Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson refuses to step on Gareth Southgate’s toes when it comes to Eberechi Eze despite a two-goal afternoon from the England hopeful.

The 24-year-old netted either side of half-time at Selhurst Park to lift his side to a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, who could still secure their mathematical Premier League safety this weekend depending on results elsewhere.

Eze was believed to have been amongst the names on England boss Southgate’s long-list ahead of the World Cup, but former national team manager Hodgson made clear he would not try to influence any decisions about his midfielder’s international future.

He said: “It’s a question for Gareth I’m afraid, Gareth and [assistant manager] Steve Holland. I know they follow the team, our team closely, they follow the players, so what I’ve seen they will have seen and it will be totally and utterly up to them if they decide if what they’re seeing is what they’re looking for.

“No one would be happier for Ebs if he got selected, but I’m certainly not going to be the person who starts making those suggestions and telling the national team coach what he should do.

“I had four years of people telling me what I should be doing, so I made a definite rule that if I ever got back into club football no one is every going to pick up a newspaper, Gareth Southgate, and hear ‘Roy Hodgson thinks’.

“Roy Hodgson thinks what he thinks, and if Gareth ever wants to know what I’m thinking he knows where to find me, and we’re close enough friends for him to ask me.”

Eze, who has now netted 10 times for Palace this season, has thrived since Hodgson’s arrival in March and has credited the 75-year-old manager for an uptick in performance.

His first goal against the Cherries came as a result of some fine work from Wilfried Zaha, who evaded his marker and sent the ball in the direction of Jordan Ayew, who flicked the ball backwards to his team-mate for a neat finish after 39 minutes.

Michael Olise then became the first player in Palace history to pick up 10 assists in a single Premier League season when his long ball found Eze after the restart to set up a mazy run ending in an impossible save for Neto in the top right corner.

O’Neil’s side have all but assured themselves top-flight safety, but Saturday’s result means they may not have the chance to secure it on the pitch if results at Everton and Leicester, on Sunday and Monday respectively, go in their favour.

It will still be another week before Bournemouth can take their campaign to 40 points, but O’Neil himself will be turning the big 4-0 on his birthday this Thursday.

He said: “I won’t be celebrating. We’ll get to the end of the season and reflect on everything. I’ll have a clearer picture on what we have achieved, what we had and where we fell short, where we need to improve, what we’ve done well.

“In the summer I’ll give myself a small amount of time before we get ready for next season.

“Hopefully it’s mathematically done. We were looking to take care of ourselves today, but I think the fact that we were all but safe with four to go is a big achievement for the group and they should be very proud of what they have achieved.

“But a nice little reminder for them today that if you take your foot off the gas and you try and stand still then things can go past you very, very quickly.”

Borussia Dortmund kept the pressure on Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race after Sebastien Haller and Donyell Malen starred in a 5-2 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayern's 6-0 rout of Schalke sent the champions four points clear at the top prior to Saturday's kick-off at Signal Iduna Park, where Dortmund soon sliced that advantage to one again.

Edin Terzic's hosts surged into a 4-0 lead inside 32 minutes as Malen opened the scoring and twice teed up Haller, with Jude Bellingham also on target from the penalty spot.

Ramy Bensebaini pulled one back with a 75th-minute penalty and substitute Lars Stindl also struck for Gladbach, but Giovanni Reyna made sure it was an emphatic Dortmund victory with a stoppage-time strike.

Dortmund needed only five minutes to open the scoring as Malen headed home from point-blank range after Haller's deflected strike left Jan Olschowsky stranded.

A fine Gregor Kobel stop against Bensebaini denied Gladbach an immediate response, with that save proving vital as Dortmund struck a double blow soon after.

Bellingham squirmed an unconvincing penalty past Olschowsky after Florian Neuhaus had needlessly felled Haller, who added a third just two minutes later when flicking Malen's low cross into the bottom-left corner.

Another right-wing centre from Malen brought Haller's second as the Dortmund forward volleyed emphatically into the top-right corner.

A stretching Olschowsky thwarted a fizzing Bellingham drive after the interval.

Bensebaini reduced the deficit with a penalty after a Reyna foul, before Stindl whipped into the bottom-right corner for another consolation goal with five minutes left.

But the Gladbach fightback arrived too late and it was Reyna who had the last word when he tapped home a late Dortmund fifth from an Olschowsky mistake.

What does it mean? Dortmund remain in the hunt

Bayern will remain buoyed by the fact the last time the Bundesliga title race was this close after 31 matchdays, the Bavarian giants ousted Wolfsburg to league glory 14 years ago.

But Dortmund continue to hold their end of the deal in the battle for German top-flight glory, pushing Thomas Tuchel's side all the way after their 17th win in 18 competitive home games against Gladbach.

Home form has been key for Terzic's side this season, too, with no team in Europe's top five leagues scoring more goals on their own soil than Dortmund's 53 in 2023.

Marvellous Malen

Malen may have turned provider in a delightful display of selfless creativity against Gladbach but his rich vein of scoring form also continued.

The Dortmund forward has scored eight goals in his last eight league matches, while he has found the net in each of his last six home Bundesliga outings.

Grim Gladbach struggle on road again

A trip to Dortmund was always likely to prove a troublesome task, given Terzic's men had won a club-record 10 home league matches in a row before this visit.

The nature of Gladbach's crumbling came as no surprise as well, with Daniel Farke's side having now just won one of their last 16 top-flight away games this season (D6 L9).

What's next?

Dortmund visit Augsburg on Sunday May 21, which is also when Gladbach travel to Bayer Leverkusen.

Milan's hopes of finishing in Serie A's top four received another blow on Saturday as they were beaten 2-0 by relegation-threatened Spezia.

The Rossoneri headed to Stadio Alberto Picco on a seven-match league unbeaten run but still stinging from Wednesday's 2-0 first-leg defeat to city rivals Inter in the Champions League semi-finals.

Stefano Pioli's men put in another frustrating display against stubborn Spezia, twice denied by the post before Przemyslaw Wisniewski and Salvatore Esposito struck late on as the hosts claimed three points for the first time in nine league games.

The result means fifth-placed Milan remain two points behind fourth-placed Inter and three ahead of Roma, though both of those teams could yet take advantage of their latest slip-up this weekend, leaving the Rossoneri with work to do to attain Champions League qualification. 

Milan hit the woodwork seven minutes in through Sandro Tonali, who sent a low effort flying towards the bottom-left corner but watched it come back off the post.

Bartlomiej Dragowski then made a crucial stop to tip Theo Hernandez's rasping drive over the crossbar as Milan failed to break through Spezia's resilient defence.

The hosts went close shortly after the break as Mehdi Bourabia curled just over from range, while Brahim Diaz hit the outside of the post for Milan from a very tight angle.

Spezia hit the front with 15 minutes remaining, Kelvin Amian hitting the post from a corner before Wisniewski poked in the rebound to send the home fans into raptures.

Their victory was made safe five minutes from time, Esposito curling a delightful free-kick over the wall and into the top-left corner as Milan's dismal week ended on another sour note. 

Frank Lampard called on his players to be killers in attack if they are to emulate Raheem Sterling’s two goals in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest and finally vanquish the team’s scoring woes.

Chelsea were booed off at the break against struggling Forest, trailing to Taiwo Awoniyi’s header after Edouard Mendy had flapped at a cross on his return to the side.

It then took just seven second-half minutes for Sterling to turn the game on its head and remind those same supporters of the potential the England forward still has to transform a match single-handedly.

His first he owed to good work from Noni Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah down the right and to a fortunate deflection off Ryan Yates who lay stricken on the turf, but his second was a sublime solo effort, ramming the ball into Keylor Navas’ bottom corner after finding space inside the box.

Lampard said Sterling’s example was one the whole team would need to follow going into next season if Chelsea are to put this miserable campaign behind them.

“Raheem’s a player that has the credit in the bank, he’s been a regular scorer in the Premier League and for his country,” said the Blues boss.

“To see him score there (the first goal) was Raheem. Arriving for a cross, and then individual brilliance to score the (second) goal. I’m very happy for him. It’s what we need across the top end of the pitch.

“Raheem has done it and he’s produced it again. If you’re going to win games when you have 76 per cent possession, you need to be killers at the top end of the pitch, and Raheem is proven to be that. At the moment we don’t have enough of that.”

The draw means Chelsea are still without a home win since Lampard returned as interim manager on April 6 and saw them slip back into 12th place with Crystal Palace’s win over Bournemouth.

Aside from Sterling’s solo intervention, there was little to suggest the goalscoring troubles that have derailed their season have an end in sight.

Lampard added: “What pleased me was not so much the week’s training, it was more the idea of what the plan is before the game that we were going to have a lot of ball in their half, so we have to be really dynamic to move their back five, we have to make sure our counter-press positions are good, which they are to be fair.

“What displeased me was that in the first half we didn’t do it with enough urgency to break the back five; sideways, safe. Then in the second half when we did, we underlapped them and get a goal and we showed urgency in our running forward and we get another goal.”

Forest kept themselves at the head of the Premier League’s four relegation-threatened sides with Awoniyi’s second goal of the game in the second half stealing a point, ensuring the gap to 18th-placed Leeds remained at three going into the season’s final two games.

“Probably a mix really of some disappointed guys in the dressing room, and I like that, because although we had to work really hard for what we got today, we could easily have got a little bit more,” said Forest boss Cooper.

“It’s the mixed feeling really of that, and also knowing that we gave everything, we stuck to the plan, we showed good resilience from going 2-1 down when really, I wouldn’t say we gifted it to Chelsea but we could have done so much better with them goals.

“We knew Chelsea were going to have the ball, we were away from home. But the game was going exactly as we wanted it to go. So to quickly turn it to go to 2-1 down and then to get something out of the game I think is a positive as well. There’s loads to take out of the game.

“It feels like we’re giving away goals more easily than how we’re scoring them. Look at the two goals  today, great strategy in terms of the set-piece for the second one, good technique for the cross and the head for the first.

“I’ve never had to question the attitude, desire, resilience, commitment, that part of the mentality. At times a little bit of belief, and concentration and a bit of confidence away from home.

“That’s why at times we’ve had what we’ve had. It was good really after going 2-1 down to get something out of the game because I don’t think many would have backed us to get anything today.”

Erik ten Hag highlighted Alejandro Garnacho’s bravery, maturity and confidence after the Manchester United teenager made a goalscoring return after a two-month injury lay-off.

The nascent 18-year-old talent, who recently signed a new deal until 2028, received an excellent reception on his first appearance since sustaining an ankle injury against Southampton on March 12.

Garnacho was brought on in the 82nd minute and scored with a stoppage-time strike off the post in front of the Stretford End to wrap up a 2-0 victory against Wolves.

Ten Hag was happy with all his introductions after a few weeks when he said the “subs were bad”, but the Argentinian took the headlines after United got their top-four tilt back on track.

“Garna, of course, scored a great goal,” the United boss said. “He came in, he did I think almost everything good and then he scored a goal.

“That will give him belief and that is good for us for the rest of the season that he is back. It’ll give him confidence and he can have an impact.

“He is showing when you score some winners, like Fulham, assist against City, for instance. Now the second goal, he is showing some things.

“Also sometimes he lacks defensive transition, in pressing, he has to step up in such things. Also, when you are going into an action or keep the ball, so decisions.

“But I think when you see it all over, yeah, he is a huge talent and he’s brave.”

Garnacho arrived from Atletico Madrid in 2020 and was last season’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year having played a key role in United’s FA Youth Cup triumph.

The Argentina youth international frustrated Ten Hag during pre-season but has since won the Dutchman over, making 30 first-team appearances so far this campaign.

“One of the aspects from the biggest talent is that they are mature,” the United boss said. “First, they take responsibility and, second, they are mature.

“To bring in their skills, they have belief that they can dominate opponents and I think once again he did it.

“He has a big impact in many games either when starting or coming on, he’s ready, straight into the game and that is so important for the squad you can bring such players.

“I am happy that you can bring young players and hopefully he will progress so quickly that he can compete for a starting XI position because that is his next challenge.”

Garnacho’s strike was United’s 100th goal of the season in all competitions and complemented Anthony Martial’s opener in a 25th Old Trafford victory of the campaign.

The win was an important response to defeats at Brighton and West Ham, which had allowed Liverpool to close the gap in the race for Champions League qualification.

“You have to deal (with setbacks),” Ten Hag said, “Everyone told me in United it is never going in the easy way, we go the difficult way.

“I think the team was ready for this battle, for this fight.

“Once again, we make the goalie of the opponent the man of the match, so we could have made life easier if we score the second goal early on.

“But we have the points, we are happy with that and we move on.”

Wolves failed to muster a shot on target as their poor away form continued, leaving boss Julen Lopetegui frustrated.

“Obviously, the result was not good for us, but we tried to compete with them,” said the Spaniard, who praised goalkeeper Dan Bentley after making an impressive Premier League debut.

“In the context of the match, the first half, we suffered one goal in one mistake that we had and they didn’t have any more chances.

“In the second half, we take a risk, we dominate the game and had situations when we could have done better.

“In the end, it was a pity, we tried, but, in the end, they deserved to win.”

Ruben Selles admits standards at Southampton have not been good enough after Premier League relegation was sealed by a limp 2-0 loss to Fulham.

Second-half goals from Carlos Vinicius and Aleksandar Mitrovic inflicted a club-record 24th defeat of the season on the division’s bottom side to leave them eight points from safety with two fixtures remaining.

Captain James Ward-Prowse conceded at full-time that Saints should have performed better across a dismal campaign, an assessment echoed by manager Selles.

“It’s a tough day for everybody, the performance on the pitch was not what we expect it to be and we were not good enough today and that’s why we are in this situation,” said the Spaniard.

“If we were in our standards, we would not be talking about this situation right now. We need to face it like that.

“I don’t think there is one point where you can say that is exactly the point where it happened.

“As a club we need to evaluate and see what the standards that James referred to are and be sure that when the club starts the next season those standards are on point.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – a Saints fan – was among those in attendance at St Mary’s as the hosts’ 11-season stay in the top flight ended in tame fashion.

He witnessed a team lacking confidence, ideas and urgency produce another feeble performance of a miserable campaign featuring three managers and just two home league wins.

Boos and chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” from disgruntled home supporters greeted the full-time whistle.

Selles, who has been in charge for 14 of Saints’ 36 top-flight matches this term following the sackings of Ralph Hasenhuttl and then Nathan Jones, felt he should have been able to inspire better results.

“I take all the responsibility for the last three months, that’s my responsibility,” he said.

“I should be able to win more football matches. I should be able to have a team that competes better.

“I think I could have done (things) different; more is difficult but I think I can do different. I made my mistakes like any other and of course it was not good enough.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva expressed sympathy with Southampton as he reflected on his “perfect” team selection.

The Portuguese opted to stick with the starting XI which began Monday’s 5-3 win over Leicester and then watched substitute Mitrovic, who was returning from an eight-game ban, seal victory seven minutes after replacing opening goalscorer Vinicius.

“Sometimes you do things and they look perfect,” he said.

“When you have Mitro ready to go, there’s a temptation to start with him because he’s the top goal-scorer, he’s been a crucial player for me and for this football club.

“But I knew what Carlos can provide and deliver for us.

“To see at the end the connection between the players and the fans is a great feeling for me. We deserved the three points.”

Speaking about Saints’ plight, Silva said: “All the sympathy with this football club.

“It’s a tough period for this club, a big club, and it deserves probably to be in a different situation.

“For sure they can come stronger next season to be able to play again in the Premier League because a club like Southampton they probably deserve this situation. It’s up to them now to come stronger next season.”

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes praised his players for displaying both ‘fire and ice’ in a vital 2-0 victory over Livingston which lifted them out of the cinch Premiership relegation zone.

After a tense and goalless first half at Rugby Park, the home side secured all three points thanks to Kyle Vassell’s opener and a Danny Armstrong penalty awarded after a VAR check on handball against Livingston midfielder Jason Holt.

Kilmarnock are now in 10th place in the table, three points above bottom club Dundee United and just two points behind ninth-placed St Johnstone who they host next Saturday.

“We spoke at half-time about the need for calm,” said McInnes. “It’s that thing about fire and ice – you want to be passionate and show you’re motivated, whilst also being calm.

“We were too nervy and too agitated in the first half. It was frantic and we didn’t have enough composure in the game.

“Our passes forward needed to be more measured into our strikers. Getting the goal at the start of the second half really settled everyone down. You could feel it in the whole stadium.

“Livingston are a tough team to play against when you know you need a result. They are really compact and pick up a lot of scraps and second balls.

“They can make you nervous with how hard they work – but I wanted my players to outwork Livingston. If we could do that, we knew it’d give us a chance.

“We got the break from VAR with the penalty. That’s probably one of the first breaks we’ve had from VAR.

“I wasn’t actually sure if it was a penalty. I thought it hit the boy’s shoulder. But the fourth official said to me it was a penalty. At 2-0, you then started to see the confidence coming back.”

Livingston manager David Martindale was unhappy with his players as they slumped to a seventh consecutive away defeat without scoring a goal.

“Our away form since the turn of the year has been nothing short of horrific,” said Martindale.

“I have changed the shape and the personnel but we are not getting the winning formula. I would have happily walked away from here at half-time with a 0-0.

“We then lose a stupid goal and a penalty which is a penalty all day long. We speak about it all the time but players still throw their hands in the air.

“We only have ourselves to blame as we are not doing the basics at both ends of the park. It is definitely a confidence issue but we need to dig deep and get it back.”

Jim Goodwin lamented a dismal defensive display as his Dundee United side slipped back to the foot of the cinch Premiership with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of relegation rivals Ross County.

The Tayside outfit started the afternoon in 10th place and ended it two points adrift at the foot of the table with three games to play after being leapfrogged by both the Staggies and Kilmarnock.

A hat-trick of close-range finishes from Jordan White did the damage, and United manager Goodwin was furious with the way the County striker was allowed so much space.

“It was poor defensively, far too easy at times,” he said. “It was the basics, dropping players and not marking on the right side, something we have been good at for weeks.

“It’s really difficult to take because I felt we were making progress, so to defend like that and go back to losing goals like those, it is really disappointing.

“I thought we’d eradicated it but it has raised its ugly head again.

“We have been given credit for the fight, aggression and determination we have showed lately, but I felt the difference between the two teams was in the boxes.

“County man-handled (United striker) Steven Fletcher and were aggressive with him, but in our box Jordan White got too much joy. He dictated to our defenders today and that disappoints me.

“The players have been told it wasn’t acceptable. It’s probably best if I don’t say what was said.

“You can hold your hands up if a team carves you open but those three goals were so avoidable.

“We have put ourselves in a difficult position now with results elsewhere and we’re bottom of the table again.”

County boss Malky Mackay was delighted with the way his side handled the occasion as they set about silencing a bumper crowd of more than 10,000 United fans before climbing off the bottom of the table.

“We knew we had to start fast, knowing there was going to be 10,000 fans and the intensity that could bring for Dundee United,” said Mackay, whose side took the lead after just 38 seconds and then scored two more in the second half after Jamie McGrath’s first-half penalty had levelled things up.

“Coming out it was like the old days at Tannadice, all that tangerine, so it was terrific to see. I told them we have to start well and get the first goal, so we were delighted we did.

“At half-time I asked them to raise the energy levels and give what they gave against Livingston. We got our goals and could have scored another couple.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell hailed Kevin van Veen’s commitment after the striker played through injury to net in his eighth consecutive game.

The Dutchman overcame a foot knock which he had suffered last weekend to score a re-taken penalty in confident style as Well beat St Johnstone 2-0 to confirm their cinch Premiership status for another year.

Van Veen saw his initial effort saved but Remi Matthews was penalised for coming off his line too early and the in-form striker then chipped his second penalty over the diving goalkeeper to give the visitors a 52nd-minute lead.

It was his 26th goal of the season, his 11th in eight games and a 22nd in the league, which leaves him two behind Premiership top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi, one of three Celtic players the Motherwell man goes up against in Sunday’s PFA Scotland player of the year awards.

Van Veen is the first Motherwell player to score in eight consecutive top-flight games since the Second World War and the first in Scotland since Craig Dargo for Inverness in 2005-06.

Kettlewell said: “Undoubtedly he catches the headlines, we understand why, eight games in a row he has now scored, but he is very much committed to the cause, which everybody can see.

“He played through an injury and if you’re not committed to the cause then he’s chapping my door telling me he wants to sit at the side.

“It’s just a knock on his foot, it’s not a great issue, but he hasn’t trained an awful lot this week.

“I think everybody could see that wasn’t his best day but he still comes up with another goal.

“He gets the second bite at the penalty, shows unbelievable composure to do what he did with the second effort. That was tremendous.”

Kettlewell, whose side killed off the game in stoppage time, added: “I’m delighted for Mikael Mandron to get his first league goal for us and I thought his efforts deserved it as well.”

The result leaves St Johnstone just three points ahead of the danger zone and manager Steven MacLean bemoaned a lack of quality in the final third after his side failed to test Liam Kelly.

“I thought we just lacked that little bit of quality,” he said. “I thought first half we were the better side and got into good areas and (lacked the) final ball, that wee bit of killer instinct.

“Second half I don’t think we started well enough but they only looked dangerous in transitions and then we concede the penalty.

“Remi saves it and it gets called back by VAR. It is what it is. I think Remi was off his line, the fourth official said that.

“The second goal, we are having a go and trying to get back in the game, I will take that one. But there was nothing in the game – they get the penalty and that changes the game.”

Former England goalkeeper Carly Telford believes the injuries that have struck the Lionesses can inspire Sarina Wiegman’s side at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

England will head to Australia and New Zealand as one of the favourites, but their hopes have been hit by serious injuries that have ruled out captain Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby, while Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, and Millie Bright also face a race against a time to be fit in time.

The loss of key players could derail many of Wiegman’s plans for the tournament but Telford believes it will bring together those who do make the trip.

“As much as they might be team-mates or enemies in the Super League, a lot of them are friends, and watching your friends get hurt, you know how short a football career is and how few tournaments you might get to go to,” Telford told the PA news agency.

“It is hurtful when you see team-mates go down but it can inspire them as they will want to play for the girls who are missing it, and they will use it as motivation.”

Telford believes the European champions, whose best World Cup finish was the third place achieved in 2015, will have a target on their back this summer after the successes enjoyed in the last few years.

“I think we will see an ultra-competitive side,” she said. “We’ve had a couple of knock backs with injuries but they’ve had that taste of winning now and once you’ve had that it’s very hard to lose sight of what you want to do which is to win a trophy on a global stage.

“The World Cup is a different animal, you’re playing against different nations, sides from South America and Africa you don’t often come up against, and you’re travelling to the other side of the world. It will be a difficult challenge but one Sarina will prepare them for…

“When is there not pressure on England to do well and win a tournament? Even when we haven’t been one of the top sides. But of course once we’ve won something the girls have a target on their heads.

“It’s been the Americans for a long time but England have some brilliant players and arguably the best manager in the world. It’s a huge opportunity to put England on the map again.”

The last World Cup ended in disappointment as England were beaten in the semi-finals by the United States, a match in which Telford played.

“Hurt,” she said when asked her memories of the tournament. “We got so far and fell at the final hurdle, but on reflection it was huge. We got so much support, we had a good tournament and took it as far as we could. We made strides on the pitch and I like to think it led to what came after.”

The World Cup trophy was on hand as Telford spoke at a grassroots football session staged by Bloomsbury Football and the Football Association on Saturday morning at the Ark Elvin Academy within sight of Wembley Stadium.

The session was part of a project led by Bloomsbury to offer more opportunities to play for children from underprivileged kids from across London.

“Having the World Cup trophy here means we’re about to get kids excited about something they can dream about, but also just have some fun,” Telford said.

“There needs to be so many more opportunities and pitches like this where kids can come all year round. There’s been funding from England, the FA and FIFA to make sure every kids has the opportunity to dream big because that’s what you want to do as a kid.”

Eberechi Eze’s brace spoiled Bournemouth’s ambitions of securing Premier League safety after the Cherries’ afternoon ended in a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Gary O’Neil’s men needed just one point to make certain of another season in the top flight and looked bright to start with, but fell behind when Eze fired his side ahead late in the first half.

It was not all good news for Roy Hodgson’s hosts, who saw Wilfried Zaha forced off after the break.

However, Eze added a second for the Eagles, who had already secured mathematical safety, while the visiting Cherries still need one more point to mathematically avoid the drop.

Neither side was able to create any clear-cut chances inside the first 10 minutes though Bournemouth frequently tested the fortitude of centre-back pairing Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.

Michael Olise curled an effort wide of the far post from the edge of the area before his side were able to stave off a sustained wave of pressure from the opposition as the period ticked past the halfway point.

Joel Ward evaded two black shirts in the corner to set up Olise for a second attempt, coming closer with a cross to force Neto into a leaping grab.

Olise entered the afternoon with nine assists and nearly added another when he sent a cross to Wilfried Zaha at the far post, who misdirected his effort from three yards out.

VAR was called in for the first time following an altercation between Andersen and Jefferson Lerma inside the Cherries’ area for a potential red card on the Palace defender, but the hosts remained at full strength after the review.

Palace had failed to make anything of six corners to Bournemouth’s two, but the statistics were otherwise closely split as the contest approached the 40-minute mark as both sides searched for a breakthrough.

It was the hosts who finally achieved it, sparked by Zaha, who battled his way around his marker at the edge of the area before cutting back to Jordan Ayew.

He took a quick backwards touch to direct the ball to Eze, who gave Neto no chance as he fired home from centre after 39 minutes.

Will Hughes quickly tested Neto to start the second half but the Selhurst faithful soon witnessed a worrying scene when Zaha, only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, pulled up and was replaced by Odsonne Edouard.

The Eagles talisman, out of contract at the end of this campaign, was treated to a rousing chant by the home support, possibly wondering if this would be the last time they would watch him walk off the pitch in a Palace shirt.

Eze bagged his second in the 58th minute, a solo effort that saw him collect the ball from Olise on the left before a mazy run through centre put him in position to fire his 10th of the season into the top right.

Palace’s corner tally ticked over into double-digits but the scoreline stood as the hosts survived a late free-kick from a dangerous position.

Palace survived before substitute Jairo Riedewald tried to make up for his involvement in the set-piece by attempting to tee up Edouard for a late third – but two was ultimately all it took.

Kelle Roos was Aberdeen’s hero as his second-half penalty save earned his side a point from a goalless draw against Hibernian to move a step closer to securing third place in the cinch Premiership.

Hibs had been the better side throughout, but a goal never looked like coming until a penalty call from VAR referee Andrew Dallas saw Roos save Kevin Nisbet’s resultant spot-kick.

The Dons had prepared a number of festivities to honour their European double-winning team of 1983 and a sell-out crowd packed Pittodrie in response.

However, Hibs silenced the bumper home support, as the visitors provided the better of the play, albeit with no reward.

The pattern was set as early as the first minute when Aberdeen’s Liam Scales was booked for a foul on Joe Newell as the Hibs man threatened to create an early chance.

Elie Youan would be a constant threat on the Hibernian left and he had the first real chance, forcing Roos into a low save after Nisbet’s through-ball.

Youan would turn provider for Josh Campbell after 25 minutes, but the midfielder – who scored a hat-trick in the reverse tie between the teams – saw his effort strike the base of the post and go behind.

Roos seemed to be beaten all-ends up when a quick throw saw Nisbet race clear of a sluggish home defence, but his effort with the outside of his right foot drifted the ball wide of the post.

Aberdeen had been almost non-existent as a threat, Leighton Clarkson’s blocked effort the only chance they had through the first half, but a clever training-ground corner routine saw Hayden Coulson flash an effort narrowly over the crossbar on the stroke of half-time.

The home side came close with another effort immediately after the break as Bojan Miovski set Ryan Duncan away, but the Dons youth graduate saw his shot blocked.

But Hibs were back in the supremacy before long, and Youan saw an effort come off the post after lax defending from Coulson.

There was a VAR check a minute later following a nasty clash between Josh Campbell and Scales, but a yellow was deemed enough punishment for the Hibs’ man’s high foot.

The sides traded blows until the 75th minute when a Hibs corner saw Youan head off the crossbar and substitute Harry McKirdy’s strike seemingly come off the post.

However, VAR subsequently showed a Coulson handball and a spot-kick was awarded.

Nisbet stepped up confidently but his drive straight down the middle was saved by the legs of Roos, who survived a subsequent VAR check as to whether he had come off his line and the Dons support were suddenly alive again.

However, Aberdeen, who saw Duk forced off with a hamstring injury, had several others play on through injury in an attritional performance which could prove costly further down the line.

Kilmarnock boosted their cinch Premiership survival hopes as they climbed out of the bottom two with a 2-0 victory over Livingston.

Kyle Vassell’s first league goal for the club and a Danny Armstrong penalty saw the Rugby Park side maintain their impressive home form as they bid to avoid the drop.

Livingston, who had won all three previous meetings between the sides this season, slip to eighth place after a fifth defeat in their last six games.

The visitors were the first to threaten when Stephen Kelly pounced on a defensive mix-up involving Lewis Mayo and Joe Wright but pulled his shot narrowly wide of Sam Walker’s right-hand post in the sixth minute.

Kilmarnock responded and should have opened the scoring 10 minutes later.

Vassell latched onto a flick-on from strike partner Christian Doidge to find himself with only Shamal George to beat but his shot was too close to the Livingston keeper who saved well.

The much-travelled former Blackpool, Peterborough and Rotherham striker tested George again with a curling shot which was comfortably held, then at the other end Joel Nouble sent an effort just off target.

Kilmarnock were finding clear-cut opportunities difficult to come by but young midfielder David Watson, who signed a new contract last week, called George into action once more when his close-range header was saved.

Livingston claimed their opponents should have been reduced to 10 men before the break.

Wright, already booked for a foul on Nouble, pulled down the striker again as he tried to burst clear but referee David Munro ignored the angry protests of the visiting players as he decided a free-kick was sufficient punishment.

Kilmarnock made a vibrant start to the second half and were rewarded with the breakthrough in the 48th minute.

The combination of Doidge and Vassell caused problems for the Livingston defence once more as the latter raced onto the former’s clever flick and drove home a low shot which George got a hand to but could not keep out.

Nouble came close to an equaliser in the 58th minute when he outmuscled Wright inside the box and saw his shot from a tight angle superbly saved by Sam Walker.

However, Kilmarnock took control of the contest when they doubled their lead from the spot six minutes later.

After a VAR check, Jason Holt was penalised for blocking a Doidge shot with an outstretched arm and Armstrong stepped up to send George the wrong way with a coolly converted penalty.

Serge Gnarby bagged a double as Bayern Munich kept their grasp on the Bundesliga title race with a 6-0 rout against relegation-threatened Schalke at Allianz Arena.

Thomas Tuchel's side claimed a comfortable win to go four points clear at the top on Saturday, although Borussia Dortmund could slice that gap when they host Borussia Monchengladbach later on.

Thomas Reis' visitors offered little as Thomas Muller's pinpoint finish and a Joshua Kimmich penalty placed Bayern in full control before the half-time whistle in Bavaria.

Gnabry's brace after the break prefaced late strikes for Mathys Tel and Noussair Mazraoui, further compounding Schalke's misery, as the hosts continued their charge towards an 11th straight title.

Having handed Schalke an 8-0 thrashing on their last visit to Munich in 2020, Bayern looked like they might repeat that feat after Muller, Gnabry and Kingsley Coman all missed early chances.

The visitors saw their resistance broken 21 minutes in however when the former curled Leroy Sane's deft ball into the bottom-left corner, before matters worsened.

A VAR check awarded Bayern a penalty eight minutes later for a stray Cedric Brunner elbow on Jamal Musiala, with Kimmich sending Alexander Schwolow the wrong way from the spot.

Gnabry inflicted further damage after the interval, seizing Joao Cancelo's cut-back pass to drill past the goalkeeper, a quarter-hour before he rounded him for a second.

Tel added a late fifth from Musiala's pass to further pad the scoreline, before Mazraoui capitalised on torrid defending for a final strike in injury-time.

Ange Postecoglou admits Celtic accepting their fate was the biggest disappointment in their 3-0 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox in the final Old Firm game of the season.

The Hoops went into the game as cinch Premiership champions following their 2-0 win at Hearts last week and had been unbeaten in five Glasgow derbies this season.

However, goals from Todd Cantwell, John Souttar and Fashion Sakala gave the Light Blues their first win in seven meetings between the Glasgow giants.

Celtic remain on course for a domestic treble, with the Scottish Cup final against Championship side Inverness at Hampden Park to come on June 3, but Postecoglou spoke about the back-to-back away fixtures post-split in the league as he analysed only their the second league defeat of the season.

He said: “In the second half I felt we almost accepted our fate – you can lose a game of football, that will happen – rather than us going out there and trying to change the course of the game.

“Yeah (it was the biggest disappointment).

“They are human beings and they have had an outstanding season and the euphoria of last week and winning (the league), it is kind of weird winning it and with the fixtures, you have to play away again.

“You don’t really get a chance to appreciate the moment but welcome to Celtic. That’s the expectation, that is not going to change.

“It wasn’t a great performance, disappointing performance, disappointing outcome.

“There was a couple of moments when we really should have scored and at least taken some momentum out of the game but we never got a foothold.

“In the second half we never really made an impact, there was a bit of desperation about us trying to get into the game rather than playing our football.”

Moments after the immense Cantwell fired the ball through the legs of Celtic keeper Joe Hart, Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu, chosen in place of Kyogo Furuhashi, was set up by Liel Abada.

However, with only Gers keeper Robby McCrorie to beat, he chipped the ball off the post with the home defence recovering.

Postecoglou said: “It is a big moment, absolutely.

“They were up for it, the crowd were up for it and they got the goal and if we can hit back straight away it takes a bit of the momentum out of them.

“It is a goal the big man probably should have put away, he hit the post so he wasn’t far off. It is a bit of learning for him as well.

“When he looks at somebody like Kyogo Furuhashi, he misses goals too but he doesn’t let it affect him, he is still running his socks off for the team.”

There were no Celtic fans in the stadium due to “safety and security” issues, as was the case for Rangers when they visited the east end of Glasgow in April, but Postecoglou did not use that as an excuse.

He said: “I don’t think the fans could have done anything about our performance. It is not the first time we have played here without fans.”