Fulham boss Marco Silva is feeling smug about his side’s Premier League position after recalling pre-season predictions that they were destined for relegation.

This might be one of the closest survival battles in recent memory, but last season’s Championship winners are not one of the teams worrying about a potentially heart-breaking end to the campaign.

Instead, Silva’s men are 10th, maintaining their top-half status despite picking up just seven points in their last 10 league contests.

He said: “You have to be pleased. You have to be really proud, because I knew what everyone was saying at the beginning of the season about Fulham. I knew we were the favourites (to be relegated).

“Some people even without a doubt said we will be the first ones to get relegated, and of course we have to be pleased. Not because of what the people said, because they have to comment, they have to give their opinions, but much more for ourselves.

“Firstly for our fans because the last two seasons in the Premier League they were really tough for them, and they deserve much more, and the other because I believe, and I said from the last days of last season that I felt that this football club belongs in the Premier League and we showed that during the season.”

In Leicester, Fulham face an opponent in a very different fight from leaders Manchester City and Europe-chasing Liverpool, who got the better of Silva’s side in their most recent meetings, but the Portuguese intends to approach Monday’s meeting with the same overall philosophy.

He said: “In terms of preparation nothing is different. We always prepare ourselves the same way, with different strategies, of course.

“Against City we knew that we probably wouldn’t have the ball as often as we would like, Liverpool more or less the same thing even if they are slightly different.

“And against Leicester of course playing at the Cottage we are going to try to have control of the game even though you know you are going to face a team with a lot of quality around the pitch.

“It will be a different game definitely than the previous two matches but it will be a tough game in the same way. The approach will be the same. We are going to prepare ourselves to be at our best level.”

Michael Beale will use Rangers’ home cinch Premiership game against Aberdeen on Sunday to think about next season but also knows results remain crucial.

The Gers last realistic chance of winning silverware in this campaign ended last weekend with their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to  champions-elect Celtic, who will retain the title and stay on course for a domestic treble with a win over Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Beale, who took over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November, will make changes for the visit of the in-form Dons as he takes the chance at the end of a first trophyless season in three to prepare for the future.

However, the former QPR boss knows there will be an expectant Ibrox crowd looking to be placated.

“At the end of the last two seasons there was a lot of drama,” said Beale, who will be without loan attacking midfielder Malik Tillman who has returned to parent club Bayern Munich with a hamstring problem, while Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic are also added to the injury list.

“At the end of one season you win the league, the next season you are playing a European final, you are fighting at the top end of the league and you have got the Scottish Cup (beat Hearts in final).

“But this the result of the season we have played so far. You play at Ibrox and you have 47,000 season ticket holders and they are demanding a performance against Aberdeen.

“Every time you pull on the shirt it is a huge privilege and I will be looking for things towards the group.

“We have been moving towards next year in ideas since I came in. It is about finishing this season strongly and also building for the future. That continues.

“There are five games against team around us. If we are not at it they are very dangerous games.

“We want to bounce back because we were on a fantastic run. We have had a couple of sore results and we have a team coming to Ibrox on Sunday who are on form. There is a rivalry between the two teams.

“So the players need to perform well. We want to bounce back with a strong performance and a home win.

“Definitely, we will try a few things out for sure. But I thought last week the performance was good so there was things to build on.

“There will be an opportunity for one or two if they earn it via training but there is also an opportunity for one or two that have been patient and probably deserve a go as well.”

Eddie Howe insists he is not losing any sleep over Liverpool’s bid to deny Newcastle a place in the Premier League top four.

Jurgen Klopp’s men, who are responsible for two of the third-placed Magpies’ four league defeats to date this season, have belatedly put together a consistent run of form, winning each of their last five matches to close to within six points.

That gap could have been reduced to just three points – albeit with the Reds having played two games more – by the time Howe’s side runs out to face Arsenal on Sunday with the chasing pack mounting a late sprint.

Asked about the prospect, the 45-year-old said: “Do I lose any sleep? No, I don’t lose any sleep over it, but I’m aware that Liverpool are a top team. Does it surprise me they’re able to go on a run of wins? No.

“There are other teams there as well, but we’re not focusing on that. We haven’t done that all season. We haven’t focused on where we are, who’s around us, form of teams. We’ve just focused on ourselves and that’s all we can do.

“We have a tough run of fixtures, but I think at the same time, a great run of fixtures because every game is important. They’re great occasions and we’ll look to carry on our good form.”

Brighton’s stoppage-time win over Manchester United on Thursday evening left Newcastle two points clear of the men from Old Trafford in the race for the top four with five games each remaining.

They remain 10 better off than the Seagulls – who have a game in hand – in sixth, but victory over the Gunners would not only all-but end the visitors’ title hopes, but nudge the Magpies closer to Champions League qualification.

However Howe, whose team have won eight of their last nine games, is preparing for the battle to go to the wire.

He said: “Nothing’s done and I didn’t expect it to be done. Were competing against elite teams who will fight to the end and we have to do the same.

“Our five games we need to give our best preparation and focus to because the fight that we’re in could go right down to the end of the season.”

Howe and opposite number Mikel Arteta were involved in an angry touchline exchange during the reverse fixture in January, which ended 0-0, but the former Bournemouth boss has only respect for the Spaniard.

He said: “I’ve got a lot of resect for Mikel, he’s done an incredible job. You have to admire everything that he’s done, whether that’s recruitment, coaching, everything, so there’s a lot of respect from me to him.

“Within a game, you’ll always have moments where you come up against opponents and there’s a bit of confrontation. I think that’s natural, that’s part of the job, but there are certainly no issues from my side.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi believes “top player” Moises Caicedo is capable of playing any position on the pitch.

Caicedo has starred in the Seagulls’ midfield all season but was required to fill in at right-back during Thursday’s dramatic 1-0 win over Manchester United due to injuries to Pascal Gross, Joel Veltman and Tariq Lamptey.

With Gross facing a fitness test ahead of Monday evening’s clash with Everton and Veltman likely to remain on the sidelines alongside Lamptey, the Ecuador international could once again be deployed in the makeshift role.

Head coach De Zerbi was reluctant to deviate from a four-man defence against United or drop midfielder Billy Gilmour following his starring role in last Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Wolves.

And the Italian’s decision was vindicated as Caicedo performed admirably in a pulsating game settled by Alexis Mac Allister’s last-gasp penalty.

“I thought to change to play with three defenders but I think we reach a high level of football and we have the right technologies playing in this tactical disposition,” said De Zerbi.

“And I didn’t want to change.

“I think Caicedo can play everywhere. He’s a top, top player.

“I love giving players the chance to show me their quality and Gilmour was fantastic against Wolverhampton – I thought like this.”

Mac Allister slammed home from the spot in the ninth minute of added time following Luke Shaw’s handball to boost Brighton’s chances of reaching Europe.

The Seagulls are now preparing to complete a trio of consecutive home games against Sean Dyche’s relegation-threatened Toffees.

With a further five Premier League fixtures to come during the next three weeks, De Zerbi has urged every member of his squad to be prepared to aid the club’s quest to secure continental qualification.

“I want that they stay ready always to play because now we need everybody,” he said.

“We need everybody to achieve our target.”

Gross and striker Evan Ferguson will be assessed ahead of the Everton clash but Veltman is not expected to be available due to a hamstring issue.

Lamptey, Adam Lallana, Jakub Moder and Jeremy Sarmiento remain sidelined for the Seagulls.

Idrissa Gueye believes Everton showed the character they will need to avoid relegation in Monday’s Premier League draw at Leicester.

In a match that some had billed as “loser goes down”, Everton took an early lead but then fell 2-1 down and needed Jordan Pickford to save a James Maddison penalty before Alex Iwobi’s equaliser earned a point.

Manager Sean Dyche has been keen to talk up the performance after Everton had 23 shots at goal, their most in a Premier League match for three-and-a-half years, and Gueye said it was something to build on ahead of Monday’s trip to Brighton at a time when confidence has been fragile.

“I think confidence is an important factor during this period of the season and it’s something we can continue to cultivate and work on,” he said on the club website. “Because we’re going to need plenty of confidence for the remaining games.

“Looking back at the season, particularly away from home, there aren’t too many examples where we’ve gone behind in the scoreline and managed to come back to earn a result. You need character to do that and I think we showed a lot of that against Leicester.

“We know it’s not easy, but we need to show that fight and that belief in ourselves. Confidence does breed better results.”

Last week Dyche voiced concern that nerves and tension were inhibiting some of his players as they fight to save their Premier League status.

Gueye said all players are used to performing under pressure, but it is clearly different at the bottom of the table.

“It would be much more pleasant if we were further up the table and challenging for trophies at the end of the season,” he said. “As players, we love to challenge ourselves and put ourselves under pressure.

“It is a great source of motivation, but it would be preferable to be higher up the league. Being footballers, we’ve become used to having to play under pressure and that’s something we’re going to have to deal with again.”

Everton have averaged a point per game since Dyche arrived at the start of February, but are now winless in their last seven matches.

But the former Burnley boss has been here before, and Gueye said he knew exactly how to handle the situation.

“He’s a really cool guy. He’s a cool manager,” he said. “I think one of the reasons he was brought in was because he knows how to manage these situations. He’s been in similar situations before and I think that’s why the club decided to bring him in.

“The smile he has and the confidence he has have managed to bring a renewed energy to the club. Not only is he instilling this joie de vivre, but he’s also giving us an intensity to go right to the end.

“We have to fight until the end. There’s time for looking at the table at the end of the season, but not currently. The training sessions have been great and they’re filling us with hope and energy ahead of each game.

“His mantra is, ‘the minimum requirement is maximum effort’, and that’s at all times. We must give it our all for the rest of the season.”

Ruben Selles has called for bottom-of-the-table Southampton to be more robust if they are to secure shock survival from the Premier League.

Saints remain six points off 17th-placed Leeds and continue their fight for top-flight status away at fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest on Monday.

And interim boss Selles has made a plea for his side’s improvement as time begins to run out ahead of their final four games of the campaign.

“We need to be more robust as a team in those periods where we are not so good, try to keep the game still in our hands. We know we can start well or make a comeback against anybody so it is just about having that robustness having that long period in the game,” he said.

“Maybe making some substitutions, maybe making or creating something on the pitch,  maybe controlling more of the ball, maybe playing more forward, those things we are working on to try to become that team.”

Southampton failed to win against high flyers Arsenal and Newcastle last month despite taking the lead in both games.

Selles admitted the respective atmospheres at Emirates and St James’ Park made it difficult for his side to hold on to their lead  – Arsenal scored two late goals to draw 3-3 and Newcastle score three second-half goals to win 3-1.

He added: “I think we can learn from the environments that are extremely hard to play at (Arsenal and Newcastle).

“If I’m being honest they’re one of the best there can be because, in those kind of games you have to elevate yourself against yourself and make yourself better.”

Injury-stricken Saints have lost key players at a pivotal stage in their season with both Mohammed Salisu and Romain Perraud being ruled out for the final run-in.

Selles insisted he will not use their absences to justify Southampton’s form which saw them last win a Premier League game on March 4.

“It is not to find excuses, we should be better and with the number of players we should replace them with players at least as good as them. Of course there is some situations in terms of how we go and play the game, situations how we manage some of the advantages that we got,” he said.

Alun Wyn Jones was named as British and Irish Lions captain for the summer tour of South Africa, on this day in 2021.

The Wales forward later suffered a shoulder injury which looked certain to rule him out of the trip, but he made a remarkable recovery to join up with the squad and play in all three Tests against the Springboks.

Wyn Jones had captained Wales to the 2021 Guinness Six Nations title and was set to embark on a fourth successive Lions tour, having stepped in to lead the squad in the series-clinching victory over Australia in Sydney when Sam Warburton was injured.

“Obviously very proud, very privileged (to be named captain),” said Wyn Jones, who at the time of the announcement had clocked up a world record 157 Tests for Wales and the Lions.

“To be selected in the squad is initially what you want to be hearing, and to have the armband as well is a privilege, with the names that have gone before and what those players have achieved.

“I’ve just got a huge amount of pride to add this to the CV, but obviously there’s a lot of work to do once we get out there and some huge games to face.”

It had, however, looked as if Wyn Jones’ hopes of leading Warren Gatland’s side into the Tests against the world champions were over after dislocating his left shoulder just seven minutes into the pre-tour curtain-raiser against Japan at Murrayfield on June 26.

Wyn Jones was initially ruled out of the tour, with Ireland’s Conor Murray named as replacement Lions captain.

However, after making a remarkable recovery – which saw him dubbed ‘Lazarus’ by team-mates – Wyn Jones returned to training with Wales before proving his fitness to join up with the rest of the Lions squad at their Cape Town base.

Jones helped guide the Lions to a 22-17 victory in the opening Test, the tourists mounting an impressive second-half comeback.

The Springboks, though, responded to dominate the second Test 27-9 and the Lions were then edged out 19-16 in the decider by Morne Steyn’s late penalty to slip to a series defeat.

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton has finished tied first after the second day at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte on Friday, with the 31-year-old having a day out with the putter.

Hatton finished the day with six-under 71 to move up and finish the day tied on eight-under with Americans Nate Lashley and Wyndham Clark after 36 holes at Quail Hollow.

He had a great closing stretch hitting a 26-foot eagle putt on the seventh hole and made three putts of 25 feet or more on the last four holes.

Speaking after the second round, Tyrrell Hatton said it was “nice” to see some of the more challenging putts go in.

“They’re not the type of putts that you hole consistently, so to finish the round that way, I’m obviously very pleased with that,” Hatton said.

“There was a lot of good par saves where short game helped me out and that kept me in it and I’m thankful to have a good finish… I hope that continues over the weekend.

“I always try my best and this week on tough golf courses is no difference.”

The one-time PGA Tour winner had one eagle, six birdies and two bogeys in a successful day on the tough course.

After a great start yesterday, Tommy Fleetwood dropped down to 10th with two birdies and two bogeys to finish the day six-under.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy didn’t have the same success, with just two birdies and four bogeys, finishing the day one-under par.

The three-time winner of this event just scraped through the make the cut to the third round.

Max Verstappen restored Formula One’s natural order by posting the fastest time in second practice for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc crashed out.

After George Russell finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a surprise one-two finish for Mercedes in the earlier sun-cooked running at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Verstappen took the spoils in the day’s concluding running.

The double world champion finished 0.385 seconds clear of Carlos Sainz with Leclerc, whose day ended in the barriers at Turn 7 with 10 minutes remaining, third in the other Ferrari.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez claimed fourth spot with Hamilton only seventh, nine tenths back, and team-mate Russell down in 15th.

F1 is back in Miami for a second time at a 3.36-mile circuit constructed around the home of NFL side the Miami Dolphins – 15 miles north of the city.

The race marks the first of three rounds to be staged in the United States this year as F1’s American owners Liberty Media continue to build on the rise of the sport across the Atlantic.

A debut event on the Las Vegas strip will take place in November, while Austin’s grand prix at the Circuit of the Americas – a permanent fixture on the F1 schedule since 2012 – also features.

Despite the boom of the sport, the actual competition is facing accusations of being “predictable” and “boring” with Red Bull winning 14 of the last 15 races.

Verstappen leads Red Bull team-mate Perez in the standings by six points after the opening four rounds.

Mercedes’ encouraging start here provided hope that Red Bull might not have it all their own way in Florida.

But Verstappen’s pace later in the day indicates they will again be the team to beat heading into the remainder of the weekend.

The opening session was suspended for nine minutes when Nico Hulkenberg crashed into the wall after he lost control of his Haas coming through the third corner.

With Hulkenberg’s broken machine in a precarious position, the red flags were deployed. The second running almost saw another Haas in the barriers after Hulkenberg’s team-mate Kevin Magnussen span at Turn 14 and drifted backwards into the wall. The Dane thudded the armco but escaped without significant damage.

The same could not be said for Leclerc after he carried too much speed into Turn 7, and headed straight for the tyre wall.

Leclerc broke his front wing and suffered possible suspension damage in the accident before he headed back to the pits on the back of a moped.

The running was red-flagged for six minutes as Leclerc’s Ferrari was removed from danger. The cars returned to the track for a four-minute splurge but it was Verstappen who remained at the summit.

Gary Bowyer hailed the resilience of his Dundee players after they sealed a return to the cinch Premiership with a 5-3 win over Queen’s Park in Friday night’s Championship title shootout.

The Dens Park side edged a thrilling encounter at Ochilview to bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking following their relegation a year ago.

“It was a magnificent effort from the players tonight,” Bowyer, who was appointed Dundee manager last summer, told BBC Scotland. “They deserve it, they’ve been brilliant all season.

“We only signed one permanent player and we’ve brought lads in on loan but the way they’ve stuck together and the resilience they have shown has been fantastic.

“Everybody said Dundee are favourites, Dundee should do this, Dundee should do that, but you’ve got to go out and do it. These lads went out and did it and I’m delighted for them.”

Bowyer went through a full range of emotions in a topsy-turvy first half that ended 3-3 before second-half strikes from Lyall Cameron and Luke McCowan gave Dundee a two-goal cushion over a Queen’s side who knew they needed a win to overhaul the Dark Blues at the summit.

“It was a fantastic start, then it wasn’t such a great start, and the goals we conceded were poor but we’ll let that go now obviously,” said Bowyer.

“It was just absolutely amazing the resilience they had and the way they fought. They kept coming back. The spirit and character they had was just brilliant.”

After seeing his players lift the Championship trophy at Ochilview following a pitch invasion by jubilant supporters, Bowyer is intent on making an impact in the top flight.

“The club have now got to stop being a yo-yo club and try and get established in the Premiership,” he said. “We’ll go and attack it next season. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done both on and off the pitch for that but that’s not for tonight.”

Queen’s Park slipped from second to third and must now come through six play-off matches if they are to win promotion, starting with a two-legged showdown with Partick Thistle.

Manager Owen Coyle admitted his side’s defending proved costly.

“Attacking-wise we know what we’ve got in our team but I think over the course of the season our Achilles heel has been defending situations and we certainly didn’t do that well tonight,” he said. “Congratulations to Dundee but the goals we gave away…

“There was so much to be pleased about but the bottom line is we’ve lost a game where we could have been champions.

“If we are to get to the Premiership this year we’ve got to do it through the play-offs. We’re hurt and disappointed but we’ll get the players lifted and we’ll go again.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the club will not be held to ransom over transfer targets and are not prepared to pay over-inflated prices.

The club have already pulled out of the running for their primary option Jude Bellingham with Borussia Dortmund likely to ask for a fee around £130million.

With a midfield rebuild required it was decided to spread their limited resources wider rather than going for a megabucks marquee signing, with Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister near the top of their alternatives.

Liverpool’s issues in midfield could lead to selling clubs upping the price knowing the rival’s need to sign players and, more specifically, secure them early in the summer.

But Klopp said they were not prepared to pay over the odds and have a list of targets which he feels provides the club with options if they should encounter a stumbling block in negotiations.

“We cannot buy the player then. If they are overpriced we cannot do it,” he said.

“I am pretty sure we will bring in the players we want and those who will help us. I am pretty confident of that.

“You never know 100 per cent until they are signed but that (bumping up prices) is not new that some clubs might try that.

“Let me say it like this: you identify a position and you have not only one option on the position. That means they should all be good.

“You might have a favourite but if the other club doesn’t want to sell or someone else will pay the price then we cannot go with it.

“But usually we got the players we wanted. The one thing is can we afford them and then they are here.”

Liverpool’s five-match winning run, lifting them to within four points of fourth-placed Manchester United but with only an outside chance of making the top four because their rivals have played two matches fewer, has put a better spin on a season which had the club lingering between eighth and 10th for long periods.

Klopp knows he cannot “replace the whole team” with his summer transfers but does not believe their final league position will have much effect on the success of the business he does, although he thinks it may be of assistance to the players he currently has.

“Each performance we have now helps us and helps the players,” he added.

“We cannot replace the whole team. How I understand life is if you have a problem you sort it better now because if you just move on you have the same problem.

“We have to give the boys a frame where they can perform because I see them every day, I know they want to perform.

“It is not that they say ‘I cannot do that anymore’. We were not able to do it that is true for a long period, but we will find a frame where the boys can shine again.

“Everything we do well now will help us for next season. These five games I liked the reaction in moments, it is not full games, but the signs I saw are really promising and I am happy with that.

“Another four games, a break, then a proper pre-season and we will be strong.”

Chelsea’s new recruits have not been given the opportunity to find the connections necessary to build a winning team, according to Frank Lampard.

The Blues looked incoherent and without a plan in losing meekly 3-1 to Arsenal on Tuesday, a sixth straight loss on a run that has seen them sink to 12th in the Premier League table.

Several of the players who were signed in January have failed to make a significant impact, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke in particular big-money buys that have shown only flashes of their talent.

Madueke at least netted his first goal for the club in the loss at the Emirates, something Mudryk, who cost £88million despite only having made 44 first-team appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk, is yet to achieve.

There has been little consistency in the starting XI, something that was apparent under former boss Graham Potter and has continued into Lampard’s dire interim spell.

It has made an unbalanced squad, loaded up on creative talent but with no one to score goals, look even more disjointed on the pitch, with little apparent chemistry. They have scored only twice in their last eight games.

Chelsea will drop below Bournemouth should they lose to Gary O’Neil’s side at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, despite the fact their opponents have spent most of the season battling relegation and were in the bottom three at the start of April.

“The numbers show you we’re the team that changes its XI the most,” said Lampard. “Coming in at this point for me, it’s trying to find the connections and partnerships in the team which are crucial as we all know.

“The great teams we’ve witnessed over the years, you can pretty much always name connections. Full-backs; Liverpool off the top of my head, the full-backs are absolutely central to what they do.

“When you’re trying to find that, it’s difficult, and I think it’s important to know that when we’re in a bad run and those things are not settled, it’s very hard to get consistency of what you want.

“You end up searching for it, and that’s probably why people call it a transition. That’s a challenge. In my position as much as we want results, because results will get thrown in your face, we also need to try and find those little connections within the team going forward.

“Some of the younger players that have come into the club have maybe not had the opportunity to settle, to feel comfortable within the team, to understand the full-backs are going to overlap them, or the midfield players are going to support them.

“That is a process, and that needs work. It’s probably work I haven’t been able to do in this role as interim. It feels less in practice about coaching to that degree.”

Lampard defended Raheem Sterling despite the England forward’s form having totally deserted him during Chelsea’s slide.

Sterling, who was the first signing of the club’s whirlwind recruitment drive this season, has not replicated the performances that saw him score 131 goals in seven seasons at Manchester City, en route to winning four Premier League titles and becoming a lynchpin of Gareth Southgate’s national team.

He has managed only four league goals since arriving at Stamford Bridge in July.

“I’ve spent the last three years talking to all my younger wingers that I work with, showing them videos of Raheem Sterling arriving at the back post, doing defensively the work he does,” said Lampard.

“You absolutely cannot take that away from him, what he’s done, for Manchester City and England.

“When you move club, even though everyone on the outside goes ‘oh what hard work that is, moving from Man City to Chelsea, what a terrible situation’, it does bring around changes in your life.

“Of course maybe the form of the team this season has not been great, so there can always be a lot of contributing factors to individual form.

“He’s got credit in the bank. Keep working, things around him falling more into place, I think with Raheem he’ll show what he’s shown in his career.

“We have a lot of understandable reasons and stories within the squad, the newer younger players, some players who will be moving on. There are a lot of those reasons.”