The Wrap: Matchweek 31

Unexpected defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea on Saturday have combined to condense the race for Uefa Champions League qualification next season.

Just three points separate Liverpool in fifth and Everton in eighth, with Chelsea and Brentford - who drew 0-0 against Leeds United - nestled between in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Saturday's results put Manchester United’s draw at AFC Bournemouth the previous night in a new light, with that point helping them open up a seven-point gap to sixth.

Aston Villa will also have the chance to separate themselves from the chasing pack when hosting West Ham United on Sunday.

A brace from Danny Welbeck boosted Brighton & Hove Albion’s hopes of qualifying for European football next season while denting Liverpool’s chances of a top-five finish in the process.

Welbeck scored similar goals in both halves - close-range finishes from left-side crosses that were knocked back into his path - to take his Premier League goal tally to 12 for the season, his best return in a campaign in his career.

He is now two goals clear of Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League this season.

Brighton have won four of their last five Premier League games - as many as in their previous 18 matches in the competition - and are mounting a strong challenge for a top-seven finish, which is expected to be enough to bring European football back to Amex Stadium next season.

Liverpool, meanwhile, lost their 10th Premier League game of the season, the most by a defending champion since Chelsea recorded the same number in 2017/18. The high of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Uefa Champions League by beating Galatasaray on Wednesday has quickly ended.

Five of Liverpool's league defeats have come directly after Champions League matches.

“It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe," head coach Arne Slot said. "I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is but today we also have to give credit to Brighton."

They were not helped by the absences of Mohamed Salah and Alisson, and the Reds suffered a further injury blow when Hugo Ekitike hobbled off with a dead leg after just eight minutes.

Liverpool have won only four of their last 13 Premier League matches, while their next league game, at home to Fulham on 11 April, is sandwiched between Champions League matches against Paris Saint-Germain.

"There is always pressure at Liverpool," Slot added. "On me, on the players. That is completely normal.

"We have qualified for the quarter finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, but in the league, we need to make sure that in the end, we qualify for the Champions League.”

The win moved Brighton temporarily to eighth but they were soon overtaken by Fulham and then by Everton after they both won.

Everton closed the gap on Chelsea to two points and put themselves firmly in top-five contention with the shock result of the day, earning their biggest Premier League win against the Blues.

Beto was their hero, scoring twice before assisting Iliman Ndiaye’s postage-stamp finish late on. The striker has rediscovered his form and is Everton’s top scorer in the Premier League in 2026, with five goals.

The win also marked Everton’s first consecutive league victories at Hill Dickinson Stadium and arguably their most complete display at their new home.

James Garner, fresh from his first England call-up, created Beto’s opener with a defence-splitting pass and praised the atmosphere, comparing it to Goodison Park, Everton's old home.

“Yeah, that was the best I have seen it and to top it off with a win was amazing,” the midfielder said.

Chelsea suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions and also failed to score in their three successive games across that run for the first time since September 2023. They are without a clean sheet in eight games, conceding 18 goals in this spell and are now looking behind them down the table rather than up.

"In terms of the things we’ve spoken about, not gifting goals away, making sure we’re in the game, getting control of the game, it wasn’t there," Chelsea head coach Leroy Rosenior said.

"It turned into a really difficult evening where the result and performance were nowhere near what we expected or wanted."

Fulham are now only four points behind Chelsea after two goals in six second-half minutes helped the Cottagers turn their match against Burnley on its head.

Zian Flemming’s seventh away goal of the season had given Scott Parker’s side the lead on the hour, but Fulham responded swiftly to seize control. Nineteen-year-old Joshua King pulled the hosts level with his first Premier League goal, before turning provider to set up Harry Wilson, who netted with a sweeping finish from just inside the box.

Substitute Raul Jimenez then wrapped up the win from the penalty spot in added time, maintaining his perfect Premier League record with 14 from 14 attempts - the best 100 per cent record in the competition’s history.

It was an emotional moment for the Mexican after the final whistle, who scored for the first time since his father's death earlier this month.

A point may prove valuable to both Leeds and Brentford come the end of the season, but given the former's proximity to the relegation zone and the latter's fight for European qualification, it’s just as likely both could look back on this match as a missed opportunity.

Two well-organised defences conspired to generate a game of particularly few chances – Leeds’ Expected Goals (xG) total was 0.54, and they have not scored in four consecutive top-flight matches for the first time in four years.

They are also winless in six league games, and will have a keen eye on proceedings on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur host Nottingham Forest, with West Ham at Villa at the same time.

It was a big Sunday at both ends of the Premier League as Nottingham Forest beat relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boosted their Uefa Champions League chances with a win over 18th-placed West Ham United.

Spurs remain just a point above their London neighbours, after suffering a 3-0 home defeat against Forest, which ensured Igor Tudor’s side are now 13 league games without a win.

Elsewhere, Sunderland recorded an historic 2-1 win at rivals Newcastle United with a stirring second-half comeback at St James' Park.

Forest secured a big win for their hopes of avoiding relegation with a vital victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tudor is still searching for his first Premier League win since taking interim charge at Spurs as their winless league run in 2026 continued.

That result, allied with Villa's 2-0 home win over West Ham, sees Forest leapfrog Spurs and move three points clear of West Ham in the battle to avoid the drop.

With Spurs boss Tudor absent from media duties for personal reasons, coach Bruno Saltor gave the post-match analysis: "It hurts us, it is painful, really painful but the fans were outstanding today - from before the game until the end of the game," he said.

"We need to carry on because we care, we care for Spurs, we are family and want to get out of this situation. I am 100% sure we can get through this situation."

Forest’s Igor Jesus had narrowly avoided an own goal when he headed against his own post early on but he struck a vital blow at the right end when he headed in Neco Williams’ corner at the far post on the stroke of half-time.

The visitors added a second through Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort after a darting run down the left from Callum Hudson-Odoi on 62 minutes.

Substitute Taiwo Awoniyi capped a memorable afternoon for Vitor Pereira’s side in the 87th minute when he volleyed in a brilliant cross from Williams at the far post.

With that delivery, Williams became only the fourth defender this season to register two or more assists in a single Premier League game.

Elliot Anderson also excelled for Forest, creating the most chances (three), completing more passes (38), winning possession more often (nine) and making more tackles (six) than any of his teammates.

Speaking afterwards, Pereira, who claimed his first league win as Forest head coach, hailed the spirit of his team, saying: "They have the spirit to face this kind of game. It is not just about this game, it is about the next seven games and we need to have this personality.

"We are alive, we are committed and we are ready to fight."

At Villa Park, Unai Emery’s men struck early when a cleverly worked free-kick culminated in John McGinn finishing beautifully from the edge of the area.

West Ham were fortunate not to have been further behind at the break. Konstantinos Mavropanos bravely cleared off the line from Morgan Rogers while VAR overturned Paul Tierney’s decision to award Villa a penalty after Mavropanos had challenged Ollie Watkins.

Villa's second came when Watkins seized on the rebound after Mads Hermansen had saved Rogers’ initial effort in the 68th minute.

On the result, Watkins said: “It’s massive for us with it being the last game going into the international break and all the teams around us playing before and them dropping points. We knew the job in hand and we have taken it and maximised our opportunity to try and get into the Champions League places."

Next up for West Ham in the Premier League is a huge home match against bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

A second-half turnaround with goals from Chemsdine Talbi and Brian Brobbey saw the Black Cats leapfrog Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League table.

Sunderland, who beat Newcastle in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, are now 11 matches unbeaten against the Magpies, the longest undefeated sequence by either side in the history of this fixture.

Sunday's derby started in the worst possible way for Sunderland when Melker Ellborg and Luke O’Nien gifted possession to Nick Woltemade after 10 minutes and he found Anthony Gordon, who clinically punished the mistake.

It was Gordon's 10th goal across all competitions for Newcastle in 2026, with only Chelsea’s Joao Pedro (11) netting more among Premier League players this year.

The Magpies were made to regret not building on their lead when Sunderland levelled early in the second half. Aaron Ramsdale was unable to get enough distance on a punch from a corner and Talbi smashed in the loose ball after Dan Burn had blocked Habib Diarra’s initial effort.

Newcastle thought they had regained the lead when Malick Thiaw headed in Hall’s corner but the goal was disallowed, with Jacob Murphy in an offside position and impeding Ellborg’s view.

Then Brobbey dramatically struck his sixth goal of the season, converting Enzo Le Fee’s cross from close range after Ramsdale had saved his initial effort.

Timed at 89 minutes and 45 seconds, it was the latest winning goal in this fixture in Premier League history, sparking wild celebrations in the stands and at the final whistle.

Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka said: "If you want to play these games you need personality. It's not easy to play here. We knew before the game what it means to come here to take something or to win. If you see all the game, three points are deserved."