted in them losing the third spot in Premier League to Chelsea.
Other than the two wins, Leicester have lost three and drawn three, including a FA Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea and a 1-4 thrashing against Bournemouth – in the eight matches after the COVID-19 hiatus.
The Foxes took the lead against Sheffield after Perez scored his first goal since January before Gray produced a deft finish from Jamie Vardy’s pass in the 79th minute to help Leicester retain their fourth spot.