United's home double-header finales

Erik ten Hag's team welcome Chelsea to the Theatre of Dreams on Thursday night, before facing Fulham on the final day, this Sunday afternoon.

There have been four previous occasions when our Premier League season ended with a home double-header, one of them, in 1996/97, when we concluded the campaign with three consecutive fixtures at Old Trafford.

In an interesting quirk, a goalless draw featured in each of the four relevant finales.

Remember, a point is enough from these upcoming two games to ensure Champions League qualification for Erik's Reds.

2005/06:
1/5: Middlesbrough (H) 0-0
7/5: Charlton (H) 4-0 

A 3-0 defeat at Chelsea had confirmed Jose Mourinho's side as champions and we lost Wayne Rooney to injury when he was taken off on a stretcher at Stamford Bridge. It probably had some impact on our next outing, a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, although Ruud van Nistelrooy had a penalty saved by Brad Jones.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side managed to end the campaign on a high, as we clinched second spot with a 4-0 cruise against Charlton Athletic. Top scorer van Nistelrooy was controversially left out, before a summer switch to Real Madrid, with Giuseppe Rossi taking his place. Louis Saha, Cristiano Ronaldo, an own goal by Jason Euell, and Kieran Richardson did the damage.

2001/02:
8/5: Arsenal (H) 0-1
11/5: Charlton (H) 0-0

There was great disappointment at the end of the 2001/02 term, as Arsenal sealed the Premier League title with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, thanks to Sylvain Wiltord's second-half strike. Again, there was a big talking point in the team news with Netherlands marksman van Nistelrooy starting on the bench, and United's aggressive approach failed to yield a positive result, with the Gunners instead claiming the Double.

A few days later, a low-key draw with Charlton brought the curtain down on the season, and allowed Liverpool to steal second place, ensuring our position of third was the lowest we'd managed in the Premier League at that point. Denis Irwin captained the team on his farewell performance, with fellow Irishman Roy Keane close to winning it at the death.

1996/97:
5/5: Middlesbrough (H) 3-3
8/5: Newcastle (H) 0-0
11/5: West Ham (H) 2-0

The only time we've played three home games on the spin to end a Premier League campaign was a triumphant one, as Ferguson's side won the title by seven points. A cracking 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough featured goals for Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Keane cancelled out Juninho's opener, only for Emerson and Craig Hignett to hand relegation-haunted Boro a 3-1 lead. Neville lashed in a rare goal before the break and Solskjaer completed the comeback. 

Three days later, Newcastle held the Reds to a goalless stalemate after United were already crowned champions with the Magpies, Arsenal and Liverpool all faltering beforehand. There was a winning end to the successful season when West Ham were beaten 2-0 in Eric Cantona's final match before his shock retirement. Solskjaer and Jordi Cruyff bagged the goals, with the clincher coming from a Cantona assist.

1993/94:
4/5: Southampton (H) 2-0 
8/5: Coventry (H) 0-0

United were the dominant team in our first-ever Double-winning campaign, and led the Premier League for much of the season. Closest rivals Blackburn Rovers lost to Southampton and Coventry City, with the reverse to the Sky Blues ending their challenge, a couple of days before we beat Southampton. Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes scored in the second half, amid celebratory scenes at Old Trafford.

The team were back on home turf on the final day but a much-changed side was held by Coventry, with Cantona's spectacular overhead kick being one of our best efforts on the day.

2023/24:
25/5: Chelsea (H)
28/5: Fulham (H)

So United end a league season with two home games for the first time in 17 years. Chelsea are at Old Trafford on Thursday night before their west London neighbours Fulham provide the opposition at the weekend.

Ten Hag's side know a point will be enough to end Liverpool's challenge for a top-four slot as we aim to end on a high, with a Wembley date to follow for the Emirates FA Cup final against Manchester City.