Brighton handed Manchester City the chance to clinch the Premier League title next weekend as the latest round of fixtures yielded a potentially decisive twist.
The Seagulls’ breath-taking victory at Arsenal left City four points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand, meaning they can clinch the trophy for a fifth time with a home win over struggling Chelsea next Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at an eventful weekend which also saw Southampton slip out of the top flight.
Seagulls soaring
Brighton’s remarkable 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium may have been celebrated in the blue half of Manchester, but certainly not the red, nor on Tyneside or Merseyside. The Seagulls not only dented the Gunners’ title hopes, but dragged themselves back on to the fringes of the hunt for Champions League qualification with the perfect response to Monday’s shock 5-1 drubbing by Everton, edging to within four points of the Reds and eight of United and the Magpies with a game in hand on all three.
Top Gun
If Manchester City do go on to clinch the title, they will have done so with a significant helping hand from skipper Ilkay Gundogan. The 32-year-old Germany international’s double secured a 2-1 win over Leeds last weekend – and it might have been better had he converted a penalty gifted to him by Erling Haaland – and he repeated the feat in sublime style in Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Everton to further underline his importance to Pep Guardiola.
A spot of bother
Should renowned firefighter Sam Allardyce fail in his mission to drag Leeds to safety, he and his players will inevitably lose sleep over an eventful afternoon at Elland Road when Newcastle came to call. Already leading through Luke Ayling’s early strike, the home side passed up a glorious opportunity to extend their advantage when Nick Pope saved Patrick Bamford’s penalty, and their afternoon might have ended in defeat after Magpies frontman Callum Wilson showed him how to do it from the spot not once, but twice before Rasmus Kristensen’s late equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw.
Eze does it
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Crystal Palace’s reliance on Wilfried Zaha in recent seasons has piled huge weight on the Ivory Coast international’s shoulders, but in Eberechi Eze, they appear to have found someone to share the burden. The 24-year-old scored both goals in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, the first with an assured finish after Jordan Ayew had flicked on Zaha’s cross, and the second a stunning solo effort, to take his tally to six in his last seven appearances.
That sinking feeling
If further proof were needed that changing manager twice during a Premier League season is not necessarily a good idea, it was provided on Saturday when Southampton slipped out of the top flight with barely a whimper after a 2-0 home defeat by Fulham. Between them, Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles have managed to win only six of the 36 league games the Saints have played to date and collected just 24 points.
Desailly calls on LaLiga to do more to protect Vinicius Junior
Marcel Desailly has called on LaLiga to do more to protect Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and other players who have been targeted by racist abuse.
Vinicius broke down at a press conference earlier this month as he opened up about the abuse he has received from the stands while representing Madrid.
The Brazil international is not alone in that regard, with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni another example, and World Cup winner Desailly wants more to be done.
"Vinicius has spoken out, but it's not about him - it's about LaLiga and the people who can take action," he told Stats Perform.
"We have the power to change things, but we are not doing enough. Samuel Eto'o had the same issue before.
"Vinicius is one of those who is suffering because the administrative people in charge are not willing to hit harder than they are."
Vinicius has been a key player for LaLiga champions-elect Madrid once again this season with 13 goals and five assists in 23 outings.
Desailly regards Vinicius, who scored the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final, as one of the finest players of his generation.
"He's a very ambitious player," Desailly said. "I think he's improved a lot because he is now clinical in assisting and finishing.
"When you look at someone like Ousmane Dembele, his stats are not as good.
"Then you look at Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka, another who has improved - there is potential for each of those to get close to Vinicius."
Ancelotti: Real Madrid are never 'undervalued' in the Champions League
Real Madrid always feel respected by every team in the Champions League, so says coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Madrid overcame holders Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals to tee up a last-four clash with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
City dominated much of the second leg in Manchester, yet after a 4-4 draw on aggregate, it was Ancelotti's team who got over the line.
Fourteen-time European champions Madrid, who allowed Karim Benzema to leave for Saudi Arabia at the end of last season, were not fancied to get past City, but Ancelotti does not think his team have been undervalued in this year's competition.
"Madrid is never undervalued in this competition, because everyone knows what we can do," he said.
"We feel respect from everyone."
City's Bernardo Silva called Madrid a "strange" team, a comment that left Ancelotti nonplussed.
"I don't know. We are not strange," he added.
"I think the weight of the shirt weighs in this competition, like history, but I have nothing to answer Bernardo Silva with.
"He is a fantastic player. Last year [City] had a good time and this year we had a good time. That's football."
When it was put to him that Madrid go into this tie as favourites, Ancelotti replied: "It does not worry me. We have confidence to stand up to a team that has not had a great Bundesliga season, but has knocked out Arsenal.
"It comes from eliminating a very strong team in Europe. In the Champions League, history counts a lot and that works in our favour."
Ancelotti has faced Thomas Tuchel nine times in his career, winning three of those games, losing four and drawing twice, and the Italian anticipates another stern test.
He said: "In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, they can play in different ways and are very dangerous. We are two who do not have a very clear identity. We can both play in different ways."
Tuesday's first leg also marks a return to Munich for Ancelotti, who coached Bayern between 2016 and 2017.
"It is very beautiful, a fantastic city, although unfortunately German has never entered my head," Ancelotti said.
"My son did, he learned very well. Munich is a spectacular city to live in."
Real Madrid star Valverde reveals penalty shootout regret
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde conceded he is "bitter" about not taking a penalty in Los Blancos' shootout win over Manchester City in the Champions League.
Fourteen-time European champions Madrid progressed to the last four of the competition by overcoming holders City on penalties at the end of a thrilling tie in the quarters.
Luka Modric missed Madrid's first spot-kick, but Andriy Lunin made saves from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic to help Carlo Ancelotti's team get over the line and into a semi-final meeting with Bayern Munich.
Valverde, who scored a stunning volley in the 3-3 draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, did not take a penalty, and ahead of Tuesday's clash with Bayern, the Uruguayan admitted his regret at not doing so.
"That night I went to bed with the regret of having been able to leave that mark on Real Madrid, of going to the semi-finals with a goal of mine, especially because I am good at penalties," he told reporters.
"But if another team-mate did it, that's fine. But I had a bitter taste, yes.
"Sometimes you have to put aside your ego and pride, recognise that you are very tired and tell the coaching staff that you are not prepared to take a penalty.
"I hope in the future I feel stronger and it doesn't happen again."
Madrid are unbeaten in their last 10 games in the Champions League (W7 D3), all of which have been this season. Only once previously have they had a longer unbeaten run within a single campaign in the competition, going 11 without defeat in the 2016-17 edition (which they would go on to win).
Asked how Madrid's squad are feeling ahead of Tuesday's fixture, Valverde added: "I can talk to you personally: very excited.
"It will be my first time against Bayern in the Champions League and I am happy, looking forward to it.
"Appreciating every moment I spend defending this shield and playing this competition with this shirt."
This is the eighth time Bayern and Madrid have been drawn together in a semi-final in the European Cup/Champions League.
After progressing from four of the first five between 1976 and 2012, Bayern have been eliminated in each of the last two (2013-14 and 2017-18).
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