Wrap: Man United out of European football for first time in 25 years as Everton, Spurs qualify

MANCHESTER United will not contest European football for the first time since 1989 as Everton and Tottenham take its place.

Manchester United interim manager Ryan Giggs thanks the travelling fans.

MANCHESTER United ended a miserable season with a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday that saw them finish the campaign in seventh place in the Premier League.

Juan Mata produced one of the few moments of quality in the match with a curling free-kick to level after Rickie Lambert had given Southampton the lead.

But even as United celebrated their comeback, news from north London, where Tottenham Hotspur overcame Aston Villa 3-0, confirmed that they had failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since the 1989-90 season.

United needed Tottenham to lose to stand any chance of sneaking into the Europa League, but their draw meant that they would not have been in a position to exploit a slip-up anyway.

Captain Nemanja Vidic said his United farewell, and both Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra may also have bowed out, while interim manager Ryan Giggs took charge of the team for the fourth and probably final time.

Manchester United interim manager Ryan Giggs thanks the travelling fans.

Southampton took the lead after 28 minutes, although United complained that Lambert had elbowed Vidic before taking a pass from Steven Davis and beating De Gea at his near post.

Replays, though, suggested that Lambert had not moved his elbow and that the contact, although causing Vidic to bleed profusely, was accidental.

After 54 minutes United were level as Victor Wanyama fouled Welbeck 20 yards out and Mata artfully curled the free-kick past the left hand of Artur Boruc.

Spurs qualified for the Europa league by finishing the season with an easy 3-0 win over a disjointed Aston Villa.

Tottenham opened the scoring in the 13th minute, with midfielder Paulinho putting his team into a well-deserved lead. Gylfi Sigurdsson found the Brazilian midfielder in the box, who had his initial shot blocked but scored from close range with the rebound.

Tottenham Hotspur players celebrate Emannuel Adebayor’s goal against Aston Villa.

Spurs kept on applying the pressure and went 2-0 up in the 34th via an own goal as Danny Rose’s cross was diverted into the net by Nathan Baker.

A third quickly followed as Emmanuel Adebayor tucked away a 37th-minute penalty straight down the middle, after a handball by Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Tottenham finished sixth in the Premier League, with Villa 15th.

On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku scored his 16th Premier League goal of the season as Everton concluded a superb campaign with a 2-0 win at Hull.

Lukaku scored just after halftime from Leon Osman’s pass on what could be his last match in an Everton shirt.

Romelu Lukaku was the matchwinner for Everton against Hull City.

Everton had taken the lead in the 9th minute as James McCarthy netted his first goal for the Toffees after latching on to Steven Naismith’s pass.

Fifth-placed Everton had already qualified for next season’s Europa League along with FA Cup finalist Hull.

Re-live the action from the last day of the season in our blog.

Originally published as Wrap: Man United out of European football for first time in 25 years as Everton, Spurs qualify