Categories: Sport

Caicedo scores from halfway as Chelsea ends Premier League season with fifth straight win

LONDON (AP) — Moises Caicedo scored in David Beckham style from near the halfway line Sunday to help Chelsea end a chaotic Premier League season with a fifth straight victory.
A 2-1 win over Bournemouth clinched sixth place and a spot in Europe after an up-and-down first season for manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose future at the club remains uncertain going into the offseason.
Caicedo provided a highlight-reel goal in the 17th minute when the midfielder took possession of a loose pass from Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto and lobbed it in from just inside the visitors’ half.
Raheem Sterling added a second goal just after the break, the ball deflecting in off Neto, while Bournemouth quickly got one back with an own-goal by Benoit Badiashile.
Chelsea finished three points ahead of Newcastle and Manchester United, but will have to wait until the FA Cup final on Saturday before knowing which European competition it will play in next season. If United beats Manchester City — which clinched its fourth straight Premier League title on Sunday — in that final, Chelsea will be pushed into the third-tier Europa Conference League, with United earning a Europa League spot. If City wins the double, Chelsea will play in the second-tier Europa League.
Caicedo’s goal came after Neto raced from his goal to thwart Sterling, but his wayward pass only found its way to Caicedo. The Ecuadorian unleashed a punt from a yard inside the Bournemouth half that dropped in beneath the crossbar to bring back memories of one of David Beckham’s most famous goals.
Beckham scored from a similar distance for Manchester United on the opening day of the 1996-97 season against Wimbledon in what has become a classic goal.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Published by

Recent Posts

Bernd das Brot: 25 Years of TV Cult Fame

In Germany, a unique character named Bernd das Brot, a pessimistic loaf of bread, is…

13 minutes ago

Funeral set for officer slain in PA hospital shooting

RED LION, Pa. — A funeral service accompanied by a procession of law enforcement officers…

13 minutes ago

VP JD Vance Responds to Pope’s Views on Immigration

Vice President JD Vance recently addressed Pope Francis' critiques of the Trump administration's immigration policies…

20 minutes ago

Innovative Stove Connects to Standard Outlets

NEW YORK — After years of grappling with persistent gas leaks, Ed Yaker and his…

22 minutes ago

Wall Street Slows as February Winds Down

Wall Street is making slow progress as February comes to a close, with U.S. stock…

34 minutes ago

Zelenskyy to Seek Security Promises from Trump

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump on a…

53 minutes ago