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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: