United gives Carrick a winning send-off, Chelsea finishes fifth

Carrick, who is unlikely to be picked for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea and will assume a coaching role at United next season, was treated to a guard of honour by both teams before kick off and received a standing ovation from the fans. 

A tepid encounter was settled in the 34th minute when 36year old Carrick rolled back the years to find Juan Mata with a delightful pass and the Spaniard squared it back for Rashford to tap the ball in. 

United’s stand-in goalkeeper Sergio Romero pulled off a fine double save on the stroke of halftime, keeping out a closerange header by Richarlison and then smothered a Gerard Deulofeu shot with both teams going through the motions after the break. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea was denied a place in next season’s Champions League when it lost 0-3 to Newcastle as Liverpool easily beat Brighton. Manager Antonio Conte made eight changes with the final in mind and saw an unimpressive performance. 

Newcastle deservedly ended a run of four successive defeats under former Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez to earn a top-10 finish. Dwight Gayle scored the opening goal in the first half and Spanish striker Ayoze Perez added the second and third after the break. 

Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah crowned a superb season with a new scoring record as Liverpool hammered Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in  its final game of the season to finish fourth and qualify for next season’s Champions League. 

The 25-year-old Egyptian, who arrived on Merseyside from Roma last summer, struck in the 26th minute, tucking away a left-foot strike to give his side the lead and become the first player to score 32 goals in a 38-game Premier League season. 

Dejan Lovren made it 2-0 with a header just before the break and Salah then provided the assist for Dominic Solanke to rifle home his first goal for Liverpool just after halftime. 

Andrew Robertson fired home the fourth in the 85th minute as Liverpool rounded off a dominant display. With the Champions League final against Real Madrid still to come, the win over Brighton put Liverpool in fourth place on 75 points, five clear of Chelsea. Swansea got relegated for the first time in seven years after losing 1-2 to Stoke.