Manchester United’s Michael Carrick salutes the fans as he leaves the field after his final playing appearance, during their English Premier League match against Watford, at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, on Sunday, May 13, 2018. Photo: Associated Press.

MANCHESTER: Michael Carrick ended his Manchester United playing career at Old Trafford by helping to set up the goal in a 1-0 win over Watford on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.

Carrick’s superb long pass played Juan Mata in behind the defense and Marcus Rashford tapped into the goal in the 34th minute for the runners-up.

The 36-year-old Carrick, who is moving onto the coaching staff, could still play one final time for United as Jose Mourinho’s side faces Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

“I need to thank Jose for giving me the opportunity,” Carrick said. “I look forward to working with him and learning from him. He’s one of the best. He’ll teach me some things and we’re going to have some success in the near future, I’m certain of that.”

With Mourinho focused on Wembley, David de Gea, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were all rested as Carrick was given center stage after a season of little action. Carrick’s 464th appearance for United ended in the 85th minute when he left the game to a huge ovation.

Carrick’s addition to the coaching staff isn’t the only change at United, with assistant coach Rui Faria ending his 17-year partnership with Mourinho. Faria has been No. 2 to Mourinho at Leiria, Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan, Real Madrid and United.

“Moving forward I will organize my coaching staff in a way where the assistant manager figure doesn’t exist,” Mourinho said. “I’m going to have coaches, assistant coaches, fitness coaches and a structure where they have specialists in different areas connected to performance. And my analysts. I’m not going to have an assistant manager in the sense of the word.

“I think it will be Michael Carrick in future, when he has his badges. When he has his pro license, when he makes the bridge from player to assistant.

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Juventus’ Paulo Dybala, Stefano Sturaro celebrates with teammates after winning the Serie A title, at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy, on May 13, 2018. Photo: Reuters

• Juve win seventh straight title with 0-0 draw
• Napoli win 2-0 at Sampdoria
• Lazio draw 2-2, miss chance to clinch Champions League place

MILAN: Juventus wrapped up their seventh successive Serie A title, and their fourth league and cup double in a row on Sunday with a pragmatic 0-0 draw away to AS Roma in the style that has become their hallmark under Massimiliano Allegri.

Rivals Napoli, the neutrals’ favourites thanks to their more flamboyant approach, won 2-0 at Sampdoria and set a new club points record but it was all in vain as they were left four points behind Juve with one game left.

Napoli, whose match was briefly interrupted in the second half because of anti-Neapolitan chants by home supporters, will finish as runners-up for the second time in three seasons under chain-smoking coach Maurizio Sarri.

Juventus, who won a record 34th Serie A title, maintained their perfect domestic record in their four seasons under Allegri, who also won a Serie A title with AC Milan in 2011. They have also reached two Champions League finals in that period.

Allegri often talks about the importance of “administering the game” and that was exactly what Juventus did as they coasted home, doing the absolute minimum required of them.

Third-placed Roma, already qualified for next season’s Champions League, took the initiative and looked dangerous, although Edin Dzeko, Radja Nainggolan and Lorenzo Pellegrini all missed the target.

Paulo Dybala had the ball in the net two minutes after halftime but he was fractionally offside. Roma were reduced to 10 men when Nainggolan, already booked, was sent off for an ugly foul on Dybala in the 68th minute and the game petered out.

Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik and Raul Albiol scored second-half goals to secure three points at the Marassi stadium but their chances had already gone with a 3-0 loss at Fiorentina and 2-2 draw against Torino in their previous two games.

The referee stopped the game during the second-half because of the chanting by fans — officially termed “territorial discrimination” — and Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero came onto the pitch and appealed for it to stop.

Juventus have 92 points from 37 games with Napoli on 88 — two more than their previous best — Roma 74, Lazio 72 and Inter Milan 69.

Lazio missed a chance to clinch the fourth and final Italian place in next season’s Champions League group stage when they were held to a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Crotone, handing a lifeline to Inter Milan who lost 2-1 at home to Sassuolo on Saturday.

Inter visit Lazio for their final game next Sunday and a win will lift them into fourth place on their head-to-head record.

Senad Lulic put Lazio ahead with a penalty in the 17th minute, then Crotone hit back through Simy and Federico Ceccherini before a brilliantly-taken goal by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic rescued a point for Lazio six minutes from fulltime.

Crotone, 18th in the 20-team table, were pushed into the final relegation spot with 35 points after Cagliari (36 points) climbed out of the danger zone with a 1-0 win at Fiorentina thanks to Leonardo Pavoletti’s goal in the 37th minute.

Fiorentina’s frustration boiled over when Jordan Veretout was sent off for lashing out at Joao Pedro, sparking an ugly brawl on the touchline.

SPAL lost 2-1 at Torino and are level on points in 17th place with Crotone but lead on their head-to-head record. Verona and Benevento have already been relegated

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side’s first goal of the game during their English Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, Liverpool. England, on Sunday, May 13, 2018. Photo: Associated Press

LIVERPOOL:  Liverpool qualified for the Champions League at the expense of Chelsea, Swansea was relegated, and champion Manchester City made it to 100 points as the loose ends were tied up on a typically high-scoring final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.

It was also the end of an era in England’s top flight, with Arsene Wenger taking charge of his final game as Arsenal manager after 22 seasons. He went out with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield.

Liverpool only needed to draw with Brighton to secure another season in the Champions League, but manager Juergen Klopp fielded an attacking team and was rewarded with a 4-0 victory at Anfield. Mohamed Salah scored one of the goals, taking the Egyptian to a league-high 32 goals for the campaign — the most in a 38-game Premier League season.

That meant Chelsea will not be playing in Europe’s elite competition for the second season in three years. The London club finished fifth after a 3-0 loss at Newcastle, in what could prove to be Antonio Conte’s last league game as manager.

The final-day “miracle” that Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal required didn’t happen, with the Welsh club losing 2-1 to Stoke to end its seven-year stay in the league and ensure Southampton stayed up.

Swansea had needed to win and Southampton to lose to Man City, with a 10-goal swing in goal difference. So it didn’t matter that Southampton conceded late to lose 1-0 to City, although that did mean Pep Guardiola’s side became the first team to post 100 points in a Premier League season.

It is the latest milestone reached by City, which has also claimed the most total wins (32), goals (106), victories in a row (18) and away wins (16) in this record-breaking season. The 19-point margin to second place Manchester United is also a record, as is the goal difference of plus 79.

Tottenham beat Leicester 5-4 in the highest-scoring game of the day to secure third place above Liverpool. United was already assured of second place before its 1-0 win over Watford, in Michael Carrick’s final game for the club.

ANOTHER TROPHY FOR SALAH

Fittingly, it was Salah who guided Liverpool back into the Champions League and he ended a sun-kissed afternoon at Anfield lifting the Golden Boot for being the Premier League’s top scorer this season.

His 32-goal haul was two more than Harry Kane, the winner for the past two seasons.

There were wonderful scenes soon after as Liverpool’s fans cheered Salah’s daughter, Makka, as she kicked about a ball on the field.

Dejan Lovren added a second before Dominic Solanke and Andrew Robertson scored their first goals for Liverpool to complete a routine victory in its last match before playing the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 26.

Liverpool ended up in fourth place for the second straight season.

Chelsea ended the season without even a whimper, and in the Europa League. Four days after drawing 1-1 at home, the deposed champions looked bedraggled in losing to Newcastle thanks to goals by Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez, who scored twice in the second half.

SWANSEA DOWN

Swansea fans channeled their anger toward chairman Huw Jenkins and the club’s American majority shareholders, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, after the team’s relegation was confirmed with a loss to a team that started the day in last place.

Jenkins was conspicuous by his absence from his customary seat in the directors’ box but that did not prevent Swansea supporters urging Jenkins to “get out of our club” from the first minute.

Andy King’s goal gave Swansea hope of an unlikely final-day comeback, but Badou Ndiaye and Peter Crouch scored to ensure already relegated Stoke would not end the season bottom. That position went to West Bromwich Albion, which lost 2-0 at Crystal Palace.

WENGER’S FAREWELL

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger arriving for his final match in charge before the English Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Arsenal at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, England, on Sunday, May 13, 2018. Photo: Associated Press

In the 22nd minute, Huddersfield fans joined Arsenal supporters in rising to their feet inside the John Smith’s Stadium to applaud Wenger in his 1,235th game in charge of the Gunners.

A plane flew over the stadium, carrying the message “Merci Arsene, we will miss you too” in response to Wenger’s goodbye speech last week at the Emirates Stadium.

“I should have announced every week my goodbye,” Wenger said, “because people have been so nice with me.”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the final scorer of the Wenger era, sliding in to convert Aaron Ramsey’s cross in the 38th minute for the only goal.

Arsenal finished sixth in the Premier League — the lowest under Wenger, who will stay working.

“Whether that is managing or not… I am addicted and I don’t think that can be cured,” Wenger said.

CITY’S CENTURY

Manchester City players celebrate after scoring in the English Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester City at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, on Sunday, May 13, 2018. Photo: Associated Press.

City left it to virtually the last kick of its last match to reach the magical 100-point barrier.

Gabriel Jesus, on as a substitute, found space to lift the ball over goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in the fourth minute of additional time, prompting wild celebrations among City’s players.

Pep Guardiola reacted to the team’s 106th league goal of the season by leaping out of his seat in the dugout and punching the air. Jesus removed his shirt and twirled it in celebration in front of City’s supporters.

The players were still on the field 20 minutes after the final whistle.

City will celebrate on the streets of Manchester on Monday with an open-top bus parade.

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