Europe Positions Set After Final Match Results: Chelsea Returns To Champions League; Bitter End For Aston Villa; Newcastle Slips In Despite Loss; Seagulls Left Out of Europe; Sunderland Returns

Chelsea will be back in the Champions League next season for the first time since their controversial ownership change. The Blues won five of their last six matches, never conceding more than a goal in their victories as Manager Enzo Maresca wielded a choking defense to make up for a largely silent attacking force. A defender scored the winning goal in a second consecutive 1-0 victory as Levi Colwill was in the right place at the right time for Chelsea to capitalize on a Nottingham Forest mistake. A poorly headed clearance attempted by Nottingham Forest defender Neco Williams fell to Chelsea’s Pedro Neto who found Colwill for the easy tap in.

The Tricky Trees’ disappointing end to the season reflected a thin roster which lost steam as the finish line of the long season came into view. Sunday’s defeat marked a fourth defeat in a final eight match stretch where Nottingham Forest won but twice. A seventh-place finish and a berth in the Europa Conference League, however, is still a remarkable story for a club which risked relegation right up to the final match of last season.

Chelsea’s ownership, which took control in May 2022 after the forced divestment by former owner Roman Abramovich, can finally claim some validation for its strategy of exorbitant investment in often unproven young stars. Every player used by Chelsea this season was less than 28 years old, the first time that has happened in Premier League history. Twenty-three-year-old Moises Caicedo, who joined the club for the 2023/24 Premier League season for the highest ever transfer fee at the time after one breakout year at Brighton, was a prime example of that investment strategy. Caicedo was a central figure in the club’s success this season, becoming the first Chelsea midfielder since Frank Lampard a decade ago to start all 38 Premier League games. Meanwhile, often maligned goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, a teammate of Caicedo’s when both were at Brighton,  finished with the highest save percentage in the Premier League. Having secured fourth place in the Premier League, Chelsea can now grab some silverware should the Blues defeat Real Bettis in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Manchester City was the other one of the five remaining Champions League contenders entering the final weekend to prove their mettle with a win on Sunday. The Citizens ended what was a disappointing season by their standards by defeating Fulham 2-0 to secure third place in the league table and a Champions League berth for a 15th consecutive season. After Omar Marmoush’s missed penalty kick in the FA Cup final, Erling Haaland converted from the spot for Sunday’s second goal. Ilkay Gundogan scored the first goal and drew the foul leading to Haaland’s clincher, helping ensure teammate Kevin De Bruyne finished on a winning note in his final Premier League match for Manchester City.

In addition to Nottingham Forest, two other clubs competing for a Champions League invitation were losers on Sunday. The ramifications were different for those two clubs, however. Aston Villa was the big loser, falling to Manchester United 2-0, a loss which leaves Aston Villa sixth and consigned to a Europa League berth. A win or draw would have elevated Aston Villa to fifth position and Champions League because Newcastle also fumbled on the final day, 1-0 to Everton. The Magpies will enjoy the riches of Champions League competition, however, because of a better goal differential than Aston Villa with both clubs sitting on 66 points for the season.

While Aston Villa was victimized by poor officiating on Sunday, Manger Unai Emery’s side was also its own worst enemy. A ludicrous challenge by Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez in first half stoppage time reduced Aston Villa to 10 men. Still, the desperate club kept the match scoreless and then appeared to score midway through the second half when Morgan Rogers took a bobbled ball from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and deposited it in the net. Referee Thomas Bramhall, however, incorrectly ruled the keeper had control. Since the referee also blew his whistle before the ball entered the net, it was not reviewable by VAR. Villa would file a complaint on Monday regarding the use of an inexperienced referee for a hugely important match. Amad Diallo scored just two minutes after the disallowed Rogers goal to put the Red Devils ahead. Christian Erickson would later add a penalty kick after Diallo was taken down in the box, a second referee decision which Emery disputed. Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes were thus dashed and Newcastle backed into Europe’s elite competition despite dropping their season finale, 1-0 at home to Everton. Newcastle fans were thus undeterred from celebrating an outstanding season which included a Carabao Cup trophy for the Magpies. Aston Villa supporters, meanwhile, were crushed. If there is any bright side, the Villans will be competing in the Europa League led by the competition’s most successful manager. Emery has won the Europa League four different times.

The Premier League trophy was lifted Sunday at Anfield by champions Liverpool following a meaningless 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. Unfortunately, the succeeding day’s parade and celebration was marred by a motorist plowing into paradegoers, injuring 27 celebrants. Terrorism appeared to be ruled out, but it was a horrible incident for supporters who were deprived of proper celebrations after Liverpool’s last title in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.

Another trophy was tarnished Sunday when Tottenham Hotspur returned to form in a 4-1 loss to Brighton. Spurs, Wednesday’s winners of this year’s shambolically poor Europa League, lost for the 22nd time in Premier League play this season. Unfortunately for victorious Brighton, however, eighth place was not good enough this season to earn a berth in Europe though supporters can still applaud an excellent debut by their 32-year-old manager Fabian Hurzeler as the Seagulls fell just one short of their club record Premier League point total.

With a wrap on this season, the Premier League now welcomes promoted sides Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland back to the league. Sunderland won a playoff versus Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley on Saturday and will return to the Premier League after for the first time since a 2017 relegation. The Black Cats have suffered some trying times, much of it documented on Netflix. Seven different managers came and went over seven years before the club found its way back to the top tier under Manager Regis Le Bris. The young Frenchman’s appointment last summer followed upon a largely unsuccessful run of ten successive English manager appointments by the Black Cats. 

It Is Down To This

Chaos reigns in the Premier League races for Europe entering the final matches of the season this coming Sunday. Currently the top seven clubs have qualified to play somewhere in Europe. Other than Liverpool and now Arsenal, however, the other five clubs do not have clarity as to which of the three continental tournaments they will be competing in. In addition to pride and recruiting value, there is enormous financial gain for clubs playing in the premier Champions League competition. Three of the five remaining contenders will fill out the five Champions League spots allotted to the league. The other two clubs are guaranteed a yet to be determined place in the less prestigious and certainly less lucrative Europa League or Conference League competitions.

Currently only three points separate third place Manchester City from seventh place Nottingham Forest. Beyond the top seven clubs in the table, the bottom half of the table will also contribute two unlikely European participants next season for a total of nine Premier League clubs certain to be playing in Europe next year. Either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will play in the Champions League as the winner of today’s Europa League final despite those two finalists being the worst Premier League teams not to be relegated this season and each establishing new club records for Premier League losses.

And then there is Crystal Palace. The Eagles won the first major title in their club’s history by defeating Manchester City 1-0 last week for the FA Cup. That win not only comes with silverware but earns Crystal Palace a place in the Europa League next season. That is terrific news for the Eagles but not so much for their hated rival Brighton, currently eighth in the Premier League table and seemingly on track for Europe if Manchester City had taken care of business. Manchester City will qualify for either Champions League or Europa League by virtue of its table position. Thus, a Europa League invitation awarded to the Citizens as FA Cup winners would have defaulted to the next eligible club in the Premier League table, expanding the number of seats for the league at the European table.

With Crystal Palace, a bottom half side, now clinging tightly to the invitation, it is now most likely, though not certain, that only seven clubs (five to Champions League, one to Europa League, one to Conference League) will go to Europe based on their league standing, joining the Europa League winner and Crystal Palace for a total of nine Premier League teams headed to Europe. There is still hope, however, for the eighth-place Premier League club, currently Brighton with Brentford still in the picture, to qualify and send 10 clubs, or half of the Premier League, to Europe. Chelsea is the key to those hopes which require the Blues to win the current year’s Conference League final next week against Real Bettis AND also, under the clearest scenario, finish seventh in the table (A tenth Europe spot would also free up if Conference League winning Chelsea were sixth and EFL Cup winning Newcastle finishes seventh, but don’t ask…). In the simplest case, if Chelsea earns a Europa League spot for winning the current Conference League title and also earns the Premier League’s Conference League berth for next year, based on present league standing, that latter ticket would be passed on to the eighth-place finisher. Chelsea, of course, is still focused on earning a Champions League berth and that means winning away at seventh place Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The Blues got a goal from their surprising 2025 scoring leader, fullback Marc Cucurella to capture a 1-0 win over Manchester United last Friday and Nottingham Forest then edged West Ham 2-1 on Sunday to set up a massive final Sunday at the City Ground.

Aston Villa, currently level on points with Newcastle and Chelsea, rolled to a 2-0 win last Sunday over a Tottenham Hotspur side which long ago gave up caring about its Premier League schedule. Incredibly, Tottenham Hotspur has lost 21 matches in the Premier League this season and yet Manager Ange Postecoglou, currently embroiled in nasty relations with both supporters and media, could perpetrate a travesty this week by delivering a long-sought trophy for the north London club which sits 17th in the Premier League table.

Villa, meanwhile, now faces the other Europa League finalist in Manchester United, already an 18-time loser in the league, on Sunday. Newcastle, a loser last Sunday, is level on points with Chelsea and Aston Villa, though holding a goal differential advantage on both.

Arsenal became the second club after Liverpool to nail down a Champions League invite when Declan Rice’s goal proved the difference in a 1-0 win over Newcastle at the Emirates. Arsenal will be on the beach at Southampton this weekend while Newcastle returns home to face Everton as the Magpies make a final push for Champions League. Manchester City, now third in the table after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, could be tested in its season finale at Craven Cottage versus Fulham. The Cottagers established a new club record Premier League point total by inflicting a damaging loss on Brentford last weekend. Brentford’s only hope to recapture eighth place, which may or may not mean anything, is to win at Wolves while Brighton is upset by unmotivated Tottenham Hotspur. If Chelsea has a good day Sunday, all is lost for either Brighton or Brentford.

Premier League: Match Week 37 Preview

The penultimate Match Day of the Premier League season extends from Friday until next Tuesday and surrounds an FA Cup final this weekend. Both Friday games have bearing on an entertaining chase for Champions League qualification. Chelsea and Aston Villa are level on points in fifth and sixth position in the table, Chelsea holding a goal differential advantage. Unfortunately for Aston Villa, only the top five clubs in the table are assured a Champions League berth. Both clubs face a couple of frauds on Friday. Villa hosts Tottenham Hotspur while Chelsea is home to Manchester United. Spurs and United play in the Europa Cup final this Wednesday to determine which will become the worst, by virtue of domestic table standing, ever winner of the Europa and its predecessor UEFA Cup. Aston Villa and Chelsea will both be heavily favored at home and to take their Champions League quest into the final weekend though Chelsea is playing these last two weeks without suspended striker Nicolas Jackson. Aston Villa will play Manchester United in its season finale while Chelsea could face a do or die match at Nottingham Forest.

Taiwo Awoniyi

The Tricky Trees are in a panicked tailspin which took a dark turn in a draw with Leicester last week. Not only did they drop points, but their owner stormed the pitch to engage in a heated discussion with Manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The club has indicated owner Evangelos Marinakis was upset, not at the result, but at the handling of an injury to Taiwo Awoniyi. The forward was allowed to continue playing despite being in obvious pain and unable to contribute after colliding with the post on a goal attempt. Awoniyi’s later emergency surgery and induced coma has added horror to the volatile mix. While praying for their teammate’s recovery, Nottingham Forest players will face West Ham on Sunday with victory essential to their receding Champions League hopes. The Tricky Trees are a point behind Chelsea and Aston Villa after winning just one of their last six Premier League matches.

Arsenal has also won just one of six Premier League matches, has not yet clinched Champions League entering the weekend matches, and could fall out of its accustomed second position in the table. The Gunners could back into their Champions League berth with a stumble by either Aston Villa or Chelsea on Friday. Second place will be on the line, however, when Arsenal host Newcastle on Sunday. The Magpies are two points behind the Gunners. The two clubs have already played four matches across all competitions this season with Newcastle having won three of those matches.

Manchester City, fourth in the table, will not play its league match until Tuesday as the Citizens will face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final on Saturday. The opportunity for silverware is rightfully foremost in the mind of City supporters right now. Manchester City, however, could return to the pitch next Tuesday on the outside looking in on Champions League qualification. Aston Villa and Chelsea could both pass Manchester City in the table before the Citizens play their match in hand against Bournemouth. Tuesday’s match at the Etihad will mark the final home appearance for Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne.

Two other notable goodbyes will take place Sunday when Everton plays its final match at Goodison Park and Jamie Vardy pulls on a Leicester kit at King Power Stadium for the final time. The match results will pale in significance when Everton hosts Southampton and Leicester hosts Ipswich Town.

This week’s match results are extremely critical for supporters of clubs jockeying for the final place in Europe. The Europa Conference League berth, expected to go to the Premier League’s eighth place finisher, is currently in the hands of Brentford which has a goal differential advantage over Brighton with both clubs locked on 55 points. Bournemouth remains hopeful, two points back of the Bees and Seagulls. Fulham is four points removed from Brentford, but the Cottagers visit the Bees on Sunday.

Brighton, meanwhile, will host Liverpool on Monday. The Seagulls should be catching Liverpool at the right time as the Reds look ahead to closing out their championship season at home the following week and celebrating with a parade a week from Monday. Crystal Palace supporters are over the moon for their club’s third visit to an FA Cup final on Saturday. Tuesday’s meaningless match versus Wolverhampton is thus less than an afterthought for the Eagles.

Premier League Match Week 36 Results: Newcastle Moves Up With Win Over Chelsea; Saints Surprise Manchester City; Watkins Becomes All Time Scorer In Aston Villa Win; Nottingham Forest Drops Points As Owner Goes Mad; Brentford and Brighton Race For Eighth; Farcical Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United Stumble Toward Europa League Final

Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brentford  and Brighton improved their chances for Europe while other contenders stumbled over the weekend. Newcastle won for the seventh time in its last nine matches, defeating ten-man Chelsea 2-0 at St. James’s Park. The Magpies wasted no time taking the lead when Sandro Tonali found the net less than two minutes into the contest. Visiting Chelsea was then further disadvantaged when Nicolas Jackson lost his mind and swung a vicious  forearm into the face of Magpie defender Sven Botman. Jackson’s red card  put his team down a man and got him suspended for Chelsea’s final two matches. Surprisingly, shorthanded Chelsea had the better of chances after Jackson’s departure, particularly in the second half, but were unable to find an equalizer which would have kept them level on points with the Magpies.

Newcastle sealed the verdict on Bruno Guimares’s 90th minute strike and finished the weekend third in the Premier League table as Manchester City was shockingly held to a goalless draw at Southampton. The Saints parked the bus and Manchester City was unable to unpark it. Southampton did not take a single shot on target, sat back and  stymied a lifeless Manchester City attack. The point, the first one Southampton had earned at St. Mary’s Park since November, gives Southampton 12 points on the season, one more than the infamous Derby total of 11 which is the lowest point total in Premier League history. The shared result could have a more pragmatic impact, however, on Manchester City. The Citizens slipped to fourth place after their own dropped points and Newcastle’s win, just two points clear of both Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Six clubs are battling for the four remaining Champions League places, champion Liverpool having already claimed one of the prized appointments. Now bringing up the rear of that parade of clubs contending for Europe’s top competition is Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees inexcusably dropped points in a 2-2 draw with already relegated and usually hopeless Leicester when the Foxes’ Facundo Buonanotte scored an equalizer in the 81st minute to damage Nottingham Forest’s Champions League chances. Forest’s chances to regain the lead were damaged by a case of poor management and/or miscommunication that  brought Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos  Marinakis, onto the pitch to publicly remonstrate with his manager after the match. Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi injured himself colliding with the post but was left on the pitch, limping and ineffective, while Santo used his last substitution elsewhere. Santo pointed to poor communication from medical staff regarding Awoniyi’s fitness. Awoniyi underwent surgery Tuesday for a serious abdominal injury suffered in the collision. Marinakis was unhappy with everyone, and the strain is beginning to show for everyone involved as the Tricky Trees now have just one win from their last seven matches. Marinakis has been disciplined twice on previous occasions by the Premier League for his post-match tantrums on the pitch or in the tunnel. The emotional ending obscured the fact that Nottingham Forest clinched a spot in Europe, even if it is not the hoped-for Champions League, with Saturday’s point. It will be the first time Nottingham Forest will play in Europe since the 1995/96 season.

Aston Villa were the beneficiaries of the Tricky Trees’ dropped points as the Villans sailed by Nottingham Forest and drew level on points with fifth place Chelsea, the Blues still clinging to a goal differential advantage, after Ollie Watkins delivered a 1-0 win over Bournemouth with his first half stoppage time goal. Watkins has curiously lost his status as a mainstay in Manager Unai Emery’s lineup and had started only four of the last ten games for the club. His winner on Saturday, however, was hugely important for club and player. The three points kept Aston Villa in the Champions League chase with its final two matches scheduled against disinterested Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. Watkins, meanwhile, became Aston Villa’s all-time scoring leader with his 75th goal for the team. Bournemouth entered the weekend in possession of eighth place and a presumed Europa Conference League berth but has now fallen to tenth after the Cherries’ loss and victories by Brentford and Brighton.

Brentford’s 1-0 win over Ipswich Town was the club’s fourth consecutive Premier League win and moved the Bees into eighth place, ahead of Brighton on goal differential. The Seagulls kept pace with a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton. Brighton’s Danny Welbeck converted a penalty kick in the Seagulls’ victory for his tenth goal of the season, his first double digit Premier League output since debuting for Manchester United in 2008.

Fulham’s European dreams, meanwhile, continued to fade after the Cottagers suffered a damaging 3-1 home loss to  Everton. Fulham, four points behind Brentford, will still have a say in matters, however, as they face the Bees next weekend.

There was also a game on Sunday between the Premier League’s current first and second place teams. Unfortunately, the day began and ended with a 15-point gap separating champion Liverpool and fading challenger Arsenal. The champions sprinted to a two-goal advantage by halftime only to have Arsenal make a game of it in the second half for the 2-2 final. Mikel Merino would score the equalizer in the 70th minute for Arsenal only to be sent off nine minutes later, blunting any continued momentum by the Gunners. Liverpool pressed the action from there, substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot curling wide of the post and a goal by the Reds’ Andy Robertson being ruled out  for a foul in the buildup. Alexander-Arnold told supporters this week that he would not be renewing his Liverpool contract with the Liverpool star rumored to be Spain bound to join Real Madrid this summer. The offensive-minded defender was met with a chorus of boos upon his substitution, a sad way to end an illustrious career in red. Arsenal, meanwhile, is still one point away from clinching Champions League football for next season after winning  just one of its last six Premier League matches as the Gunners wind down their season in desultory fashion.

Nothing, however, approaches the travesty that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have made of their Premier League seasons in past weeks. This year’s Europa League finalists are 16th and 17th in the Premier League table, respectively, as they sideline key players in preparation for their European matches. This week’s lucky winners to have these two laggards on their schedule were Crystal Palace and West Ham. Palace defeated Spurs 2-0 to give the Eagles some momentum heading into their FA Cup final next week. West Ham clipped Manchester United by the same 2-0 score, ending an eight-match winless run by the Hammers.  

Premier League Match Week 36 Preview

Once upon a time, Sunday’s match at Anfield between Liverpool and Arsenal would have been highly anticipated as a potential determinant of this year’s Premier League champion. In reality, not so much. Liverpool is already champion, having clinched the Premier League title two weeks ago. Arsenal is 15 points behind the champions and licking its wounds from being bounced from this year’s Champions League on Wednesday by PSG. There are no more trophies or titles still to be won by either side this season.

Beyond pride to play for, there is the mathematical, though highly unlikely, chance that Arsenal could flub its lines in the waning weeks and not secure the necessary two points to qualify for next season’s Champions League. More threatening for the Gunners is a Manchester City side just three points behind the Gunners entering the weekend. Finishing behind Pep Guardiola and his gang once again would leave a particularly bad taste. Manchester City is at bottom of the table Southampton this weekend.

The weekend’s best matches are Chelsea’s visit to Newcastle and the match on the south coast between Bournemouth and Aston Villa. Fourth place Newcastle is level on points and goal differential with Chelsea, the Magpies enjoying only an advantage in goals scored. The loser of Sunday’s match at St. James’s Park will fall out of the Champions League places should Nottingham Forest defeat Leicester. The Tricky Trees will be huge favorites at home against the futile Foxes who have lost 10 of their last 12 matches with only sorrowful Southampton proving inferior to the Foxes in that stretch.

Just a point below Nottingham Forest in the table lurks an Aston Villa side anxious to return to the Champions League for a second consecutive season. Villa has won six of seven matches to threaten such a return, though that one loss was a dispiriting defeat to fellow contender Manchester City. Aston Villa is just three points back of Newcastle and Chelsea in the frantic scramble for Champions League.

There is then a seven point drop off to the second gaggle of squads, led by Bournemouth, scrambling for Europe. The battle for a Europa Conference League, and possibly even a Europa League slot, sees four teams separated by just two points. Bournemouth enters its match with Aston Villa holding onto the eighth position in the table which would mean European qualification  for the Cherries. Manager Andoni Iraola has rallied his squad after their season headed south with a horrendous stretch of four losses in five matches stretching from February to April. The Cherries have since pieced together a five-match unbeaten run punctuated by last week’s win over distracted Arsenal which put the Cherries in the driver’s seat for a Europa Conference League berth. Evanilson has been a key man for Iraola, scoring in five of his last eight Premier League appearances.

Just a point back of Bournemouth are Brentford and Brighton with the Bees making a late run to join this particular dance. Brentford’s dispatch of Manchester United last week marked a third consecutive victory and extended its unbeaten run to five matches. While many Premier League sides seem to endlessly pursue quality goal scorers, Brentford is one of only three clubs in all of Europe, the other two being Bayern Munich and Barcelona, that boasts three players with 10 or more league goals this season. The Bees’ Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade have accomplished that feat for the Bees and, in so doing, have positioned their club for possibly its first ever European qualification. Brentford is at relegated Ipswich Town on Saturday to continue that quest. Brighton conceded a gut wrenching 89th minute penalty equalizer to Newcastle last week and those dropped two points could keep the Seagulls from Europe. The late concession continued a frustrating seven match run in which Brighton has won but once.

The Seagulls will try to make a course correction this week at Wolverhampton. It won’t be easy. Wolves was on a six-match winning run before being edged 1-0 by Manchester City last week. Brighton can take some optimism, however, from the fact that Wolverhampton has lost more home matches this season than any side outside the bottom three.

Three losses in four matches have pushed Fulham outside the top half of the table as the 11th place Cottagers host Everton on Saturday. Fulham could still land in Europe, however, as the Cottagers are just two points behind eighth place Bournemouth. Their opponent on Saturday, meanwhile, has quietly lost steam in recent weeks. Everton Manager David Moyes has, for the most part, been masterful in guiding the Toffees away from any relegation fears. His club, however, has won just one of its last ten matches as they visit Craven Cottage this weekend.

Given that it is a London derby, there should be at least a bit of energy exhibited in the Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace matchup. Not a whole heck of a lot though. Spurs’ whole season centers on its Europa League final with Manchester United in a few weeks. Crystal Palace is 12th in the table which is pretty much where the Eagles always tend to nest. Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final opponent, 15th place Manchester United, has a meaningless fixture with 17th place West Ham on Saturday.

Premier League Match Week 35 Results: Chelsea Topples Liverpool; Bournemouth Wins At Arsenal; Manchester City Tames Wolves; Aston Villa Sends Cottagers Packing; Brentford Continues Late Season Surge With Win Over Manchester United

Cole Palmer ended his 18-match scoring drought as Chelsea took an important step towards next season’s Champions’ League with a 3-1 victory over Liverpool. This year’s Premier League champions lacked spark, energy and interest just a week after clinching the league title and Chelsea were more than happy to take advantage in what was a critical match for the Blues. Five Champions League berths are on the table. Chelsea is in a battle right now with four other clubs for the three Champions League spots not being claimed by Liverpool and Arsenal.

Cole Palmer scored his first goal since January 14, and his teammates were just as hyped as he was 🫶 pic.twitter.com/9025xBIinU

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 4, 2025

Sunday’s win enabled Chelsea to hold onto fifth place in the table which is the final qualifying berth for next season’s Champions League. Their lead over Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa is two and three points, respectively. Chelsea honored Liverpool with a traditional honor guard for the new champions before the match but then showed little respect as Enzo Fernandez scored the opener after just three minutes at Stamford Bridge. It was then Cole Palmer’s drive into the box which created a chaotic sequence that ended with Virgil van Dijk’s attempted clearance ricocheting off teammate Jarrel Quansah into the net for an own goal. After Van Dijk atoned with an 85th minute goal into the correct net, Palmer ended his goal drought to seal the verdict with a stoppage time penalty kick.

Chelsea is level on points with fourth place Newcastle, the clubs separated only by Newcastle’s greater number of goals scored. The Magpies were fortunate to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Brighton when Alexander Isak found the net in the 89th minute for his 23rd Premier League goal of the season. The equalizer came by way of penalty after two earlier penalties awarded to the Magpies were overturned after VAR review. The late capitulation by the Seagulls saw them fall to tenth in the table with Brighton one of four clubs separated by two points in the fight for the eighth spot in the table and a potential Europa Conference League invitation for next season. Newcastle, meanwhile, will face Chelsea next week in  a match with enormous Champions League qualification consequences.

Third place Manchester City opened the weekend’s action on Friday with a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton which moved the Citizens past Newcastle into third place in the table as Kevin De Bruyne’s goal ended a six-match winning run by visiting Wolves.

Nottingham Forest wrapped up Week 35 on Monday with mixed feelings over a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. A late equalizer by Murillo salvaged a valuable point in the crowded Champions League race. The two dropped points, however, leave Forest two points back of fifth place Chelsea and just a point ahead of Aston Villa which defeated Fulham 1-0 on Saturday. The Tricky Trees face lesser opposition in Leicester and West Ham over the next two weeks before what could be a climactic clash with Chelsea at the City Ground on the final day of the season. 

Aston Villa refused to abandon its Champions League hunt with a 1-0 victory over Fulham. A 12th minute goal by Youri Tielemans held up to defeat the flagging Cottagers whose own European hopes, a possible Europa Conference League berth, took another hit. The Cottagers are 11th in the table after their third loss in their last four matches though

Fulham is still just two points south of eighth place Bournemouth and a presumed Conference League invitation. The Cherries took advantage of a seemingly disinterested Arsenal side to defeat the Gunners 2-1 at the Etihad. Manager Mikel Arteta put forth a strong lineup, but his players did not match that with a strong effort as their attention was most likely on Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg with PSG. Things started well enough for the Gunners as Declan Rice found the net in the 34th minute of his 100th appearance for the club. As has happened far too often this season, however, Arsenal was able to grab defeat from the jaws of victory as they largely spectated a comeback which gave Bournemouth a 2-1 win. Dean Huijsen and Evanilson scored second half goals to repeat a pattern which has repeatedly occurred this season for the Gunners. Arsenal has dropped 21 points from a winning position, their most ever in a single Premier League season. Bournemouth celebrated its first ever away victory over Arsenal and now holds the keys to its European qualification.

Hard on the Cherries’ heels, however, are the Bees of Brentford who defeated Manchester United 4-3 for a third straight victory which kept them one point behind Bournemouth in the table. After a Manchester United own goal followed by a Kevin Schade brace, Brentford extended their lead to 4-1 on a 74th minute goal by Yoane Wissa before Manchester United threatened with two late goals. The Red Devils fell short as the 15th place club lost for the fourth time in a current six match winless run.

It seems folly that Manchester United appears headed to a Europa League final where they will likely face the 16th place Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs Manager Ange Postecoglou made eight changes to his lineup for Sunday’s match with West Ham from the team which defeated Bodo/Glimt in Europa League play during the week. The woeful Hammers could not take advantage, however, in a dreary 1-1 London derby which did not speak well of either side. The specter of one of two lowly Premier League sides, either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur, receiving a Champions League berth by winning a largely uncompetitive Europa League this season has spurred debate. Former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger, for example, has suggested that another guaranteed go at the Europa League next year, rather than Champions League football, should be the prize for winning the second-tier competition.

Other Week 35 Premier League matches included Leicester ‘s2-0 win over fellow relegated side Southampton and a 2-2 draw between Everton and relegated Ipswich Town.

Premier League Match Week 35 Preview

One week after clinching its 20th top tier title, Liverpool has the opportunity to inflict damage on Chelsea’s European hopes when the Reds visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Will the champions be motivated or will they be in cruise control for the remaining four matches? Chelsea can only hope for the latter as the Blues battle for a spot in Europe’s top competition next season.

Chelsea still holds the final ticket for next year’s big dance after Nottingham Forest lost to Brentford 2-0 on Thursday. The Blues are fifth on goal differential over a Forest side which is crumbling down the stretch after the Trees lost for a third time in their last four league matches and lost their FA Cup semifinal last weekend. Nottingham Forest and Chelsea coincidentally meet in the final match of the season on May 25th which could possibly decide the final Champions League berth.

Things will not get easier for the faltering Trees, however, when they face Crystal Palace on Monday. Palace is a dangerous opponent as Aston Villa found out in the FA Cup semifinals. Arsenal will also be in spoiler mode this weekend when the Gunners host Bournemouth. The Cherries have been battling Fulham and Brighton for a likely Europa Conference League berth, the final European ticket on the table for Premier League sides. Brighton hosts Newcastle while Fulham heads to Aston Villa.

Brentford also entered the European conversation by beating Nottingham Forest Thursday to inch within two points of eighth place Fulham. The Bees will host Manchester United on Sunday. The Red Devils are 14th in the league table but can earn a Champions League berth for next season by winning the Europa League where they lead their semifinal after one leg over Athletic Club. The Bees should thus have an edge Sunday with Manchester United being far more interested in the second leg versus Athletic Club next week.

Should Manchester United make the Europa League final, it may well find itself facing another Premier League laggard. Tottenham Hotspur rolled over Bodo/Glimpt in its semifinal first leg and, like Manchester United, will try to advance next Thursday. Spurs London derby versus West Ham on Sunday is thus little more than an annoyance for the 16th place club which will be facing a West Ham side which has not won since February. Newcastle and Villa, meanwhile, are trying to earn Champions League with their Premier League performance. Seventh place Aston Villa could quickly fall out of the chase with a loss to Fulham though they would remain in prime position for the Europa League, a competition that Manager Unai Emery has mastered with other clubs in the past.

Newcastle stands third in the table entering its Sunday match at Brighton, the Magpies having won five of their last six matches. Manchester City is fourth, a point better than Chelsea and Nottingham Forest as the Citizens prepare to face streaking Wolverhampton on Friday. Wolves, one-time relegation battlers, have now won six in a row. Manager Vitor Pereira replaced Gary O’ Neil in December when Wolves were 19th in the table. Periera now has the club up to 13th, 20 points clear of the drop line.

The relegation sides are now set as those three teams play out the balance of their miserable seasons in the top tier. Leicester hosts fellow relegation side Southampton. The third club soon to be departed, Ipswich Town, is at Everton on Saturday.

Premier League Match Week 34 Results: Liverpool Is Champion

Liverpool is champion of the Premier League after Sunday’s 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs clinched the Reds’ 20th top tier championship, joining Manchester United as the winningest clubs at the top level of English football. The champions teased their visitors by conceding the first goal at Anfield but then tallied five consecutive times, three before halftime, to clinch their title with a flourish and heap further embarrassment on Spurs’ Manager Ange Postecoglou and his underperforming side. Mo Salah scored his 28th goal of the season in the 63rd minute of the rout to give Liverpool a 4-1 advantage and took time as part of his celebration to take a selfie. Spurs then gifted an own goal for the final score and gave Liverpool fans the opportunity to be present for a league clinching match at home after being denied that opportunity in 2020 due to COVID restrictions.

Manager Arne Slot must be applauded for a fantastically successful managerial transition which no one could have envisioned after the much-loved Jurgen Klopp stepped down after last season. The classy Dutch manager went so far as to shout out appreciation to Klopp on Sunday as he was being showered with champagne. Dominant Liverpool has won 25 times and lost but twice through 34 matches and has held the top position in the table since October.

Things have gone a bit differently for Tottenham Hotspur as Spurs lost for the 19th time this season and sit just two places from the drop line. Postecoglou and his squad have recently put all their focus on the Europa League and no longer seem interested in league play.

Chelsea, meanwhile, demonstrated that they still care as the Blues moved back into the top five with a 1-0 win over Everton. Nicolas Jackson scored his first goal since December in the 27th minute for Chelsea to take over the final Champions League place on goal differential from Nottingham Forest, a situation which could change before Chelsea next takes to the pitch.

The Tricky Trees play their game in hand on Thursday versus Brentford. Forest was busy this weekend losing its FA Cup semifinal to Manchester City by a 2-0 margin. Manchester City advances to a third straight FA Cup final after holding the Trees to a single shot on target.

Waiting for Manchester City at Wembley on May 17th will be Crystal Palace which defeated Aston Villa 3-0, just days after drawing with Arsenal in league play. The Eagles will be competing for the first major piece of silverware in their club’s history. Villa’s focus now turns fully to their quest for a Champions League berth for next season. Manager Unai Emery’s side are one of the five clubs fighting for the three Champions League slots after Liverpool and Arsenal. Manchester City defeated Aston Villa in a key league match on Tuesday to move up to fourth in the table.

Newcastle is third in the table after spanking Ipswich Town 3-0 on Saturday to seal the Tractor Boys’ relegation. The other two relegated sides, Leicester and Southampton, also lost as has usually been the case. Wolverhampton, itself a relegation candidate earlier this season, won a sixth consecutive match in a 3-0 pasting of the Foxes as Leicester failed to score for the 16th time this season. Fulham were 2-1 winners over the Saints, a crucial outcome for the Cottagers who are in a three-way battle with Brighton and Bournemouth for what is likely to be the final European invitation for the Premier League.

Brighton ended a five-match winless run  by defeating West Ham 3-2 on a stoppage time goal by the Seagulls’ Carlos Baleba after Kaoru Mitoma had tied the match for Brighton in  the 89th minute. This latest collapse extends West Ham’s hunt for a win to two months. Bournemouth is a point back of deadlocked Fulham and Brighton after the Cherries were held to a 1-1 draw at home versus Manchester United. Rasmus Hojlund scored in the 96th minute to endanger the Cherries’ chances for Europe. Bournemouth must now face Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City before the Cherries get Leicester in their final match.

Premier League: Match Week 34 Preview

Matheus Nunes

Manchester City moved back into third place in the Premier League table with a statement 2-1 win over surging Aston Villa on Tuesday. The Citizens captured all three points in dramatic fashion as Matheus Nunes struck a stoppage time winner for the difference in a match between two clubs vying for a top five finish and Champions League qualification. Villa had won five consecutive league matches before Nunez captured his first Premier League goal of the season on Tuesday. Manchester City moved to third in the table though having played one additional match than its three nearest pursuers.

Aston Villa now trails fifth place Newcastle by two points with the Magpies likely to extend that advantage with their Saturday match versus Ipswich Town. If the Tractor Boys lose as expected at St. James Park, their relegation will be confirmed and history made by all three relegated sides being mathematically eliminated with four matches still to be played.

Shortly after the Magpies and Tractor Boys play, Aston Villa will return to the pitch versus Crystal Palace in one of the two FA Cup semifinals this weekend. Palace came back twice on Wednesday to draw 2-2 with Arsenal. The dropped points by the Gunners means Liverpool needs only a draw at Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday to clinch the Premier League title.

At the same time on Sunday, Manchester City will play the other FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest, the club it passed in the league standings on Tuesday. Forest’s league game in hand will be played against Brentford at the City Ground on Thursday.

Chelsea could potentially push the Tricky Trees outside of the top five should the Blues defeat Everton on Saturday. Everton will be looking for its first Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge since 1994.

In the race for a possible Europa Conference League berth, eighth place Bournemouth will host a poor Manchester United side. The Cherries are seeking to become the sixth Premier League team this season to win both league matches against the Red Devils, the most “doubles” by Red Devil opponents in  a single campaign since the 1930’s.

Fulham and Brighton, each one point behind the Cherries, will play Southampton and West Ham, respectively. Southampton posted a clean sheet versus Fulham in the reverse fixture, one of only two whitewashings of opponents that the Saints have recorded in the league this season. Brighton will be looking for its first league victory since March 8th when it faces the Hammers on Saturday. West Ham’s drought, however, extends back to February. Having secured their Premier League survival last weekend, Wolverhampton will host one-time relegation flat mate Leicester at Molineux Stadium. The Foxes’ fate was also determined last weekend with their mathematical relegation.

Premier League Match Week 33 Results: Title Not Clinched But Another Straggler Goes Down - Liverpool and Arsenal Both Win; Chelsea Relegates Leicester; Aston Villa Stuns Newcastle; Wolves Clinch Safety; Nottingham Forest Retakes Third With Win At Spurs

The title “race” continues as both Liverpool and Arsenal won this weekend, preventing Liverpool from claiming its well-deserved title. While Liverpool’s eventual crowning is yet to officially happen due to Arsenal’s victory, it is all over for Leicester after their 1-0 loss to the league leaders. A well-earned relegation became official on a day that Leicester failed to score for a ninth consecutive home match at King Power Stadium. The Foxes could not even put a single shot off on target on Sunday. Yeesh.

Arsenal was also little troubled at Ipswich Town in a 4-1 victory. To his credit Arsenal Manger Mikel Arteta played a strong side to delay Liverpool’s clinching for another week. Ipswich Town, which has won but once this season at its Portman Road home, inched closer to officially joining Leicester and Southampton in the one and done club. Ironically, it was the already relegated Southampton side which kept Ipswich Town alive for now with a 1-1 draw with West Ham. The Hammers fell to 17th in the table as the Graham Potter experience continues to trend badly.

Wolverhampton leapt over the Hammers and ensured their own safety in a 1-0 win over Manchester United as the success of Wolves Manager Vitor Pereira stands in stark contrast to the futility of Potter. Pereira took over a team in the relegation zone in December and now has them 17 points clear of the drop after their fifth consecutive victory on Sunday. Wolverhampton is now level on points with  a Manchester United club which has long since given up on its own Premier League season. The Red Devils 15th Premier League loss on Sunday is the most in a season by Manchester United in 35 years. And yet that’s still three fewer losses than shambolic Tottenham Hotspur has posted in the Premier League this season. Only clubs in the relegation zone have more losses than a Spurs side which was once again booed off the pitch at halftime in a 2-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest. The victory by the Tricky Trees snapped a two-match losing run and launched the club back into third place in the Premier League table.

🤯 pic.twitter.com/5bzSCaGLYR

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 21, 2025

Newcastle fell back to fourth after a 4-1 capitulation to Aston Villa which put a halt to a four-match winning run by the Magpies. Sunday’s match was important for Newcastle, but Aston Villa needed it more and played with a greater sense of urgency. Striker Ollie Watkins openly talked of his anger at being left out of the lineup for the midweek match with PSG which eliminated Aston Villa from Champions League. A motivated Watkins was back in the lineup on Saturday and announced himself with a goal one minute into the match. The Villans extended their own winning run to five matches to remain in the thick of the hunt for Champions League qualification.

Beyond Liverpool and Arsenal, there are five clubs now in the chase for the three remaining berths in Europe’s top competition. Villa and Chelsea are locked on 57 points, three points below third place Nottingham Forest. Before climbing to the Trees, however, those clubs first would need to get by Newcastle and Manchester City who are fourth and fifth in the table after the weekend’s action.

Manchester City struggled to overcome a determined Everton at Goodison Park but late goals in the 84th minute and in stoppage time delivered the needed 2-0 result which kept the Citizens in possession of the final Champions League berth for now. Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of whom will be playing in FA Cup semifinals this weekend, now face each other in a titanic clash on Tuesday.

Nottingham Forest, another FA semifinal participant, will then face Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The Eagles ended their staggering concession of ten consecutive goals to opponents in a goalless draw with Bournemouth on Saturday. Last week’s win over Fulham was the only victory for the Cherries in their last eight matches as they hold onto European hopes only due to the failures of other clubs. The draw leaves Bournemouth alone in eighth position, usually the final European qualification slot, one point ahead of Fulham and Brighton who both lost on the weekend. Fulham held a 1-0 halftime lead on Sunday over a Chelsea club which was booed off the pitch by away supporters at the interval. The Blues  were once again looking into the maws of defeat for a second straight week before responding late once again in a 2-1 win over the Cottagers. Chelsea had looked miserable for much of a 2-2 draw with lowly Ipswich Town the week before until two late goals salvaged a point. This week, all three points were claimed with Pedro Neto’s stoppage time match winner. Elsewhere in London, Brentford handled Brighton 4-2 to extend the Seagulls winless run to five matches as European hopes for the tenth-place club are fading quickly. Brentford is just two points south of the Seagulls in the table after the Bees’ Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa both scored in the same match for the seventh time this season.

Premier League Match Week 33 Preview

Newcastle United rolled over Crystal Palace by a 5-0 margin on Wednesday to overtake Nottingham Forest for third place in the Premier League table. Newcastle has won five straight and now faces another streaking side in Aston Villa, winners of four straight league matches, at Villa Park on Saturday. Aston Villa’s European quest for this year is over with this past week’s Champions League loss to PSG. A tasty clash is thus set up for two clubs now solely focused on competing in Europe’s top competition next season.

Nottingham Forest had seemed a lock to book its ticket to the Champions League just a short while back. Two losses in a row, however, have left the Tricky Trees not only inhaling Newcastle’s fumes but looking over their shoulder at three clubs who are now within three points of the fourth place Trees. Nottingham Forest could be sitting outside the top five by the time Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s club takes to the pitch versus Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

Beyond fifth place Manchester City, Villa and Chelsea both trail Nottingham Forest by just three points with Chelsea holding a superior goal differential to Forest. Chelsea faces a high stakes London derby at Fulham on Sunday. The Cottagers have their own European aspirations which were damaged by a one-goal loss to Bournemouth last week, leaving the Cottagers in a three-way deadlock for the final European place with the Cherries and Brighton, Bournemouth owning the best goal differential of those three Europa Conference League contenders. Chelsea, meanwhile, needed to come back last weekend from a two-goal deficit to nick a point off Ipswich Town, a sure relegation bet at this point. Chelsea’s form has declined in the latter half of the season after a bright start under Manager Enzo Maresca, a trend which was also exhibited by Maresca’s Leicester club last season. Chelsea supporters are left wondering whether the early season success was a carryover from the work of prior manager Maricio Pochettino, now receding as Maresca’s system has become fully implemented and serves to stymie some of the club’s young stars. Fulham Manager Marco Silva, meanwhile, is one of the current Premier League managers being rumored to replace beleaguered Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou. Bournemouth Manager Andoni Iraola, who defeated Silva in their direct matchup last week, is another rumored candidate for the north London job. Somewhat humiliating for Spurs is that neither manager, both enjoying the support of their current owners, appears interested in the managerial graveyard in north London. Although it is probably already too late, Postecoglou’s stock got a boost during the week with his club’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt to advance to the Europa League semifinals. One can only guess whether performance ticks down again in league play on Monday versus Nottingham Forest.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, is at Crystal Palace this weekend with Eagles manager Oliver Glasner also rumored to be in the mix for the Spurs job. That interest may have cooled off with the Eagles now having conceded 10 consecutive goals over their last two losses.

Selhurst 🔜#CPFC // #CRYBOU pic.twitter.com/iPAic1JLkl

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 18, 2025

Manchester City scored five times to put Crystal Palace away last week. The going could be tougher for the Citizens this weekend when they visit Everton. The Toffees, having lost just one of their last eleven matches, have not allowed more than a goal to their last six opponents. Brighton has not won in its last four matches, dropping to tenth in the table as the Seagulls need a result at Brentford on Saturday to keep their European hopes alive.

Matches of little interest to anyone but the individual clubs’ supporters this weekend include a visit by West Ham to Southampton and a match up at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Wolverhampton. Like Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United advanced to the Europa League semifinals while it sleepwalks through the remainder of a best forgotten Premier League season.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal, meanwhile, will face relegation teams in Leicester and Ipswich Town, respectively. A win by Liverpool and loss by Arsenal would result in an anticlimactic title clinching at King Power by Liverpool. The title race has long been over. Arsenal’s thoughts are obviously elsewhere after advancing to the semifinals of the Champions League over Real Madrid during the week.