LONDON: Chelsea moved a step closer to securing Champions League qualification with a 3-1 victory over weakened champions Liverpool on Sunday, while Newcastle United slipped up in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Newcastle salvaged a point thanks to a last-gasp Alexander Isak penalty, while Brentford edged a young Manchester United side 4-3, and West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur’s disappointing form continued in a 1-1 draw.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League on 63 points, separated from fourth-placed Newcastle only by goals scored. Both teams trail third-placed Manchester City by a point with three games remaining.
The game at Stamford Bridge was less than three minutes old when Cole Palmer found Neto whose cut-back fell to the unmarked Enzo Fernandez and the Argentine whipped the ball low into the net. Palmer was also instrumental in the second goal after he clipped the ball into the area and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk’s attempted clearance bounced off teammate Jarell Quansah and into the goal.
Palmer ended a lengthy drought with his first goal since mid-January from the spot in the 96th minute after Quansah’s foul on Moises Caicedo.
“I think we did well the team showed character,” Caicedo told Sky Sports. “We are happy that we won this game.
“(Palmer) deserves it. He is working hard to get goals. Now was his opportunity and he scored.”
Van Dijk had pulled one back for Liverpool, who made six changes to their starting lineup after clinching the title last weekend, in the 84th minute from a corner.
“There was chances for us to score — in the end they deserve the win,” Van Dijk said.
At Brighton, Isak’s last-gasp penalty earned a potentially crucial point for Newcastle in their chase of Champions League qualification.
Brighton looked poised for victory after winger Yankuba Minteh struck in the first half, but Isak’s 89th-minute spot kick sent goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen the wrong way for his 23rd league goal of the season.
“It’s all to play for,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe told Sky Sports. “We have three huge games, three very tough games in different ways. Two of them are at home and we hope that can make the difference.”
Minteh scored in the 28th minute with a blistering shot through a crowd into the far corner.
BRENTFORD MOMENTUM
Two goals from Kevin Schade guided Brentford up to ninth in the table on 52 points, while defeat left Manchester United in 15th with 39 points.
“We definitely have momentum... we’ve had a really good run of games, there’s a flow of playing well,” Brentford boss Thomas Frank told the BBC.
With an eye on the Europa League semifinal second leg against Athletic Bilbao, United manager Ruben Amorim named the club’s youngest starting lineup in Premier League history. Seventeen-year-old forward Chido Obi became their youngest starter.
United scored against the run of play through Alejandro Garnacho, but Brentford equalized with Mikkel Damsgaard’s shot deflecting off Luke Shaw for an own goal.
Brentford took the lead six minutes later as Schade rose above the defense to head home and he completed his brace with another header in the 70th minute.
Less than four minutes later, Yoane Wissa scored with a tap-in into an empty net to make it 4-1 before United came to life.
Garnacho pulled the trigger from outside the box in the 82nd minute, and then Amad Diallo’s deflected shot in added time went through Flekken’s legs to make it 4-3.
But United ran out of time as they fell to a club record 16th league defeat in a season in the Premier League era.
“I know there’s a big game on Thursday but first and foremost was today. We needed to win the game but we didn’t,” Mount said.
TOUGH GAME
London rivals West Ham and Tottenham remain just above the relegation places after their 1-1 draw.
A much-changed Spurs scored the opener after 15 minutes through Wilson Odobert but the lead lasted 13 minutes before Jarrod Bowen equalized for the home team.
The draw left Spurs in 16th spot and facing their worst finish since 1977, a single point above the 17th-placed Hammers whose winless run in the league was extended to eight games.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, we made a lot of changes which doesn’t help the cohesion and fluency but the lads worked really hard,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said.
Crystal Palace host Nottingham Forest on Monday.
