Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Man City in the FA Cup final means that Chelsea will play in the 2024/25 edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Chelsea, who quickly parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season, finished sixth in the Premier League. They initially thought they were guaranteed a place in the Europa League since league champions Man City were distant favourites to lift the FA Cup on Saturday.
But Manchester United – who finished eighth in the Premier League – took that Europa League spot from under Chelsea’s nose at Wembley with a shock win over Man City at Wembley.
This means the Blues must settle for a place in Europe’s third favourite club tournament competing with the likes of Lens, Real Betis and Hoffenheim.
To make this story even better, United’s win over City was bad news for Newcastle, who finished seventh in the league table.
They were heading towards the Conference League having dipped their toes into the Champions League this term.
However, United’s win at Wembley means Eddie Howe’s side miss out completely and they won’t be playing in Europe next season.
The Magpies can put their passports back in the drawer for another year.
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