{"id":240678,"date":"2026-04-27T21:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/manchester-uniteds-champions-league-fate-all-but-sealed-after-late-heart-stopper-pl-wrap\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T21:13:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:13:00","slug":"manchester-uniteds-champions-league-fate-all-but-sealed-after-late-heart-stopper-pl-wrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/manchester-uniteds-champions-league-fate-all-but-sealed-after-late-heart-stopper-pl-wrap\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester United\u2019s Champions League fate all but sealed after late heart-stopper \u2014 PL Wrap"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Manchester United moved within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League as Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealed a 2-1 win against Brentford on Tuesday morning AEST. <\/p>\n

Casemiro put United ahead in the early stages at Old Trafford and Sesko doubled their lead before the interval.<\/p>\n

Mathias Jensen\u2019s late strike couldn\u2019t stop United cementing their grip on third place in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

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They are 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton, with the top five guaranteed to reach next season\u2019s Champions League.<\/p>\n

Michael Carrick\u2019s side need just two points from their last four matches to ensure their return to Europe\u2019s elite club competition for the first time since 2023\/24. <\/p>\n

Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportsmail. Sign up now ><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

On Sunday, United host bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit three points behind them in fourth, in a clash that will go a long way to deciding who finishes third. <\/p>\n

Interim boss Carrick, who replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim in January, is still waiting to discover if he will land the United job on a permanent basis. <\/p>\n

The former United midfielder has made a strong case by steadying the ship after Amorim\u2019s turbulent reign.<\/p>\n

Leading United into the Champions League would be another persuasive argument as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe considers his options.<\/p>\n

A 1-0 win at Chelsea in their previous match had reinvigorated United\u2019s top-five charge after a home defeat against Leeds and a draw at Bournemouth. <\/p>\n

Brentford last won at Old Trafford in 1937 and they paid the price for a slow start on their latest fruitless visit.<\/p>\n

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Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko celebrates after scoring during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brentford in Manchester, England, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Dave Thompson)<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kobbie Mainoo scythed through the Brentford defence with a superb run in the second minute, but Amad Diallo wasted the chance with a close-range shot that was cleared off the line by Sepp van den Berg. <\/p>\n

Harry Maguire was inches away from marking his return from suspension with a goal when the United defender\u2019s towering header was clawed off the line by Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher. <\/p>\n

United\u2019s pressure was rewarded in the 11th minute as Casemiro finished off a well-worked corner routine.<\/p>\n

Bruno Fernandes whipped the set-piece to Maguire and his looping header evaded a gaggle of Brentford defenders at the far post as Casemiro rose highest to head home from an acute angle. <\/p>\n

Casemiro\u2019s fourth goal in his last six games underlined the enduring value of the veteran Brazil midfielder, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season. <\/p>\n

He celebrated by kissing the badge on his shirt as United fans implored him to stay by chanting \u201cone more year\u201d.<\/p>\n

Michael Kayode nearly silenced the love-in with a header that United keeper Senne Lammens pushed away at full stretch.<\/p>\n

Igor Thiago\u2019s muscular power was a thorn in United\u2019s side but the Brazilian couldn\u2019t finish, scuffing one chance under pressure from Diogo Dalot before Kelleher saved his close-range drive. <\/p>\n

Ayden Heaven\u2019s last-ditch attempt to deny Thiago almost ended in an own goal, but Lammens spared the United teenager\u2019s blushes with a fine save. <\/p>\n

United took advantage of those misses to double their advantage in the 43rd minute.<\/p>\n

Diallo\u2019s determination to win a tackle deep inside his own half started the move before Fernandes drove towards the Brentford area, slipping a pass to Sesko, who lashed home from 10 yards. <\/p>\n

Fernandes has 19 assists this season as he chases the Premier League record of 20 in a single campaign set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. <\/p>\n

United were less dominant in the second half and Jensen whipped an eye-catching curler past Lammens from 20 yards in the 87th minute to set up a tense finale. <\/p>\n

Carrick\u2019s men wobbled but just about held firm as Mikkel Damsgaard\u2019s header was clutched by Lammens in stoppage-time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Manchester United moved within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League as Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealed a 2-1 win against Brentford on Tuesday morning AEST. Casemiro put United ahead in the early stages at Old Trafford and Sesko doubled their lead before the interval. Mathias Jensen\u2019s late strike couldn\u2019t stop United cementing their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":240679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-240678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}