Chelsea beat Leicester City 2-1 today to boost their Champions League hopes – and leave the Foxes in danger of missing out.
Just three days after Leicester beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final, Chelsea got some measure of revenge to win thanks to Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho goals in front of 8,000 fans.
Kelechi Iheanacho gave the Foxes hope but they did not create enough chances to deserve anything out of the game.
Chelsea’s win takes them up to third place in the table, while Liverpool could knock Leicester down to fifth place if they win at Burnley on Wednesday.
There was no doubt Thomas Tuchel’s side deserved their victory as Rudiger bundled home from close range from a corner.
Jorginho put the game beyond doubt with a penalty after Wesley Fofana clipped Timo Werner.
They had been unlucky not to be ahead at the break as Werner had a penalty appeal controversially turned down and two goals disallowed.
Iheanacho’s goal after good pressure from Wilfred Ndidi was not enough for Leicester, who now need to score at least three goals against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day or hope for Liverpool to drop points.
There was a late melee, with most of the players and the benches involved too – with Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira and unused substitute Daniel Amartey booked.
Meanwhile, manager Pep Guardiola says Manchester City must improve for the Champions League final after Brighton came back to beat his 10-man side 3-2 at Amex Stadium.
New Premier League champions City, who face Chelsea in the European showpiece on 29 May, blew a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 on a raucous evening on England’s south coast, played out in front of 7,495 fans.
Ilkay Gundogan silenced the supporters with a second-minute opener, but City were a man down after nine minutes, when Joao Cancelo was judged to have brought down Danny Welbeck, who was goal side of the defender.
Phil Foden’s superb solo effort put the visitors 2-0 up – but Leandro Trossard gave Brighton hope with a cool close-range finish, and the home side then put intense pressure on the champions’ goal.
Adam Webster levelled, rising highest in the box to head home Pascal Gross’s delivery and then, with 14 minutes left, Dan Burn sent the fans into raptures with the winner, following up his own blocked shot to steer the rebound into the corner of the net.
“Eleven against 11 against Brighton is tough, 11 against 10 is difficult so we have to improve for the final,” said Guardiola.
“Unfortunately after 0-2, we conceded a goal so quick and after they push a lot, we were more tired and could not keep the ball as much as possible – we could not do it and unfortunately we lost the game.
“On Sunday, with our people, we are going to lift the [Premier League] trophy. And after we are going to go for the final of the Champions League.
“I am concerned because this is the final of the Champions League, because the opponent is so tough.”
City also lost Gundogan to injury in the second half, but Guardiola provided positive news about the midfielder after the game.
“We are going to check tomorrow,” said the manager of the German, who had earlier scored his 17th goal of the season.
“The doctor is quite optimistic. The problem is a kick and he was running in the second half with disruption and I didn’t want to take a risk.”
Manchester United’s Premier League 1-1 draw against relegated Fulham will be a “wake-up call” before next week’s Europa League final against Villarreal, says manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Edinson Cavani welcomed the return of fans back to the Premier League with a brilliant 40-yard lobbed goal, but United were unable to mark the occasion with a victory as Fulham came back to draw at Old Trafford
Aside from a handful of games at a lucky few clubs in December, supporters have been absent from top-flight league football since 9 March 2020.
No supporters have seen a goal at Old Trafford since Scott McTominay’s inspired second in United’s Manchester derby win over City the day before.
There were only 10,000 present to see Cavani’s inspired effort, but what a noise they made as the Uruguayan strode onto a long ball downfield from David de Gea, which VAR felt touched Bruno Fernandes on the way through, before lifting the ball over Alphonso Areola with a perfectly executed finish that floated into the net.
For a long time it looked like being the winner, until Joe Bryan was allowed to ghost in at the far post unchallenged to convert Bobby Decordova-Reid’s deep cross from the right.
Solskjaer said: “I think it might be a wake-up call because we tried to do the fancy stuff – the flicks, the extraordinary things, the things that pleased the fans.”
In the other game played today Leeds beat Southampton 2-0. (BBC)
