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Chelsea draw Man U for second place in premier league
Manchester, May 09: Chelsea finish second in English premier league after 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
Manchester, May 09: Chelsea finish second in English premier league after 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
Ten-man Chelsea held out for a 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Saturday to seal second place in the premier league and a guaranteed slot in next season's Champions League.
Chelsea, knocked out of this year's Champions League semi-finals by Monaco last week, were cruising after Danish winger Jesper Gronkjaer scored in the 19th minute and keeper Carlo Cudicini brilliantly saved a penalty from United's Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy just before halftime.
But a 73rd minute red card for Chelsea's German defender Robert Huth was followed four minutes later by a goalkeeping mistake from Cudicini which handed Van Nistelrooy an easy equaliser.
United poured forward but Chelsea hung on for a draw which ensured they finish second behind champions Arsenal, with 76 points to United's 72 and just one match left to play.
United and the fourth-placed club will go into the Champions League qualifiers. Arsenal, on 84 points and bidding to finish the season unbeaten, are away to Fulham on Sunday.
Match summary: Manchester United 1 - Ruud van Nistelrooy 77 Chelsea 1 - Jesper Gronkjaer 19 Red card: Robert Huth (Chelsea) 73 Missed penalty: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) 43 Half time: 0-1 Attendance: 67,609
Standings: P W D L F A Pts 1. Arsenal 36 24 12 0 70 25 84 - champions 2. Chelsea 37 23 7 7 66 30 76 3. Manchester United 37 22 6 9 62 35 72 4. Liverpool 36 15 11 10 51 36 56 5. Aston Villa 37 15 11 11 48 42 56 6. Newcastle United 35 13 14 8 47 35 53 7. Bolton Wanderers 37 14 11 12 48 54 53 8. Charlton Athletic 37 13 11 13 49 50 50 9. Fulham 36 13 10 13 50 45 49 10. Birmingham City 36 12 13 11 42 44 49 11. Middlesbrough 37 13 9 15 43 47 48 12. Southampton 36 12 10 14 40 40 46 13. Blackburn Rovers 37 12 7 18 50 58 43 14. Portsmouth 37 11 9 17 42 53 42 15. Tottenham Hotspur 37 12 6 19 45 57 42 16. Everton 37 9 12 16 44 52 39 17. Manchester City 37 8 14 15 50 53 38 18. Leicester City 37 6 15 16 47 63 33 - relegated 19. Leeds United 37 8 9 20 40 78 33 - relegated 20. Wolverhampton Wanderers 36 7 11 18 37 74 32
Bureau Report
United and the fourth-placed club will go into the Champions League qualifiers. Arsenal, on 84 points and bidding to finish the season unbeaten, are away to Fulham on Sunday.
Match summary: Manchester United 1 - Ruud van Nistelrooy 77 Chelsea 1 - Jesper Gronkjaer 19 Red card: Robert Huth (Chelsea) 73 Missed penalty: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) 43 Half time: 0-1 Attendance: 67,609
Standings: P W D L F A Pts 1. Arsenal 36 24 12 0 70 25 84 - champions 2. Chelsea 37 23 7 7 66 30 76 3. Manchester United 37 22 6 9 62 35 72 4. Liverpool 36 15 11 10 51 36 56 5. Aston Villa 37 15 11 11 48 42 56 6. Newcastle United 35 13 14 8 47 35 53 7. Bolton Wanderers 37 14 11 12 48 54 53 8. Charlton Athletic 37 13 11 13 49 50 50 9. Fulham 36 13 10 13 50 45 49 10. Birmingham City 36 12 13 11 42 44 49 11. Middlesbrough 37 13 9 15 43 47 48 12. Southampton 36 12 10 14 40 40 46 13. Blackburn Rovers 37 12 7 18 50 58 43 14. Portsmouth 37 11 9 17 42 53 42 15. Tottenham Hotspur 37 12 6 19 45 57 42 16. Everton 37 9 12 16 44 52 39 17. Manchester City 37 8 14 15 50 53 38 18. Leicester City 37 6 15 16 47 63 33 - relegated 19. Leeds United 37 8 9 20 40 78 33 - relegated 20. Wolverhampton Wanderers 36 7 11 18 37 74 32
Bureau Report