Birmingham, May 17: Aston Villa and Chelsea won home games and strengthened their hopes for a top five Premier League finish and a place in next year’s Champions League.
Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara scored and gave Villa a 2-0 win over an under-strength Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea overcame a stuffy Manchester United 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Marc Cucurella.
The result left Chelsea in fourth with 66 points, and Villa in fifth on goal difference.
The other teams fighting for one of the four Champions League spots after league winner Liverpool all have two games left to play.
Arsenal has 68 points, Newcastle 66, Manchester City 65, and Nottingham Forest 62.
On a tense night at Villa Park, the home side had the better of the play but was forced to wait until the 59th minute to get the opener.
Ollie Watkins steered John McGinn’s corner back across goal and an unmarked Ezri Konsa turned in the ball.
Boubacar Kamara doubled the lead with a low drive from the edge of the penalty area. It was his first Premier League goal in his 69th game.“We knew today was a must win,” the Frenchman told broadcaster Sky Sports. “We want to play Champions League football again. . We had a taste of it this season and us as players it’s a competition you want to play in.” Villa’s final match is against Man United at Old Trafford on May 25.
Friday’s win was Villa’s eighth in its last nine league matches and extended its unbeaten home run to 21 games in all competitions, its best since 1977.Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea woke up after a dull first half when Spanish defender Cucurella headed home Reece James’ cross after 71 minutes.
Spurs and Man United went into the matches with one eye on next week’s Europa League final.
Both coaches rested some regular starters and got through the night without any new injury worries.
Both of Friday’s matches were brought forward by 48 hours to allow the sides more time to prepare for the final on Wednesday in Bilbao. It was a night of high stakes and higher resolve, where ambition met opportunity under the bright lights of Birmingham and London. Aston Villa’s triumphant 2-0 win over a rotated Spurs side wasn’t just another tick in the win column—it was a statement of intent from a team hell-bent on reclaiming their spot in European football’s most elite gathering. The relentless energy from Unai Emery’s men, their fluid transitions, and two perfectly-timed goals—one from the ever-improving Konsa and another from Kamara, who chose the perfect moment to open his Premier League account—spoke volumes of a side that has matured throughout the campaign. In the cauldron of Villa Park, where history and heart often collide, Villa extended a home unbeaten run stretching back to 1977, reminding the faithful that something special is brewing once again in claret and blue. Simultaneously, over at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s gritty 1-0 win over Manchester United may not have been flamboyant, but it was calculated and effective. Cucurella’s header, a rare but crucial contribution, was enough to ensure the Blues kept their noses in front in this ever-tightening top-five battle.
With Liverpool already crowned champions, the race for the remaining Champions League spots has turned into a tactical chess match, and every move—every point—matters. Arsenal, Newcastle, City, Forest, Villa, and Chelsea now march into the final stretch with nerves jangling and calculators out, knowing that a single goal or slip-up could define their season. But on this particular Friday, it was Villa and Chelsea who seized their moment, roared on by home support, fuelled by the dream of European nights under the stars once again. (AP)
