London, May 2: Chelsea was blessed with an extra two days between matches, compared to City, in its Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid, allowing manager Thomas Tuchel to field a strong lineup against Fulham.
Mason Mount produced a piece of individual brilliance to set up the first of Kai Havertz’s two goals at Stamford Bridge.
Mount brought down a long ball forward by Thiago Silva with deft control, then slipped a pass between two defenders with his next touch to give Havertz time and space to finish into the corner in the 10th minute.
Havertz traded passes with fellow Germany international Timo Werner for the second goal in the 49th as Chelsea cemented fourth place and moved six points clear of fifth-placed West Ham.
Everton looks to be out of contention for Champions League qualification after losing to Aston Villa 2-1 at home. Anwar El Ghazi’s 80th-minute winner left Everton nine points behind Chelsea.
Villa went ahead in the 13th at Goodison Park through Ollie Watkins, then Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalized six minutes later.
Brighton can start planning for a fourth straight season in the top flight after movign to 14th place.
A 2-0 win at home against 11th-positioned Leeds pushed Brighton 10 points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.
Pascal Gross, with a penalty, and Danny Welbeck were the scorers. (AP)