Chelsea and Aston Villa defeated Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 and 2-0 respectively on Friday night to boost their hopes of Champions League football next season on the penultimate Premier League weekend, Afrosport reports.
The Blues sat in fifth place level on points with sixth-placed Villa going into this game, and after a cagey affair for more than an hour at Stamford Bridge, the West London outfit broke the deadlock in the 71st minute when Marc Cucurella headed in Reece James’ brilliant cross.
The result moved Chelsea up to fourth on the table and are now two points behind second-placed Arsenal who face third-placed Newcastle on Sunday.
Meanwhile at Villa Park, Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara were on target for Unai Emery’s men to move them into the fifth and final Champions League qualification spot.
The victories for Chelsea and Aston Villa have seen Manchester City drop to seventh. The Citizens could however move back into the top five if they beat Bournemouth in their outstanding game next Tuesday after the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
A big day in the contest for Champions League places as both Aston Villa and Chelsea strengthened their chances! pic.twitter.com/lQlSL3E0jb
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 16, 2025
For Manchester United and Tottenham, they remain 16th and 17th on the table and will now turn their attention to next Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao where the winner will secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
