Roundup of the penultimate matchweek of the 2024-25 Premier League season as the top-five race continued to build to a crescendo.
Declan Rice’s 55th-minute curled strike saw Arsenal snatch a 1-0 victory at home to fourth-placed Newcastle United, which secured second for the Gunners.
Manchester City benefitted from Newcastle’s slip-up to go third with a 3-1 home win over Bournemouth through goals from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Nico Gonzalez, amidst Daniel Jebbison’s consolatory goal for the Cherries, whilst both teams finished with ten men after Mateo Kovacic and Lewis Cook were sent off.
Marc Cucurella’s 71st-minute bullet-header from Reece James’ cross saw fifth-placed Chelsea move level on points with Newcastle, as Enzo Maresca’s Blues scraped a narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Sixth-placed Aston Villa also moved level on points with Newcastle and Chelsea following a clinical 2-0 victory at home to Tottenham, in which Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara netted in the second half.
Seventh-placed Nottingham Forest kept their slim Champions League dreams alive with a ruthless 2-1 win at West Ham, having led through Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic before Jarrod Bowen netted a late consolatory for the Hammers.
Elsewhere, Jack Hinshelwood netted a 85th-minute winner as Brighton climbed to eighth with a 3-2 home win over champions – Liverpool, after Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai twice put the Reds in front either side of fightback goals from the Seagulls’ Yasin Ayari and Kaoru Mitoma.
Quick-fire goals from Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson saw Fulham come from behind to dent Brentford’s hopes of an eighth-placed finish with a 3-2 away win, after Raul Jimenez had put the Cottagers initially ahead before Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa put the Bees in front at half-time.
Newly-crowned FA Cup champions, Crystal Palace celebrated their cup success with a 4-2 home win over Wolves through Eddie Nketiah’s brace and goals from Ben Chilwell plus in-form Eberechi Eze, after Emmanuel Agbadou put the Old Gold ahead and Jorgen Strand Larsen netted in the second half.
Everton bowed out of Goodison Park on a high after Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half brace secured the perfect farewell in a 2-0 victory over rock-bottom Southampton.
Jamie Vardy netted his 200th goal in his final home appearance as Leicester cruised to a 2-0 win over Ipswich exactly 13 years to the very day that he signed for the Foxes, whilst Kasey McAteer netted their second goal.
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