Kai Havertz scored twice but Germany made another early World Cup exit despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 in a thriller at Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday.

Needing a victory to have any chance of reaching the round of 16, Germany secured their first win of the tournament but bow out at the group stage for a second successive World Cup.

Serge Gnabry gave them a richly deserved early lead, but Yeltsin Tejeda equalised with his first international goal in the second half and Costa Rica were heading for the knockout stage after Juan Pablo Vargas put them in front.

Havertz levelled not long after Vargas' goal and struck again to put Germany back in front, with fellow substitute Niclas Fullkrug then adding a late fourth goal 

It was Japan and Spain who advance from Group E, though, with the Samurai Blue finishing top after their surprise 2-1 win over Luis Enrique's side.

Gnabry opened the scoring only 10 minutes in, meeting David Raum's cross from the left with a glancing header that found the far corner of the net.

Leon Goretzka's header was kept out by Keylor Navas, Musiala fired wide after turning sharply and surging into the box and Gnabry was only just off target with a right-foot drive as Germany continued to dominate.

But Keysher Fuller almost equalised from out of the blue late in the first half, Manuel Neuer superbly tipping his shot around the post after a mistake from Antonio Rudiger.

News of Japan leading Spain left Germany fans with hands on heads and things took another turn for the worse when Tejeda was on hand to finish from close range after Neuer could only palm Kendall Waston's header into his path in the 58th minute.

Musiala twice struck the right-hand post and Rudiger hit the outside of the same upright as Germany desperately tried to stay alive.

Costa Rica then stunned Germany once again by taking the lead after 70 minutes, Vargas getting the final touch when Neuer as Germany failed to deal with a ball into the box.

Los Ticos' joy was short-lived, though, as Havertz finished clinically with his right foot soon after coming off the bench just a few minutes after Germany had fallen behind.

Navas denied Fullkrug with a magnificent save from close range, but Havertz tucked in coolly with his left foot at the back post.

Fullkrug looked to have strayed offside, but was awarded a second goal in as many games in the closing stages following a VAR check after he slotted in from close range, but Germany bowed out on goal difference.

Kai Havertz believes Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Neuer's criticism of Germany's performance against Japan can spur them on in Sunday's do-or-die meeting with Spain.

Germany lost their opening World Cup game for just the third time (W13 D4) on Wednesday as Bundesliga duo Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano came off the bench to fire Japan to a shock 2-1 win.

Captain Neuer lamented Germany's failure to put the game to bed after the defeat, while Gundogan said Asano's goal was one of the most straightforward ever scored at a World Cup.

The shock result leaves Germany facing consecutive World Cup group-stage exits ahead of their meeting with Spain – who are favourites to top Group E after thrashing Costa Rica 7-0.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Havertz insisted his team-mates' comments had not caused any ill feeling, saying: "It was constructive criticism from Ilkay and Manu. 

"I can understand the boys. We talked about it. Such criticism is also good for the team because we continue to develop. It was a small snippet from an interview. Nobody is angry there.

"I can understand that negativity comes up from a lot of fans. There's a lot of people taking shots at us, but in my head I'm not worried. 

"I don't care what was in the past. It's a big game on Sunday. There's no use getting negative thoughts now. We are looking ahead."

Another early elimination would continue a run of poor tournament displays from Die Mannschaft, who went out in the last 16 at Euro 2020 after failing to make the knockout stages in Russia four years ago, but Havertz expects them to improve next time out.

"The statistics don't speak for us, but we have experienced a lot of change in recent years, which is not easy," the Chelsea forward added.

"That is not an excuse. What we have shown is not enough. But we will do everything we can to improve that."

The omens are not good for Germany, who have won just one of their last seven meetings with Spain (D2 L4) – a run which includes a humiliating 6-0 loss in Seville two years ago.

Julian Brandt does not believe that result will have any bearing on Sunday's fixture, and he hopes Germany can draw on their Euro 2020 experience in a bid to keep their World Cup dream alive.

"We're in a s***** situation and Spain come into the stadium with a 7-0 win behind them, but this is an opportunity for us. This can release a lot of energy," Brandt said.

"A little over a year ago, we also lost to France in the first game and then we won in the second game against Portugal. The guys understand such a situation. I don't think the 6-0 is still relevant."

Graham Potter was full of praise for his "really impressive" Chelsea players after they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

A brilliant Kai Havertz header in first-half injury time set the Blues on their way, before Christian Pulisic and substitute Armando Broja added second-half goals to cap a brilliant display.

The three points took Chelsea into the top four and gave Potter an important first home league victory after arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion in September.

Potter was delighted with his team after the game, telling reporters: "Winning games helps so we look forward to the games.

"It's about hard work, it's being together, that stuff is important but the guys have been really impressive.

"Credit to Wolves, they came out and gave us more of a test in the second half, we saw that period out and we managed to score a nice goal.

"We want to score more than one, we were playing so well and if you have that performance level, the goals will come.

"The effort was fantastic and they've worked hard in training this week.

"I've said from the start I've been impressed with how open, honest and responsible they are. It's difficult to keep the same 11 with the schedule, but there is an element of consistency to how we play.

"[I am] Really happy with the boys and how we've recovered. We go again [at Milan] on Tuesday."

Potter explained his decision to make seven changes from Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League home victory against Milan, saying: "I pick the right team to [try to] win.

"The schedule is tight so there's not a load of recovery time. We have to try to select the best team to give us the chance to perform well."

The Chelsea boss was also pleased to see Broja get on the scoresheet with a well-taken finish into the bottom corner in the 90th minute.

"Great finish, nice pass too," Potter added. "Whenever he comes on he works hard for the team.

"He's had to be patient but he's been working hard in training and it's nice for him to score."

Goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja gave Chelsea a 3-0 win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge in Graham Potter's first home league match in charge.

A much-changed Chelsea dominated the opening 45 minutes and took the lead in first-half injury time when Havertz nodded home Mason Mount's cross.

Mount then had a big hand in the second, playing in Pulisic to dink over Jose Sa, before substitute Broja raced through to add a late third as Chelsea beat Wolves for the first time in four attempts.

The Blues move up to fourth as Potter earns an important first home league victory after making seven changes.

The hosts started brightly with Conor Gallagher and Havertz both going close in the early minutes, though Daniel Podence headed just wide at the other end.

Jorginho saw a low drive parried away by Sa, while Mount dragged a shot left of the target as Chelsea pressed for an early goal.

Joao Moutinho tested Kepa Arrizabalaga with a powerful free-kick, before Sa made a brilliant save to tip a Pulisic curler wide at full stretch.

But Wolves' resistance was broken in first-half injury time as Havertz looped a sublime header into the far corner from Mount's driven cross from the right.

The visitors enjoyed a much better spell after the interval, but fell further behind when Pulisic and Mount combined before the former delicately finished to make it 2-0.

Havertz could have added a third shortly after, but his chip was pushed away by Sa before Hwang Hee-chan missed a golden opportunity to pull a goal back as he fired straight at Arrizabalaga.

Broja rounded off the scoring in the dying minutes, cutting onto his right foot before firing a delightful finish into the bottom corner to cap a brilliant Chelsea display.

Hansi Flick warned his Germany side individual errors will be "deadly" at the World Cup after an entertaining back-and-forth Nations League encounter against England at Wembley.

The visitors led by two goals after Ilkay Gundogan's penalty and Kai Havertz's expert long-range finish punished the Three Lions.

However, three goals in the space of 12 minutes from Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Harry Kane had already-relegated England in front with seven minutes to play.

An error from goalkeeper Nick Pope allowed Havertz to make it 3-3 late on, but head coach Flick acknowledged Germany must be better at protecting a lead in Qatar.

"The result is very disappointing. I think we were very stable after 2-0 and we made individual mistakes, and you have to say that England brought in two fresh players who then also played a part in making England more effective offensively," Flick said.

"We made individual mistakes and that's why it's disappointing. 

"You have to look at the whole game and I think we did many things well, really well. In a phase where we got the three goals, that shouldn't happen to us, because especially at a World Cup, things like that are of course deadly and you're eliminated faster than you think. 

"Therefore, if you look at it positively, you simply have to say that we know what we can work on. 

"We'll analyse the game properly again because, of course, at first glance, I've seen the goals conceded, just once or twice now, and that's partly individual, where we sometimes made the mistakes. And everyone has to do their job over 90 minutes and we have to work on that."

Flick, though, was effusive in his praise of Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala, who was a constant thorn in England's side and drew the foul from Harry Maguire for Germany's opener from the spot.

"Jamal just showed why he is an exceptional talent. He got us the second goal from in his own half and he's both defensive and offensive, I think he's a player that's good for us," Flick added.

"And simply by his dribbling ability, he can pull out situations like penalties, but of course also he can move opponents around, one or two players are out of position and then it's a different situation. 

"Then we have more room, more space and those are the things that are good for us."

There were mixed feelings from the German camp after Monday's dramatic 3-3 draw against England in the UEFA Nations League, with manager Hansi Flick calling it "a good test".

Germany led 2-0 after a 52nd minute penalty from Ilkay Gundogan and a goal from Kai Havertz in the 67th, but that advantage was wiped out in just over 15 minutes.

Luke Shaw struck in the 72nd, Mason Mount equalised three minutes later, and a penalty to Harry Kane put the English up 3-2 in the 83rd.

Ultimately, an 87th-minute leveller from Havertz saw the two sides share the points, and it gave Flick some mixed emotions.

"The first half was balanced, in the second we deservedly led 2-0 – then we made individual mistakes," he said. "It must not happen that we give up a lead like that. 

"But we came back, that's the positive. It was a good test, we take a lot of positive things with us, but also negative things. There's some work for us to do, but we're optimistic, otherwise we could stay at home."

Midfielder Joshua Kimmich provided a little more insight into exactly what went wrong to allow such a rapid collapse.

"We had everything under control and deservedly led 2-0 – then we became far too passive," he said. "No longer pushing through consistently, defending far too deep, no longer having the courage to play against the ball… but in terms of body language and engagement, it was an improvement.

"Everyone now has six weeks to get a good feeling and then we will attack."

After scoring two goals, Havertz said to only get a draw from a match like that "must of course worry you" but suggested that it "was another good game to learn from".

Meanwhile, Gundogan was not afraid to talk about Germany's lofty goals, saying they are heading to Qatar with the plan of making the final.

"It's not unrealistic," he said. "Of course, a lot has to come together. I don't see a team that is miles ahead.

"We have shown over long periods that we can do it at the highest level. We have to try to do that for 90 minutes. At a World Cup you have much less leeway to make mistakes than today."

Kai Havertz came off the bench to seal a much-needed victory for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues came from behind to beat London rivals West Ham 2-1.

Thomas Tuchel's team were booed off after failing to manage a single shot on target in a dismal first half, and fell behind shortly after the hour when Antonio converted following a goalmouth scramble.

But Ben Chilwell poked past Lukasz Fabianski to level the scores with 15 minutes remaining, and Havertz was on hand to turn the full-back's cross home to put the Blues ahead late on.

There was still time for Maxwel Cornet to see a fine strike disallowed for West Ham, but Chelsea ultimately held on to bounce back from Tuesday's loss to Southampton after an enthralling match.

Manchester United's transfer market activity appears to be getting increasingly desperate.

The English giants have added only Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez to their first team in this window.

United have been linked with a host of other players but missed out, including Benjamin Sesko, while no deal has transpired despite their attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD BOSS TEN HAG KEEN ON ZIYECH

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has identified Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech as a target, according to the Manchester Evening News.

However, United's hierarchy are not convinced and have offered resistance to the Dutchman's plans to sign the Moroccan, whom he worked with previously at Ajax.

United have been priced out of their move for Ajax's Antony, and Ten Hag views Ziyech as a good alternative.

ROUND-UP

– SPORT1 claims Bayern Munich will attempt to bring Kai Havertz to the club from Chelsea. The Germany international, who moved to Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen two years ago, is seen as someone who can offset Robert Lewandowski's departure.

– Juventus are still keen on Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Bianconeri are ready to swoop once Adrien Rabiot's move to Manchester United is sealed.

– The Athletic reports Newcastle United may target Chelsea's United States international Christian Pulisic.

– West Ham have entered the race for Barcelona's Memphis Depay, submitting a "big-money" offer to the Blaugrana, according to Football Insider.

Kai Havertz hopes to repay the trust of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea in the absence of Romelu Lukaku, while the Germany international cannot wait to learn from Raheem Sterling.

Tuchel has previously used Havertz as a false nine to lead the Blues line, with Lukaku either injured or unselected, but the striker scored just eight times in 29 Premier League appearances last season.

With Lukaku returning to Inter on loan, Tuchel ruling out a move for Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski joining Barcelona, Havertz will likely be tasked with the role up top once more.

Though the former Bayer Leverkusen star acknowledged he did not expect the positional switch, Havertz is aiming to make the role his own and give Tuchel reason to have faith in him.

"I've played a lot of positions over the years but last season I played a lot as a number nine and it's a position I like very much," he told reporters.

"If I look back four years ago, I could never have imagined playing there. But the last two years I've played it more often and I like the position.

"It's still good that I am flexible and can play different positions up front, but I am there to score goals and make assists and as a number nine you have to do that and link up with players.

"Consistency in football is a very big word; we play every three days and we have to always keep the level high. It's also the case for me to be consistent in every match and to score as many goals as I can.

"Sometimes, it's normal that for one game you drop the level. It's not always possible to score five goals in every game. Consistency for me is a big point and I try to work on that.

"I need to get that confidence from the coach, I need the trust of the coach. Sometimes also in the bad times too. He has always given that trust to me in the last couple of years.

"It is always good for a striker, and me as well, [to know that]. I'm still young. If you are playing and on the pitch, you always have to take the responsibility.

"I will definitely try to play again as much as I can this season. Hopefully, it is going to be a better year than last year."

If Havertz wants to improve his goalscoring ability and finishing, he has to look no further for advice than from Sterling, who joined from Manchester CIty on a five-year deal last week.

Since Pep Guardiola became City coach in 2016, Sterling has scored 27 Premier League goals from inside the six-yard box, which is five more than anyone else (Harry Kane, 22).

The England international averaged almost a goal every other game (one every 179 minutes) in the Premier League under Guardiola, with his haul of 85 bettered by only five players since the start of the 2016-17 season.

"We all know that he is a great player," Havertz said of Sterling. "I saw a stat about him that he has had the most goals and assists for Man City in the last five years or something like that. That tells the whole story of him.

"He was a great player for City and the national team as well, hopefully, he can keep up his level here. For me and of course, for everyone, he is going to help.

"I think in every game you can see that. I know the game against England at the Euros, he played well. You can see his quality here already and it's been just a few days.

"You can see in training how good he is, how fast he is. He is definitely going to help us."

Kalidou Koulibaly has also joined Chelsea as the second signing of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era at Stamford Bridge, and Havertz is delighted to have new ownership after a turbulent last season.

"It was a crazy time for all of us," Havertz said, referencing former owner Roman Abramovich's sanctions. "There were then a lot of changes in the club which was strange for all of us, but we came through it.

"I think it helps that in the team we all get to know each other and also in different or difficult situations that everyone is together so I think it helped us as well.

"I think we are a special group. We see that in the changing room away from the pitch and on the pitch. We have a lot of young players who are maybe the same age.

"We have a lot of experienced players and I think we all fit together very well. You see it off the pitch that it is hopefully going to be a special year for us."

Germany coach Hansi Flick warned his side of the qualities England possess as he prepares for a "classic" in the Nations League on Tuesday.

England were far from their best as they fell to a 1-0 defeat on Saturday to Hungary in their League A Group 3 opener, while Germany shared the spoils with Italy.

Die Mannschaft host the Three Lions in Munich for the next Nations League encounter, with England winning the last meeting 2-0 at Euro 2020 last June.

Indeed, Germany have failed to score in their last two matches against England (0-0 in November 2017, 0-2 in June 2021), as many as in their previous 16 games combined.

Flick, speaking at a pre-match news conference on Monday, outlined his expectations for the difficulties Gareth Southgate's visitors will pose as he hailed the threat of captain and talisman Harry Kane.

"It's a classic, the games are always something special. Everything else is in the past. We're looking ahead and trying to get a better result tomorrow," the former Bayern Munich boss said.

"We showed the team what we could have done better against Italy. It's important that we go into the game with a good feeling.

"Against England it's extremely important that we keep up. The football in the Premier League is very physical.

"Harry Kane is a world-class striker and England have a lot of outstanding players in their ranks."

While Flick was quick to credit Tottenham star Kane, who has scored in both of his England appearances against Germany, he also heaped praise on the undervalued Timo Werner.

"I'll keep my thoughts to myself, but both can play in the position," he said when asked who would start between Chelsea pair Kai Havertz and Werner. 

"Timo is underestimated a bit, with also what he does for the team. He creates space in front of the defence. Both are an option for us up top."

As for his return to the Allianz Arena, Flick is looking forward to revisiting his old Bayern stadium and credited the work of his successor Julian Nagelsmann, who guided the Bavarian side to the Bundesliga title.

"It's been a long time since I enjoyed a full house in Munich, so I hope the team will be supported. I hope we play well and have the support of the crowd," he continued.

"For me, the performances with the national team and in training here are decisive. Bayern have played an outstanding season.

"The championship title is the most honest title you can win, so compliments again to Julian Nagelsmann. It's important that the players now perform well here."

Timo Werner and Mason Mount registered doubles as Chelsea dismantled Southampton and claimed an outstanding 6-0 victory at St Mary's in the Premier League on Saturday. 

Following the disappointment of home losses to Brentford in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals in their previous two outings, Chelsea were back on song on the south coast. 

Marcos Alonso, Mount, Werner and Kai Havertz all hit the back of the net as Thomas Tuchel's side blew Saints away and surged into a four-goal lead inside just 31 minutes. 

Werner and Mount were on target early in the second half to complete the rout and open up an eight-point gap to fifth-placed Arsenal, who lost at home to Brighton and Hove Albion. 

The pressure from Chelsea was incessant early on and they took the lead when Alonso drilled home a cushioned pass from Mount, who rifled in a brilliant second from 20 yards. 

After hitting the woodwork twice, Werner finally had a goal when he pounced on a loose header from James Ward-Prowse at the halfway line and held off Jan Bednarek before rounding Fraser Forster. 

Havertz tucked home a simple finish in the 31st minute when Werner's shot came back off the upright, and only a trio of strong saves from Forster stopped the gap increasing before half-time. 

The onslaught continued after the break with Werner rolling the ball into an empty net after Forster parried N'Golo Kante's dink straight to him. 

Edouard Mendy kept Che Adams at bay on a rare Saints attack and Chelsea punished his miss when Mount converted on the follow-up after Forster kept Christian Pulisic and Werner out. 

Alonso and Reece James went close but Southampton were able to get to the final whistle without conceding another goal, though Chelsea's confidence will have been sufficiently boosted before their second leg against Madrid. 

What does it mean? Chelsea's rip-roaring start makes the difference 

With Alonso, Mount and Werner finding the net in the opening 21 minutes, Chelsea had their earliest three-goal lead ever in a Premier League away game. 

It was four 10 minutes later, meaning they were the quickest to reach that tally away from home in a top-flight game since October 2011, when Chelsea needed just 27 minutes at Bolton Wanderers. 

The incredible start meant the game was all but done by half-time and Chelsea were able to cruise to the final whistle. 

Mount on top 

In a little over a quarter of an hour, Mount had a goal and an assist for Chelsea. It was the fifth time he has scored and set up another in the same game this season, with Mohamed Salah (also five) the only player to match him. 

Another Hasenhuttl horror show 

Southampton conceded at least four goals in a single half for the 21st time in their Premier League history. Seven of those instances have now come under Ralph Hasenhuttl. 

What's next? 

Chelsea travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Madrid, while Southampton have a week to recover before the visit of Arsenal in the Premier League. 

Kai Havertz says Chelsea stars are drawing strength from coach Thomas Tuchel amid uncertainty over the club's future.

The Blues are in the midst of a takeover process after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale, amid sanctions imposed on him by the UK government during the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Several interested parties, including bids fronted by Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family and a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly, remain in the mix to become the new owners.

This has seen Chelsea face unexpected uncertainty, including a cap on away travel spending and a ban on signing players to new contracts.

Through it all, however, manager Tuchel has remained a central figure for the Chelsea squad, and Germany international Havertz says the players look to him for guidance.

"Many people in our club and its environment draw strength from what Thomas Tuchel says," Havertz told Die Welt.

"It's remarkable how he and the whole staff are dealing with the current situation.

"We're all trying to concentrate on the games, we can't influence everything else.

"The priority for us now is that the war is stopped and that there is finally peace in Ukraine again."

Chelsea will be back in action on April 2, when they welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge.

Havertz and Blues team-mate Timo Werner scored for Germany in their 2-0 friendly win over Israel on Saturday.

Germany made it eight wins on the spin as goals from Kai Havertz and Timo Werner sealed a 2-0 friendly win over Israel at the PreZero Arena on Saturday. 

Die Mannschaft rounded off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 4-1 victory over Armenia in November, and they picked up where they left off against Gadi Brumer's side in Sinsheim. 

Havertz gave them a 36th-minute lead with a smart near-post header, before Timo Werner's 22nd international goal on the stroke of half-time ensured they had a healthy advantage at the interval. 

Hansi Flick's side were content to play out the second period at a more pedestrian pace, although there was late drama as Thomas Muller and Yonatan Cohen exchanged penalty misses. 

Despite Germany's dominant start, they did not carve out a shot on target until the 29th minute when Ofir Marciano got down well to repel Havertz's effort, with Julian Draxler prodding the rebound into the side netting.

Ilkay Gundogan curled straight at Marciano from a promising position soon after, before the Israel goalkeeper raced off his line to deny a clean-through Havertz.

The Chelsea forward was not to be denied from David Raum's resulting corner, however, heading home his eighth international goal from inside the six-yard box.

The hosts doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time through an unmarked Werner steering in Gundogan's indirect free-kick at the near post.

Only a superb Marciano save denied Thilo Kehrer a third on the hour mark as Germany continued to dominate after the break.

Muller fluffed his lines from 12 yards in the 89th minute after Lukas Nmecha had been brought down inside the area, while Cohen saw his spot-kick saved by Kevin Trapp after he had been tripped by Nico Schlotterbeck.

What does it mean? Flick's men shaping up nicely for Qatar

Germany were utterly dominant throughout, yet Flick will not get carried away given Israel are a whopping 66 places beneath them in FIFA's world rankings.

Still, this was further proof that Die Mannschaft are in rude health and will be a force to be reckoned with at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Havertz shines for hosts

He was less threatening after the interval, yet Havertz was comfortably Germany's brightest spark. The 22-year-old had a game-high five shots, while no player on the pitch made more key passes (four).

Dabbur an isolated figure

Hoffenheim striker Munas Dabbur scarcely had a look in at the stadium where he plays his club football, with the isolated frontman substituted in the 74th minute having had just a single shot.

What's next?

Both sides are in friendly action again on Tuesday, with Germany travelling to Netherlands and Israel hosting Romania.

Kai Havertz says that he and his Chelsea team-mates would pay to travel to away games this season, adding that they must "give the fans a smile" amid the club's chaotic existence.

The Blues are currently under a fleet of financial sanctions in relation to owner Roman Abramovich, laid down by the United Kingdom government amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Those sanctions include a cap on the cost of travel for away games for the foreseeable future, raising serious questions over whether Chelsea can fulfil their fixture schedule.

But ahead of a trip to France to face Lille in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday, Havertz vowed that players would turn out their own pockets if needed to fund their journeys.

"I would pay, it's no problem," the German stated. "That's not a big deal for us. For us to come to the games, that's the most important thing.

"I think there are a lot of harder things in the world at the moment than if we have to take the train or the bus to an away game. I would pay. It's no problem.

"I think we are all professional footballers. Everyone knows it's a strange situation for everyone in the club right now.

"But we are the players, we have to focus on playing football, on the matches, that's the best we can do."

Havertz admitted that he was limited to what he could say amid the fluid situation of Chelsea's day-to-day existence and future, but added that the team could at the very least do their supporters proud.

"All the other stuff, the club has to sort out by themselves, that's not up to the players," he added. "I cannot talk about it too much because we are focused on the games and that's all we can do at the moment.

"It's not easy. I think such a situation has not happened at Chelsea before, so it's a little bit strange, but we are professionals and sometimes situations like this can happen.

"It's not easy for us all, especially for the whole club, the fans, everyone. The best we can do is play good football, try to give the fans a smile.

"In these sort of situations, everything is tough for us. As we saw at the weekend, we can handle these situations and hopefully tomorrow as well."

A supremely busy Premier League Sunday may not have included either of the top two, but there was certainly no shortage of talking points.

There was particular focus towards the bottom of the table, with Norwich City and Everton losing yet again, while in the top-four race, Arsenal took another step towards sealing the final Champions League spot.

Chaos continues to engulf Chelsea, but they carry on winning, claiming a dramatic 1-0 win over Newcastle United, who were reminded again what it is like to lose following an impressive unbeaten run.

Without any further ado, Stats Perform looks at the key Opta facts from some of the day's games…

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United: Havertz decisive again

It was a particularly strange day at Stamford Bridge, with much of the pre-match noise focused on the two clubs' owners and fans.

But once the game started it was quickly remembered that this was going to give the clearest indication of the true extent of Newcastle's recent improvement.

As it happened, Chelsea clinched a late winner through Kai Havertz, who appeared to channel Dennis Bergkamp as he brought down Jorginho's pass and prodded home almost in one action.

That was the German's sixth goal involvement in five league games and saw him net in three successive top-flight matches for the club, with the former Bayer Leverkusen talent well and truly establishing himself as one of the competition's standout attackers.

It brought Newcastle's nine-match unbeaten run in the league to an end, with it also the first time since December that the Magpies have failed to score in the competition, though it was another encouraging performance from Eddie Howe's team.

Arsenal 2-0 Leicester City: Gunners finding their groove

Everything's looking rather rosy right now at Arsenal, with the Gunners making a pretty convincing case for the top four – this victory puts them a point clear of Manchester United, with Mikel Arteta's men crucially having three games in hand.

Leicester never looked like interrupting Arsenal's flow here, with the hosts in fine shape and playing eye-catching football.

This was their fifth successive league win, with Arsenal the only team outside of the top three to achieve that feat this season.

Their home form has proven a major help. They have lost just once at the Emirates Stadium since losing to Chelsea in their season opener, winning 10 of those 13 games.

Martin Odegaard in particular seems to have found another level lately, and he was excellent again, creating six chances. Five of those came in the first 45, making it the most by an Arsenal player in the first half of a game since October 2017 (Mesut Ozil, six).

Leeds United 2-1 Norwich City: Marsch madness twist leaves Canaries looking doomed

Leeds fans were devoted to Marcelo Bielsa. His replacement, Jesse Marsch, has been received well, but the jury is out on him.

A first win will surely aid his hopes of inspiring a bit of Marsch madness in the fanbase, and it came in dramatic circumstances too.

Joe Gelhardt scored a 90th-minute winner, making him the youngest player (19 years 313 days) to score a last-minute decider in the Premier League since February 2017 (Gabriel Jesus, 19y 308d) – the drama appeared to floor Marsch, who went tumbling to the ground amid the jubilant celebrations.

The joy on the Leeds bench was juxtaposed by the despair among the Norwich players and staff.

That was the Canaries' 20th Premier League defeat of the season in 29 games – never before in a league campaign have they reached 20 losses in fewer games.

Everton 0-1 Wolves: Lage's men continue exceptional 2022 form

What a season this is turning out to be for Wolves. When Nuno Espirito Santo left, there were certainly those who feared for the club's Premier League status given the stability that had served them well for several years was about to be truly tested.

Yet, they needn't have worried. Here we are in March and Wolves are challenging for European football and are one of the two form teams in the league in 2022.

This was their seventh Premier League win of the calendar year, secured by Conor Coady's goal, and leaves them with 21 points since January 1 – only Liverpool (eight wins, 25 points) have a better record than Wolves in 2022.

The reality is rather grimmer for Everton, however. Defeat here leaves them on 22 points from 26 matches, the lowest tally they have ever recorded at this stage of any league campaign (assuming a win equals three points).

This latest disappointment will likely bring fresh questions of manager Frank Lampard given only Norwich (one) have accumulated fewer points than Everton (three) since the former Chelsea boss' first game in charge.