Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1 on Tuesday to leave Roberto De Zerbi’s men in danger of relegation from the Premier League with one game left of the season.
Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring in the 18th minute, curling home from outside the box, and Andrey Santos doubled the home side’s league midway through the second half.
Tottenham gave themselves hope in the 74th minute when Richarlison converted from close range after Pape Matar Sarr’s backheel.
Spurs poured forward in search of an equaliser but could not find another goal.
The result gives renewed hope to West Ham, who are 18th in the table, two points behind Tottenham.
Spurs, who have not been relegated since 1977, face Everton in their final match on Sunday with a draw realistically good enough for survival given their superior goal difference.
“We have to give everything for the club, for the badge, for the fans,” said Spurs midfielder James Maddison.
“It’s a bit embarrassing that we’re in this position.”
The Hammers must beat Leeds to have any chance of extending their 14-year stay in the Premier League.
Burnley and Wolves have already been relegated.
Chelsea’s win at Stamford Bridge was their first in the English top division since early March and lifts them to eighth in the table. (JapanToday)
Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Brentford, while Liverpool were booed off after a 1-1 draw against struggling Chelsea on Saturday.
With three games of the season left for both title contenders, City closed to within two points of the Gunners, who face a tricky trip to relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday.
After a dramatic 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday, Pep Guardiola’s men could not afford another slip up if they were to retain hope of a seventh title in nine years.
A resolute Brentford, still in the running for European football themselves next season, held out until the hour mark when the in-form Jeremy Doku curled into the top corner.
Erling Haaland backheeled in a second to move four goals clear of Brentford’s Igor Thiago in the battle for the Golden Boot.
Haaland then turned provider for Omar Marmoush to score what could be a vital third in stoppage time.
“We will see, it is not in our hands,” said Guardiola. “We will do our job and wait.”
City cut the goal difference gap on Arsenal to one and now must hope the Hammers cause an upset in a huge clash at both ends of the table at the London Stadium.
Arsenal face already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, days before the play in the Conference League final, in their final two games. (JapanToday)
Tottenham Hotspur took a small and potentially crucial step towards retaining its Premier League status after drawing at home with Leeds United 1-1 on Monday.
Spurs, just above the drop zone, moved two points clear of relegation rival West Ham.
Tottenham went ahead in the 50th minute with a lovely strike by Mathys Tels.
However, Tels’ foul on Ethan Ampadu with 15 minutes left led to a Leeds penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted with aplomb.
Spurs takes on Chelsea away and Everton at home in their last two games, while West Ham is away at Newcastle before facing Leeds at home on the final day of the season.
One of the two will join the already relegated Burnley and Wolves in next season’s Championship.
Spurs came into the game on a high after two consecutive victories but though they dominated the first half in terms of possession and shots on goal they didn’t break the deadlock until five minutes into the second half.
Pedro Porro’s corner kick was cleared to an unmarked Tels, who coolly struck into the far corner of the net from 20 meters out. It was the center forward’s first goal since Jan. 7.
Tels, however, turned villain 24 minutes later when his high foot was adjudged to have made contact with Ethan Ampadu’s head inside the box.
The referee pointed to the spot and Calvert-Lewin, who was denied a first-half penalty after a video review, confidently dispatched the spot kick.
Both sides suffered through an edgy last few moments and a remarkable 15 minutes of added time but there were no more goals and Spurs, for whom goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was outstanding. They will content themselves that their destiny remains in their hands.
“We played a good game but there was big pressure,” Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbi said. “We didn’t play calmly. We wanted to win immediately without passes. When you are fighting for relegation you can’t play every game calmly.
“Leeds played a good game and we hope they play like that against West Ham in the next game.”
Spurs have taken eight out of a possible 12 points since De Zerbi’s debut defeat at Sunderland on April 12.
“We deserve to stay up,” he said. “We will fight until the end. . . . Even if we had won today it wouldn’t have been finished yet.”
Hull will play Southampton or Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final after second half goals from Mo Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt gave it a 2-0 win over Millwall in London.
Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.
The win means Hull have one match to secure a place in the Premier League for the first time since it was relegated in 2017. (JapanToday)
Matheus Cunha fired Manchester United towards the Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday, while Tottenham remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton.
Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defence ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins.
United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under Michael Carrick.
Cunha swept home Bruno Fernandes’ cross just before half-time to open up a 10-point gap between the Red Devils in third and Chelsea in sixth.
At the other end of the table, Spurs sank ever closer to dropping out of the top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years.
In Roberto De Zerbi’s first home game in charge, Tottenham were heading for their first win in 15 league matches until Georginio Rutter’s strike five minutes into stoppage time.
Pedro Porro’s header was quickly cancelled out by Kaoru Mitoma’s spectacular volley in first-half stoppage time.
Xavi Simons’ stunning strike 13 minutes from time sparked an outpouring of joy around the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Yet, the home fans were silenced in added time when Jan Paul van Hecke outmuscled Kevin Danso and squared for Rutter to blast high into the net.
Spurs edge to within one point of West Ham in the battle for survival.
But the Hammers have a game in hand and could stretch that advantage when they travel to Crystal Palace on Monday.
“Everyone of us knows it’s a tough moment, it’s a difficult situation, but we have another five games, 15 points,” said De Zerbi. “And this team is able to win five games in a row.”
Brighton’s equaliser also saved Wolves from being officially relegated.
But their eight-year stay in the top flight is coming to an end after a 3-0 defeat at Leeds.
Fresh from a first league win away at fierce rivals Manchester United since 1981, Leeds all but secured their top-flight status.
Two goals in two first-half minutes from James Justin and Noah Okafor put the home side in control before Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty in stoppage time rounded off the scoring.
Tottenham’s woeful campaign has been compounded by an impressive return to the top flight by Sunderland and Leeds, to buck the trend of recent seasons.
For the past two years all three promoted sides have gone straight back down.
However, Daniel Farke’s men not only look set for survival, but could reach a first FA Cup final since 1973 should they beat Chelsea in next weekend’s semi-finals.
Bournemouth piled more pressure on Newcastle manager Eddie Howe with a 2-1 win at St James’ Park.
The Cherries showed no ill effects from the news that Andoni Iraola will depart as boss at the end of the season.
Marcus Tavernier and Adrien Truffert struck for the visitors to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 matches.
Bournemouth climb to eighth and within four points of the Champions League places.
Newcastle, by contrast, remain in 14th with their hopes of European football next season all but over.
Brentford missed the chance to leapfrog Chelsea into the top six after being held to a 0-0 draw by west London rivals Fulham.
Leaders Arsenal travel to Manchester City in a clash that could decide the destiny of the title race on Sunday.
The Gunners hold a six-point lead, but City have a game in hand and home advantage when the top two clash at the Etihad Stadium. (JapanToday)
Manchester City issued a huge statement of intent in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s team moved to within six points of leader Arsenal ahead of next weekend’s top of the table clash between the two teams. City also has a game in hand.
Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku all scored in a blistering second-half performance at Stamford Bridge as City took full advantage of Arsenal’s shock defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.
“We know that we still have everything in our hands,” Doku said.
Tottenham’s survival fight took another blow after a 1-0 loss to Sunderland left it rooted in the relegation zone.
In coach Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge, Spurs fell to a 16th league loss of the season. Its 14-game winless run in the league dates back to Jan. 1.
Nordi Mukiele’s deflected shot sealed the game at the Stadium of Light and plunged Tottenham’s campaign deeper into crisis.
Tottenham is two points adrift of safety with six games to go. Its plight wasn’t helped by relegation-fighting Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.
Crystal Palace came back from 1-0 down to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
While Arsenal’s form has hit a slump at the worst possible time, City made it three statement wins in a row after rolling over Chelsea.
Victory followed triumph against Arsenal in the English League Cup final and the 4-0 rout of Liverpool in the FA Cup last week.
While those three results all came in different competitions, City’s charge has an ominous feel about it after twice chasing down Arsenal’s lead to win the title in 2023 and ’24.
Second-placed City has the chance to cut the gap at the top to three points with victory against Arsenal at the Etihad. Guardiola called for respect for Arsenal when looking ahead to that title showdown.
“They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult, imagine beating them twice in a few weeks,” Guardiola said. “I would like to say to my fans — respect Arsenal a lot, they are an extraordinary team. Come to join us from minute one because the players will do the maximum.”
Rayan Cherki was the inspiration at Stamford Bridge — setting up goals for O’Reilly six minutes after halftime and Guehi in the 57th.
Doku rounded off the win in the 68th.
The result didn’t help Chelsea’s bid to qualify for the Champions League, leaving it four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.
Liam Rosenior’s team has won just one of its last seven league games.
Now on its third coach of the season, it’s more than three months since its last league win and just one point from a possible 24. This was a seventh defeat in eight games.
If the hope was that De Zerbi would provide an immediate bounce in form after replacing Igor Tudor, it didn’t come in a typically toothless display at Sunderland.
While the new coach could point to bad luck, given the nature of Mukiele’s 61st-minute winner, which took a wicked deflection off Micky van de Ven, his team rarely looked like finding a way back into the match — even during 11 minutes of added time at the end.
An injury to Cristian Romero made a bad day worse for Spurs, which next faces Brighton, one of De Zerbi’s former clubs.
Forest moved three points clear of Spurs after a draw at the City Ground. Neco Williams’ long-range shot leveled the game after a Murillo own-goal gave Villa the lead. (JapanToday)
Holders Paris Saint-Germain, record 15-time winners Real Madrid and Arsenal surged into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday, while Sporting produced a brilliant comeback in Portugal to end Bodo/Glimt’s remarkable run.
PSG appear to be coming back into the form which saw them win the Champions League for the first time in their history last season, as the French club crushed Chelsea 3-0 in London to claim a comprehensive 8-2 aggregate victory in their last-16 tie.
Chelsea had been left with a mountain to climb after a late collapse in last week’s first leg, and PSG quickly snuffed out any chance the English club had.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia followed his first-leg double by opening the scoring on six minutes at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr misjudging a long ball on his Champions League debut and then being outmuscled by the Georgian who applied the finish.
Bradley Barcola fired in a brilliant second goal from an Achraf Hakimi assist, and the home fans were streaming for the exits when substitute Senny Mayulu swept in PSG’s third on the night just after the hour.
“We clearly dominated, we are very happy to be in the quarter-finals and I think it is well deserved,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus.
PSG’s fourth victory against English opposition in a two-legged knockout tie since the start of last year sets up a last-eight tie against Liverpool or Galatasaray, who meet on Wednesday at Anfield with the Turkish side leading 1-0 from the first leg.
Two-time European champions Chelsea were not the only English club to be eliminated on Tuesday, with Manchester City losing 2-1 at home to Real as they went out 5-1 on aggregate.
Real led 3-0 from the first leg in Spain, where Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick, and their qualification was never in doubt after City’s Bernardo Silva was sent off on 20 minutes for stopping a goalbound Vinicius Junior shot on the line with his arm.
Vinicius converted the penalty, and Pep Guardiola’s side had too much to do, even if Erling Haaland levelled the scores on the night before half-time with his 30th goal this season.
Real replaced Thibaut Courtois with Andriy Lunin in goal at half-time, and the tie was over long before Vinicius scored again in stoppage time to seal the win on the night.
“All of us players know that the good games are coming and when Madrid play in this competition, everything changes,” said Vinicius, as Real knocked City out for the third season running.
Real are almost certain to face Bayern Munich in a heavyweight quarter-final, with the Germans 6-1 up against Atalanta before Wednesday’s return match.
Premier League leaders Arsenal’s dream of a quadruple remains alive after they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium for a 3-1 aggregate success.
They had needed a late penalty to draw in Germany last week, and finished the tie off in the return with goals either side of half-time from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice.
Eze broke the deadlock with a long-range rocket late in the first half and Rice’s composed finish killed off Leverkusen.
“We had four or five situations where we should have scored a third but overall we fully deserved to win and be into the quarter-finals,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta.
His team now face Manchester City in the English League Cup final on Sunday, and will play Sporting in the quarter-finals.
The Portuguese champions produced a superb fightback, overturning a 3-0 deficit from last week’s first leg against Bodo/Glimt by beating the Norwegians 5-0 after extra time in Lisbon.
Goncalo Inacio and Pedro Goncalves scored before a Luis Suarez penalty on 78 minutes forced extra time.
Uruguayan full-back Maxi Araujo gave Sporting the lead in the tie for the first time in the 92nd minute, and Rafael Nel made sure of their progress with the fifth right at the end.
Bodo/Glimt’s fantastic run comes to an end as Sporting reach the quarters of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 1983. (JapanToday)
Arsenal stayed in control of the Premier League title race with a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, with 16-year-old Max Dowman’s solo goal in stoppage time making him the competition’s youngest ever scorer.
In a dramatic finish at Emirates Stadium, Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 89th minute before Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half after a corner was cleared, dribbled around two players, and raced clear to tap into an empty net. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was stranded upfield having gone up for a corner.
It dealt a psychological blow to second-place Manchester City, which headed into the first of two games in hand — at West Ham later Saturday — trailing Arsenal by 10 points.
Dowman, who is still in school, came on in the second half for his third Premier League appearance and also played a part in Gyokeres’ goal.
It was his cross from the right that was missed by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and struck the midriff of Arsenal substitute Piero Hincapie. The ball bounced across the goalmouth and Gyokeres applied the finishing touch from close range.
“He stays so calm and without fear every time he gets the ball,” Gyokeres said of Dowman. “He takes the right decision most of the time as well and with the goal, he definitely took the right one.”
In a breakthrough season for the English soccer prodigy, Dowman became the second-youngest player — behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri — to feature in the Premier League after making his debut against Leeds in August.
In November, he became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.
Across London, Chelsea lost 1-0 to Newcastle thanks to an 18th-minute goal by Anthony Gordon.
Chelsea stayed in fifth place but could be overtaken by Liverpool, which hosts struggling Tottenham on Sunday.
Burnley is running out of time and hope in the Premier League.
A 0-0 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday left next-to-last Burnley — one of the many U.S.-owned teams in England’s top division — eight points from safety with just eight games remaining this season and facing an immediate return to the Championship.
Burnley has won just four of its 30 league games.
Sunderland, another promoted team, appears to be safe from relegation but is limping toward the end of the season after a third straight home loss – this time to Brighton 1-0.
The only goal was a bizarre one, with Yankuba Minteh’s mis-hit cross from the byline somehow squeezing in at the near post in the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland hadn’t lost at home until a defeat to Liverpool on Feb. 11. Since then, it has lost to Fulham and now Brighton. (JapanToday)
Federico Valverde scored an unlikely hat-trick as Real Madrid trounced Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie Wednesday, while holders Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2.
Premier League leaders Arsenal snatched a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen to preserve their unbeaten record in Europe this season, while Bodo/Glimt continued their fairytale run with a 3-0 win over Sporting.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s record 15-time European champions avenged their loss to City in the league phase as Valverde struck three times in the first half to hand Madrid full control of the tie despite the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappe.
Valverde ran onto a long kick from Thibaut Courtois and dribbled past Gianluigi Donnarumma to slot home and give Madrid the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu against City as the teams met in a knockout tie for the fifth season running.
The Uruguayan midfielder arrowed a low drive into the far corner to double Madrid’s advantage and then completed his hat-trick with a sublime touch and finish after linking up with Brahim Diaz.
City could have suffered an ever heavier defeat but Donnarumma saved a second-half penalty from Vinicius Junior after the City goalkeeper brought down the Brazilian.
PSG have one foot in the quarter-finals after two late goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola fired PSG in front but Malo Gusto’s scruffy effort skipped past Matfei Safonov to bring Chelsea level.
Ousmane Dembele finished off a clinical counter to restore the lead for the hosts before half-time, only for Enzo Fernandez to reply once more for Chelsea after excellent work from Pedro Neto.
A mistake from Filip Jorgensen saw Vitinha lob the Chelsea goalkeeper to put PSG on top for the third time, with Kvaratskhelia hammering in a superb fourth and then potentially applying the fatal blow for Luis Enrique’s side in stoppage time.
Despite an unprecedented six English teams featuring in the last 16, not a single one won and only two avoided defeat in Europe this week.
Arsenal needed an 89th-minute penalty from Kai Havertz against his former club to snatch a draw away to Bayer Leverkusen.
Robert Andrich headed in a corner for Leverkusen moments into the second half to leave Arsenal, who won all eight of their league phase matches, staring at defeat in Germany.
But Havertz came off the bench and converted from the spot after a foul on Noni Madueke to ensure Arsenal remain favourites to reach the quarter-finals.
“I know how hard it is to come here… and we knew what to expect,” said Havertz.
“We didn’t play our best today. But we’re going home with a good result. We need to step on the gas next week.”
Bodo/Glimt enjoyed another remarkable Champions League night as they swept Portugal’s Sporting aside 3-0 to register their fifth win in a row in the competition.
Sondre Brunstad Fet put Bodo ahead from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark and Ole Didrik Blomberg made it two in first-half injury time.
Kasper Hogh scored his fifth goal in as many European games with 19 minutes remaining to spark wild celebrations for the Norwegian underdogs. (JapanToday)
Championship side Southampton reached the FA Cup quarterfinals with a shock 1-0 win against Fulham on Sunday.
Ross Stewart’s ice-cool penalty in stoppage-time at Craven Cottage sealed Southampton’s fifth-round upset.
It was an embarrassing loss for Fulham manager Marco Silva, who paid the price for a selection gamble that backfired.
Silva made nine changes to following a disappointing 1-0 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League earlier this week, but his switches failed to produce the desired result.
Southampton won it in the first minute of stoppage-time when Finn Azaz was fouled by Fulham defender Joachim Andersen and Stewart drilled his spot-kick past Benjamin Lecomte.
Relegated from the Premier League last season, they are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2022.
Southampton’s success served as a fitting tribute to the greatest day in the club’s history.
Their players wore a yellow commemorative kit to mark 50 years since they wore the same shirts when Bobby Stokes’ sealed then second-tier Southampton’s shock 1976 FA Cup final win against Manchester United at Wembley.
Southampton’s current crop still have a way to go to emulate the achievement of Lawrie McMenemy’s men.
But Tonda Eckert’s side are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions as they chase FA Cup glory and a place in the Championship play-offs.
Later on Sunday, Sunderland travel to Port Vale, who sit bottom of League One, and Leeds host second-tier Norwich, while West Ham meet Brentford on Monday.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool have already booked their places in the quarterfinals. (JapanToday)
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior said Friday he has no fixed number one goalkeeper after dropping Robert Sanchez from his starting line-up in midweek.
The English manager brought in Denmark’s Filip Jorgensen for the 4-1 victory at Aston Villa days after Sanchez, who has been the first choice this season, struggled in a defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Rosenior was asked on the eve of Chelsea’s FA Cup tie against second-tier Wrexham to explain his goalkeeping policy.
“For me, genuinely, I look at the goalkeeper position maybe differently for each game,” he said. “I want there to be competition in every area of the pitch.
“I know traditionally if there’s a change of goalkeeper it’s like ‘He’s now the number one’. It’s not the case, it’s not the case at all.
“So we will try and pick the best team possible for each game.”
Rosenior played down potential fears over rhythm and confidence.
“You need continuity, but you need to win games of football,” he said. “There’s different ways, modern coaching or old school or anything.
“I will pick the team I think is best to win each game. I don’t think I’ve kept the same 11 in any game that we’ve played.
“Now, people can say we need continuity, and if we lose, then we don’t have enough continuity. If we win, then it’s the right decision.”
Rosenior, who took charge at Stamford Bridge in January, said Spain’s Sanchez had reacted well to being dropped.
“I’ve spoken about (winger Alejandro) Garnacho and the way he’s responded to not being in the team,” he said.
“If we’re going to be successful, I’m sure in the short and long term you need a group, you need a squad with the right mentality and Rob so far has been absolutely magnificent in that.”
Rosenior said he was expecting a tough battle in Saturday’s fifth-round tie at Hollywood-backed Wrexham, who have enjoyed three successive promotions and are now in a Championship play-off spot.
“When you see a club grow, develop, improve and come up through the leagues, it’s a great story,” said the Chelsea boss as he paid tribute to Wrexham counterpart Phil Parkinson.
“They’ve done a great job, I think Phil’s done an incredible job…We know it’s going to be a really difficult game. It’s a club that’s ( on the rise and there’s a good energy in them.” (Channels)
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