Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have set a new Premier League record after combining for Tottenham's final goal in their 4-0 rout of Leeds United.
Having scored Spurs' third in the first half, Kane dropped an exquisite pass over the top of Leeds' floundering defence in the 85th minute, with Son racing through before finishing coolly.
It was the 37th time that the Spurs duo have directly combined for a Premier League goal since Son's move from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015.
That surpassed the long-standing English top-flight record set by Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba during their time together at Chelsea.
It was also the 20th time they have directly combined away from home in the Premier League; their nearest challengers being Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg's tally of 16 combinations.
The landmark moment came almost five-and-a-half years after their first successful link-up against Stoke City in September 2016.
In fact, there are only five player combinations that have produced over 25 goals since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min – 37, Tottenham Hotspur (2015-present)
After they combined on Wednesday, Kane and Son have now scored 231 goals between them since the start of the 2015-16 season.
In 2020-21, they directly linked up 14 times; a record tally for a single Premier League campaign.
Last season also saw the England captain win the last of three Golden Boot awards, while he topped the assists chart and Son reached goalscoring double figures for a fifth successive year.
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba – 36, Chelsea (2004-2012)
A combination that helped bring three Premier League titles to Stamford Bridge, Lampard and Drogba were central to Chelsea's success at the beginning of the Roman Abramovich era.
After arriving from Marseille in 2004, the powerful presence of Drogba landed two Golden boots that included an impressive haul of 29 during the 2009-10 season.
That year also saw the prolific Lampard chip in with 22 from midfield as the Blues claimed a third domestic crown in seven campaigns.
Thierry Henry and Robert Pires – 29, Arsenal (2000-2006)
Providing flair on the wing and elegance up front, the iconic French duo brought two Premier League titles to Highbury during the early 2000s.
The second of which came during the 'Invincibles' season of 2003-04, when they scored 44 goals between them as the Gunners completed the campaign without defeat.
Henry won four Golden Boots in the space of five years, while Pires reached double figures in three successive seasons.
Sergio Aguero and David Silva – 29, Manchester City (2011-2020)
The mercurial skills of Silva and clinical finishing of Aguero was always going to provide a recipe for success at City.
Indeed, their combination went on a long way to securing four Premier League titles in the space of nine seasons at the Etihad.
They also left their mark individually. Aguero scored 184 times in the English top flight – a tally only bettered by Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andy Cole (187) – while just five players have recorded more assists than Silva's 93.
Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton – 27, Tottenham (1992-1997, 2001-2003)
While they did not land any domestic silverware, Sheringham and Anderton formed part of an exciting attacking Spurs line-up during the mid-1990s that also featured the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann.
Sheringham top-scored in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992-93 with 22 goals, while he also reached double figures in the following three years.
The two linked up for goals 27 times in the top flight, notably assisting each other in an entertaining 4-3 win at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the 1994-95 campaign – and what was Klinsmann's Spurs debut.
Maguire's league season over as Man Utd confirm muscle injury
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has suffered a muscle injury that will see him miss the final games of the Premier League season.
United face Crystal Palace on Monday, before rounding off their Premier League campaign with some tough fixtures against title-chasing Arsenal, fellow European hopefuls Newcastle United and then Brighton.
However, Erik ten Hag will have to do without centre-back Maguire, with the England international set to miss around three weeks with a muscular problem, further compounding United's injury issues in defence.
That time frame also casts Maguire's participation in the FA Cup final, which takes place on May 25, into doubt.
United will take on holders and rivals Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece, which is a repeat of last season's final.
England manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping the defender recovers fully in time for Euro 2024.
Pochettino hails Chelsea's growth after thumping West Ham
Mauricio Pochettino is delighted by Chelsea's progress in recent weeks following their dominant 5-0 victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson scored twice, while Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke were also on target as the Blues leapfrogged Manchester United into seventh place with three games remaining.
Pochettino's side, who made it back-to-back wins in the space of three days following their 2-0 success over Tottenham on Thursday, are finishing the season strongly, having now lost just one of their last 12 matches.
The Blues came under scrutiny during their 6-0 rout of Everton last month, when Jackson and Madueke were involved in an altercation following a disagreement over who should take a penalty, with the responsibility eventually going to regular taker Palmer.
However, three weeks on, the pair combined to positive effect with Madueke unselfishly squaring the ball for Jackson to tap in the first of his two goals, despite being one-on-one with West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
And Pochettino believes that action epitomises the growth his side are demonstrating as the season draws towards a conclusion.
"[We are] so pleased, so happy. The players deserve big credit, to play again after a few days and to play again at this level," he said, as reported by Football London.
"We received criticism for the situation with the penalty against Everton, but a young team needs to make mistakes to improve.
"It was a great action from Noni [squaring the ball for Jackson's first goal] to see how the group is starting to believe. It is always a process that takes time. It can take one month, six months or one year.
"People who know about football know the process of building a team is the most difficult thing. You need to have the capacity to emphasise with every single player.
"They need to trust in us, in the coaching staff. That is the most important thing, and then you need to start to identify what the players need. This process always takes time."
Discussing Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for Europe, Pochettino said: "From the beginning of the season, I said we should win because we are Chelsea.
"We need to be mature, keep the momentum and look to improve every single game. We are trying to be in Europe; it will be good for the team and the players to be in Europe this season."
Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa: Villans' top-four hopes stutter after late Pedro header
Aston Villa missed the chance to close in on a Champions League place after they were beaten 1-0 at Brighton.
Joao Pedro’s late header settled Sunday's contest at the Amex Stadium, the striker nodding in three minutes from time after Robin Olsen saved his initial penalty.
With fifth-placed Tottenham travelling to Liverpool later on Sunday, Villa could have taken a huge step towards sealing a place in Europe's top club competition with victory.
However, Unai Emery’s side remain fourth and seven points above Spurs, who have two games in hand, while Brighton climb to 11th.
The Seagulls carried the greater threat during a first half of few opportunities, with Simon Adingra stinging Olsen’s palms from distance.
Villa, who lost Morgan Rogers to injury midway through the half, also had Olsen to thank twice in first-half stoppage time. First, he kept out Adingra’s tame volley from a Pedro cross before also thwarting Pascal Gross from close range.
The hosts continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock after the interval. Olsen denied Pedro, while Julio Enciso fired narrowly over from distance.
Brighton thought they had taken the lead inside the final quarter when Gross turned in Igor’s cross from inside the six-yard box, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review adjudged Gross to be offside.
The visitors also had the ball in the net at the other end, though the offside flag denied John McGinn, who tucked away after the ball ricocheted kindly for him in the six-yard box.
However, it was Brighton who got the breakthrough in the 87th minute. Olsen guessed correctly to keep out Pedro’s penalty after Ezri Konsa tripped Adingra, but the Sweden international was helpless as the striker headed home the rebound to give Brighton victory.
Pedro hits the 20 mark
Brighton arrived in this contest off the back of successive defeats, and looking to avoid three on the spin for the first time since March 2022.
The Seagulls had also lost each of their previous five Premier League meetings with Villa, who could have secured their Champions League qualification with a win and a Spurs loss at Liverpool.
Gross almost broke the deadlock on his 200th Premier League start for Brighton – his strike ruled out following a VAR review – becoming only the second player to reach that figure after Lewis Dunk.
However, Pedro turned out to be the match winner as he became the first player to score 20 goals in all competitions in a single season for the Seagulls since Glenn Murray in 2016/17 (23).
Toothless Villa stumble
Villa – who were stunned by Olympiacos in the Europa Conference League on Thursday – were unable to capitalise on their opportunity to potentially secure their top-four place following an uncharacteristically quiet outing in front of goal.
Ollie Watkins had scored six goals in his last four appearances against Brighton – his highest tally against a single opponent – and had been directly involved in eight goals in his last five Premier League away games (scoring six and assisting two).
However, the England striker was unable to build on that momentum in a game where Villa registered just two shots on goal.
That was their lowest tally in a Premier League match since May 2016 against Newcastle United (also two), while they only registered fewer on record against Manchester United in August 2005 (one).
They should still have enough to secure a top-four place, but Emery’s team need to get over their hump.
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