Huddersfield safe after draw with Chelsea

Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield Town celebrate after 1-1 draw at Chelsea almost certainly condemns Swansea to relegation.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 09: Aaron Mooy of Huddersfield Town is challenged by Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Huddersfield Town at Stamford Bridge on May 9, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield Town are celebrating after securing their Premier League safety with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, a result that looks almost certain to condemn Swansea City to relegation.

With a Harry Kane goal giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley to secure their Champions League place for next season, Chelsea’s draw may also have caused fatal damage to the Blues’ hopes of a top-four finish. Meanwhile, champions Manchester City said a fond Etihad farewell to Yaya Toure, routing Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 and moving on to 97 points — the most in a Premier League season — and to the verge of a landmark 100-point campaign. In doing so on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s men, 20 points clear at the top, also set a record for most goals in a season in the Premier League era, with strikes from Danilo, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho taking the tally to 105. Yet Huddersfield were the toast of the league after the side who returned to the top division last season ensured survival with a second backs-to-the-wall effort after earning a draw at Manchester City on Sunday.

Huddersfield took a shock lead in the 50th minute when a long ball from Australia’s Mooy found Laurent Depoitre, who won a challenge with Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero and put the ball in the empty net. Chelsea were back level 13 minutes later when a defensive clearance struck Marcos Alonso on the head and rebounded into the net.

But the visitors held on to secure a second Premier League season and Chelsea remained outside the Champions League spots in fifth place with one game left in the season.

Huddersfield manager David Wagner said: “My English is not good enough to find the right words to describe what the players have done over the whole season. “If you have the passion, desire and spirit you can compete sometimes with top, top quality. We had lady luck, no doubt about it, but it’s an unbelievable achievement for this football club.” Huddersfield soared into 16th place on 37 points, four clear of 18th-placed Swansea.

It also ensured that for only the third time in the Premier League era, the three promoted sides — Huddersfield, Newcastle and Brighton — all survived. It was a gloomy night for Chelsea and manager Antonio Conte as they remained fifth in the Champions League race on 70 points.

Chelsea have to rely on the slim hope they win their last match at Newcastle on Sunday while Champions League finalists Liverpool lose at home to Brighton. In Arsene Wenger’s second-last match as Arsenal manager, the Gunners suffered another wretched away day, losing 3-1 at Leicester City while having to play for 74 minutes with 10 men following Konstantinos Mavropanos’ dismissal for bringing down Kelechi Iheanacho.

REUTERS