European Chase Heats Up after Manchester United Triumph in Carling Cup

Manchester United’s victory in Sunday’s Carling Cup Final not only keeps them on track in their quest for five trophies this season, but will also be greatly received by a host of Premier League clubs hoping to secure European football for next season.

The truth is that given Manchester United’s current position in the Premier League, many are questioning whether they can be caught at the top and thus the chances of them slipping out of the top four altogether is less than zero.

Unlike the FA Cup, the Carling Cup runners-up do not receive the UEFA Cup place should the winners qualify for the Champions League. Therefore, the UEFA Cup place that Ferguson’s team would have taken as Carling Cup winners will now go to the Premier League, and more specifically to the sixth-placed team at the end of the season.

One UEFA Cup place is already guaranteed for the fifth-placed team in the Premier League, but awarding the Carling Cup place to the Premier League will be greatly received; above all by Everton who currently occupy sixth place with an eight point cushion over West Ham.

The third and final UEFA Cup place will be taken by the FA Cup winners, or runners-up if the winners finish in the top four. With Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal still in the FA Cup at the quarter final stage, teams such as West Ham, Wigan, Fulham, Bolton, and Manchester City will be hopeful that two of them could reach the final and finish in the top four which would result in the seventh-placed team in the Premier League gaining a UEFA Cup spot.

If league positions remain the same then the final UEFA Cup place would go to the seventh-placed team as long as any two Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton reach the FA Cup Final. These four have all been kept apart in the quarterfinal draw so it remains a strong possibility, albeit with Arsenal still a round behind.

This scenario occurred two years ago in the 2006/2007 season when Chelsea won both domestic cups, beating Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, meaning that Everton and Bolton qualified for the UEFA Cup after finishing sixth and seventh respectively.

No doubt Gianfranco Zola, Mark Hughes et al. will be keeping their fingers crossed as they prepare their players for an important final push as we approach the end of the season; meaning that every team still has something to play for.