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Two late goals boosted Manchester City’s hopes of Champions League qualification as they beat Everton 2-0 to move to fourth in the Premier League on Saturday, while Aston Villa also stayed in the hunt with a thumping home defeat of Newcastle United.
With Liverpool potentially sealing the title on Sunday and the relegation places looking set, the race to finish in the top five and qualify for next season’s Champions League is adding some much-needed tension to the run-in.
Outgoing champions Manchester City are by no means certain to secure their spot and for long periods at Goodison Park they were flat and looked in danger of dropping more points.
But goals by Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic in the final minutes secured a win to move them above Nottingham Forest into fourth spot with 58 points from 33 matches, one point behind third-placed Newcastle and one ahead of Forest and sixth-placed Villa who crushed Newcastle 4-1 in the late kickoff.
City host Villa on Tuesday in a crunch game.
“Of course, we are miles away from (league leaders) Liverpool. But now it (Champions League qualification) is in our hands, we need a final on Tuesday. Hopefully we can achieve this big success to qualify for the Champions League,” relieved manager Pep Guardiola said after the win at Everton.
O’Reilly stabbed home the ball from four metres after connecting with Matheus Nunes’s low cross before Kovacic drilled in the second goal from the edge of the box.
Everton’s defender James Tarkowski had struck the post with a header from a corner in the first half for Everton, who remain 13th with 38 points from 33 games.
Villa bowed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage on Tuesday despite a thrilling 3-2 second-leg win at home to Paris St Germain, but showed no sign of a hangover.
Ollie Watkins, recalled to the starting line-up, scored with a deflected shot after 33 seconds—moving him to a joint club-record 74 goals in the Premier League.
Fabian Schar equalised for in-form Newcastle but Villa blazed clear after the break with Ian Maatsen restoring their lead from a Watkins assist before a Dan Burn own goal and substitute Amadou Onana’s superb finish sealed the points.
“The players responded fantastically (to Champions League disappointment),” manager Unai Emery said. “Villa Park is special. It is our fortress. The supporters are excited and they are motivating us, pushing us and helping us.
“We are happy and we want to keep going, keep balanced because there is still a lot to do.”
BRIGHTON’S PEDRO SENT OFF
Brentford kept alive their hopes of qualifying for Europe when they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 with Bryan Mbeumo scoring twice and creating another goal for Yoane Wissa.
Mbeumo and Wissa have notched up 18 and 16 league goals respectively this season and, with Brentford in 11th place but only three points off eighth-placed Bournemouth, they could propel the London club into Europe.
“That’s an incredible achievement from the two of them,” manager Thomas Frank said of the duo.
“If you want to have any hope of European dreams or ambitions, we had to win today. Now there’s five games to go, extremely interesting end to the season.”
Brighton, who are two points ahead of Brentford in 10th place, were not helped by having Joao Pedro sent off.
Bournemouth’s European challenge is stalling after a 0-0 stalemate against Crystal Palace meant they have won only once in their last eight league games.
Palace ground out a point in a forgettable game despite being reduced to 10 men late in the first half after defender Chris Richards was sent off for a second yellow card.
Bournemouth have 49 points, their highest ever tally in a Premier League season, with five games still to play.
“It’s a point where before the game it’s not a bad result. But considering how this game has gone, it’s a big missed opportunity,” manager Andoni Iraola told reporters.
Bottom club Southampton are already relegated but earned a rare point as Lesley Ugochukwu scored an equaliser in added time for a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.
The draw meant Southampton have 11 points and have five games left to avoid being labelled the joint-worst team in Premier League history, a record that belongs to the 2007/08 Derby County side which finished with 11 points.
Liverpool could clinch a record-equalling 20th English title on Sunday if they beat Leicester City and second-placed Arsenal suffer a surprise defeat at 18th-placed Ipswich Town.