Chelsea’s season of two halves ends with a European place guaranteed but will it be enough to save Mauricio Pochettino?

Mauricio Pochettino patrolled the pitch after confirmation came that Chelsea are the sixth best team in the country. He thanked the fans. Gave them a single wave. Blew a kiss or two.

He will only find out whether this was a farewell for good when he sits down with the owners this week to assess their campaign. Whatever happens, Pochettino can be proud of the huge progress his players have made in the second half of the season to finish where they are today.

Moises Caicedo sums up that turnaround as well as anyone, and his spectacular goal from the halfway line kicked off this victory and ensured the club will be present in Europe next season.

We cannot say with certainty which competition. If Manchester City win the FA Cup final, it’s the Europa League. If Manchester United win, the Europa Conference League awaits.

It remains to be seen whether any of these competitions will be enough to save Pochettino, but he has gone some way to restoring his own reputation by finishing the season with one defeat in fifteen Premier League games. Given the ‘circumstances’ – Pochettino’s buzzword – a sixth will have to suffice.

The Brazilian has decided to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, ending four successful years in West London

Blues supporters honored the veteran defender with a banner in the stands ahead of the match

However, Chelsea makes no secret of the fact that their ambitions are higher. The owner has even written a column in the program explaining that they will not settle for anything less than competing for the Premier League. Whether Pochettino is the man to make that wish come true is a question they now have to answer.

Pochettino showed his kindness when, less than an hour before kick-off, he walked into the media room to present a plaque to Brian Pullman, the press steward who started working for Chelsea in 1968 but would retire after this final match.

In addition to Brian, a loving farewell was said to Thiago Silva, with supporters unveiling not one but two giant banners at either end of Stamford Bridge to show their appreciation for the 39-year-old Brazilian. For one last time, they hoped to capitalize on Silva’s calm influence in central defense as his name was chanted everywhere.

Chelsea took control of this match from the start, with Cole Palmer almost scoring a toe-poke, Raheem Sterling seeing a penalty turned down after an Antoine Semenyo trip, and Conor Gallagher firing wide from 25 yards. Bournemouth looked like they were waiting to be broken through and the breakthrough came in the 17th minute, thanks to a collector’s goal from Caicedo.

It started with Nicolas Jackson playing a pass behind for Raheem Sterling, who was knocked into the ball as Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto raced out of his box to clear. Caicedo took possession on the halfway line and listened to the crowd begging him to shoot from 50 yards. He did as he was told and scored the longest ever goal in the Premier League since Wayne Rooney for Everton against West Ham in November 2017. Never too late to register a contender for strike of the season, and certainly not the worst way to score your first goal. for Chelsea.

Moises Caicedo got the Blues off to a brilliant start after just 17 minutes with a stunning long-range effort

The Colombian was mobbed by his teammates after scoring his first Premier League goal for the Blues in spectacular fashion

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was unimpressed by what he saw in his team’s early exchanges

Raheem Sterling marked his return to the starting line-up with his eighth league goal of the campaign

Bournemouth were left frustrated as Semenyo was warned for throwing Marc Cucurella to the ground and Milos Kerkez joined his teammate in the referee’s book when he tried to buy a penalty for a non-existent Trevoh Chalobah trip. Although Chelsea looked largely at ease, they were given a warning before half-time when Marcus Tavernier forced a save from Djordje Petrovic, who ensured they retained their half-time lead.

A first-half table would put Chelsea in the top four of the Premier League this season. However, for the second half they are closer to the relegation zone. They now had to stop Bournemouth from somehow turning this game around to secure their sixth place.

Within two minutes of the restart, Enes Unal should have equalized when Lewis Cook’s long shot found him unnoticed, but he was not quick enough in moving his feet.

Instead, Chelsea raced across to make it 2-0 with Sterling. He made his first start since March and rode Max Aarons before firing. The ball was helped in by Neto as the ball bounced through his legs and Pochettino’s side now had a healthy lead after 48 minutes.

But in the 49th, Bournemouth got back into the match when Unal’s strike took a bad deflection off Benoit Badiashile, the defender who accidentally guided the ball past Petrovic for 2–1.

It was as if the Chelsea goal had a force field around it. The hosts held on and finished sixth.

The 29-year-old has had a disappointing season at Stamford Bridge but was in good form on Sunday to double Chelsea’s lead

Bournemouth found a route back to the tie thanks to an own goal from Benoit Badiashile (left)

In a season of huge setbacks, Mauricio Pochettino has guided Chelsea to a top-six finish

Only they know how Bournemouth failed to equalize in stoppage time. First Dango Ouattara saw his shot saved by Petrovic. Then Ryan Christie thought he was about to tap in the rebound when Gallagher slid in to block. Then Solanke finally shot over the bar as the goal gaped.

It was as if the Chelsea goal had a force field around it. The hosts held on and finished sixth.