FA Cup Final: United sweat on Luke Shaw and Antony's injuries

Trevor Chalobah tackles Manchester United's Antony in Chelsea's 4-1 loss at Old Trafford. (Photo credit: Premierleague.com)

Manchester United guaranteed Champions League football for next season with a 4-1 win over embattled Chelsea, and the Red Devils now have to sweat on the FA Cup final after Luke Shaw and mega-money signing Antony limped off injured in the home win.

The Red Devils were in danger of missing out on the top four following Liverpool’s late surge, but the Kops fell short at home to Aston Villa at the weekend to hand the advantage to Newcastle and Manchester United, although the Geordies and United would still have advanced with their midweek results.

Injuries to Antony and the dependable Luke Shaw compounded Eric Ten Hag’s headaches following a long-term injury to Lisandro Martinez. With the FA Cup final coming up in a week against Manchester City, United must find creative ways to deal with the big battle without their best left-sided defenders.

Luke Shaw was replaced at halftime with what looked at first like a precaution, but the left-back could well miss out on the cup final next weekend after Ten Hag confirmed the seriousness of both injuries in his post-match conference.

The United manager said after the game: "Everyone has seen how he [Antony] came off. I can tell you that it's serious, but we have to wait a minimum of 24 hours, and then we'll probably know more about the status of his injury."

Marcus Rashford came on for Antony after he received a rash tackle from Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah before the hour mark and was stretchered off. If there’s an outside chance for Shaw to make the final, Antony is definitely out.

Manchester City will be aiming for the treble after clinching the Premier League title from the jaws of the Gunners. They have already booked a date in Istanbul against Inter Milan for the Champions League final as well as a Wembley date with Manchester United for the FA Cup final.