Martin Odegaard insists Arsenal do not fear in-form Harry Kane ahead of his hotly-anticipated north London return with Bayern Munich.

England captain Kane will almost certainly get a hostile reception at the Emirates Stadium during Tuesday evening’s Champions League quarter-final first leg given his long association with fierce rivals Tottenham.

The 30-year-old has hit 38 goals in all competitions since swapping Spurs for Bavaria last summer and poses a serious threat to the Gunners’ aspirations of progressing in Europe.

“(He’s) a good player, of course, and I have played against him a few times and we know the quality he has in the box and he is also good in the link up,” said Arsenal skipper Odegaard.

“We are facing a good team on Tuesday.

“I think we should respect him but I don’t think we should fear anyone and we should focus on ourselves and the quality we have in our team. And that is all.”

Kane is Tottenham’s all-time record scorer, having hit 280 goals in 435 appearances, including 14 in 19 outings against Arsenal.

Despite continuing his fine individual form in Germany, Bayern’s quest to become Bundesliga champions for a 12th successive season is effectively over.

Thomas Tuchel’s men surrendered a two-goal lead to suffer a shock 3-2 defeat at Heidenheim on Saturday and sit 16 points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen with just six fixtures remaining.

“They have had some strange results in the league but if you look at the team, you can see the quality they have, and we know that, we know they are a really strong side,” said Odegaard.

“Really good individual players as well. It will be a tough battle. But we are ready.

“Every game we play there are some good challenges and we play in the best league in the world.

“They are a good team and a lot of good attacking players and it will be a big night.”

While Bayern have endured a disappointing domestic campaign, Arsenal are in a three-way tussle for the Premier League title with Liverpool and Manchester City.

Odegaard believes summer signings David Raya, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have helped the Gunners kick on after last season’s quest for glory faded away in the final weeks of the season.

“All the players who came in this season have been brilliant and just you see them getting better and better,” said the Norway international following Saturday’s 3-0 victory at Brighton.

“They give us so much.”

Ange Postecoglou praised an “outstanding” display from Micky van de Ven after the defender’s goal helped Tottenham climb into the Premier League’s top four with a 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest.

Spurs have lost only one league game that the 22-year-old defender has completed since joining from Wolfsburg and his second-half strike to restore their lead helped change the shape of a game in which Forest had arguably been on top until that point.

A hamstring injury suffered during the home defeat to Chelsea in November forced him to miss nine games and coincided with a collapse in form that saw Spurs drop from top of the table to fifth.

“He’s got a real appetite and determination for being the best he can be in every game,” said Postecoglou. “His defensive work was outstanding again today and it’s a great strike for the goal from a well-worked set-piece.

“It’s credit to him. We’re not the ones who are going to put any limits on his growth. We keep providing an environment for these guys to keep pushing themselves. Not just Micky but others will be dragged along as well because they’re all competing.”

The home side took the lead in the first half via an own goal from Forest defender Danilo, sliding in to turn Timo Werner’s low cross from the left past his own goalkeeper.

Chris Wood levelled with a smart first-time finish from Anthony Elanga’s pass but the game turned on a chance that fell to the New Zealand striker moments later, thumping the ball against the post from two yards out with the goal seemingly at his mercy.

The matched then changed in the space of six decisive second-half minutes.

First, Van de Ven smashed in his first goal at home for the club from the edge of the box, beating Matz Sels with a wicked drive after being set up by Son Heung-min.

Then, Pedro Porro matched the feat of his fellow defender with a bullet of his own, crashing the ball home after Rodrigo Bentancur had got a flick on James Maddison’s cross to send Spurs above Aston Villa and into pole position to finish fourth.

“I couldn’t care less about the race for fourth,” said Postecoglou. “What I care about is the way the team is progressing.

“Pleased with today. It had a little bit of everything. We started the game well, not just the goal, I thought we controlled the game well.

“Then we conceded from a counter attack which was obviously disappointing. I thought we lost our way a little bit towards the back end of that first half but a super reaction and the whole second half we were really dominant.”

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo reflected on a game that got away from his side after the interval.

“The first half was very good but disappointed with the way we started the second half,” he said. “We should have been more aggressive.

“We wanted the second half to sustain and go again. Unfortunately we didn’t achieve it.”

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated after seeing his side twice surrender the lead to draw 2-2 against bottom side Sheffield United.

Thiago Silva and Noni Madueke scored either side of the break to put Chelsea 2-1 up, with Jayden Bogle scoring for the Blades just after the half-hour mark.

Just when it looked as though Chelsea were on course to claim all three points, McBurnie struck in the third minute of stoppage time.

Pochettino said: “It is very frustrating because when you concede in the last few minutes you feel very disappointed and frustrated because you should win the game.

“We had the possession but didn’t create enough. I think in the first part of the season we were a little bit more solid. We were creating but we weren’t clinical. Now we are scoring more but we are conceding more.

“The difficult thing is to find the balance. The team is not showing in the last few months the capacity to be solid.

“We score goals but we are conceding. We need to be positive. We are trying to find solutions about being more solid and not conceding too much.

“The process to build a team always takes time – it is not a magic thing.

“I think it is the normal process that this happens. We need to work and try to fix this type of problem.

“We need to analyse the squad at the end of the season and see what we are missing and try to add people with the capacity to improve next season.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder felt his side deserved a point.

He said: “I think everybody in the ground would have been disappointed if we’d not got a result from that effort.

“I didn’t like the first 15 minutes. I thought we looked leggy and we looked like it was that third performance in a week.

“But we got ourselves going and the midfield got us passing it and moving it forward. The midfield three was really good.

“I’m delighted with the last 75-80 minutes. I thought it was really good.

“The only time I can be super-critical is their second goal.

“The press was good in the second half. The mentality of the team was to go and win the game from 1-1.

“We’re slightly disappointed that we’ve not got a couple of more points on the board.

“When you look at the league table and the position we’re in, it never looked like that today. It doesn’t have that feel, really. We’re in decent nick.

“I think everybody would have been really disappointed if we’d not got anything out of the game.

“I can’t be too critical when they’re giving everything. We had a better bench today and we understand the demands of the Premier League and a three-game week.

“You’ve got to really dig in and find that little bit extra. There’s enough character in the team.”

Tottenham took control of the top-four race after second-half goals by Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro downed relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 3-1.

After Aston Villa dropped points at home to Brentford on Saturday, Spurs knew a victory would send them fourth on goal difference and with a game in hand, but Chris Wood’s first-half strike ensured it was level at the break.

Danilo’s own-goal put Tottenham ahead, although they were perhaps fortunate to still have 11 players on the pitch for the second half after James Maddison caught Ryan Yates off-the-ball towards the end of the first 45.

Maddison avoided punishment and helped the hosts claim a crucial win as they struck twice in five second-half minutes via fine finishes by Van de Ven and Porro to fire Ange Postecoglou’s team above their Champions League rivals.

This game was originally scheduled for Monday night but moved forward due to a planned train strike and in the early hours of Sunday morning a man was stabbed to death near the stadium.

Despite roads around the ground being closed due to a police investigation, the fixture went ahead and it represented Nuno Espirito Santo’s first return to Tottenham since he was sacked in 2021.

Nuno’s ill-fated spell only lasted 17 matches but he almost had a wonder goal to celebrate in the 11th minute.

Forest centre-back Murillo produced the most outrageous effort from almost 70 yards with Guglielmo Vicario off his line and the Spurs goalkeeper could only watch on nervously as the ball sailed a few inches wide.

Murillo did find the net four minutes later but it was his own as Tottenham went ahead.

The hosts’ moved the ball out to the left where Timo Werner produced a dangerous cross, which Murillo miscued past Matz Sels.

It was nearly 2-0 when Werner worked a yard of space and his centre found Brennan Johnson, but the former Forest attacker was denied by a brilliant close-range stop from Sels.

That proved crucial when Wood scored for a fourth consecutive match after 27 minutes.

Neco Williams and Anthony Elanga combined down the right before the latter crossed in for Wood, who drilled through the legs of Porro to make it 1-1.

Wood should have doubled his tally seven minutes later when Vicario denied Yates and he was first to the loose ball, but Forest’s top goalscorer smashed his close-range effort against the post.

An action-packed opening 45 ended with Maddison lucky to escape punishment after he delivered an off-the-ball whack into the stomach of Yates, who went down and called for VAR to intervene.

Referee Simon Hooper decided to just speak with the pair as it stayed level at the break.

Postecoglou had seen enough and made a double substitution at half-time, which almost immediately worked but a 25-yard curler from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was tipped over by Sels.

Wood had his blushes sparred by the offside flag moments later when he inexplicably headed wide from a Williams cross.

The match had taken on an end-to-end feel now but it was Tottenham who seized the momentum with two goals in the space of five minutes.

Both were from unlikely sources with Van de Ven blasting home from the edge of the penalty area for his first goal at Spurs’ home ground in the 53rd minute.

Soon after full-back Porro rivalled his fellow defender for finish of the night with a sweet half-volley after excellent work by Maddison, who skipped away down the left and had his cross flicked on by Bentancur for Porro to fire home.

Son Heung-min hit the post late on but it mattered little as Tottenham moved up to fourth, while Forest stay 17th.

Oli McBurnie grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser as struggling Sheffield United twice came from behind to snatch a point in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

Thiago Silva’s opener was cancelled out by Jayden Bogle’s equaliser, but it looked like the Blues would come away with maximum points when Noni Madueke put them 2-1 up, only for McBurnie to level at the death.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder restored McBurnie and Ben Osborn to his starting line-up, while Ivo Grbic kept his place in goal despite an error which resulted in a goal at Liverpool on Thursday night.

Chelsea made three changes to the one that started their 4-3 midweek victory over Manchester United, with Silva, Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah all recalled.

Silva marked his 100th Premier League start with the opening goal in the 11th minute. It was a far from convincing strike as he met Conor Gallagher’s corner on the volley, but the ball crept just inside Grbic’s right-hand post.

The home side had their first chance when McBurnie intercepted Silva’s attempted pass and played the ball back to Ben Brereton Diaz, whose effort from inside the area was blocked by a defender.

Gustavo Hamer then forced a save from Djordje Petrovic, firing in a shot which had the keeper scrambling down low to his left to keep the ball out.

Hamer was the architect of the Blades’ equaliser, playing a superb ball to find Bogle whose shot from a tight angle on the right-hand side of the area went in off Petrovic.

Brereton Diaz threatened shortly after the restart, running at the defence before seeing his shot blocked.

The Chile international then created a great chance, sending over a cross which was headed wide by his strike-partner McBurnie under pressure from Chalobah.

As the hosts continued to enjoy a good spell, Hamer sent a drive narrowly wide of Petrovic’s right-hand post.

Madueke restored Chelsea’s lead in the 66th minute, receiving the ball from Cole Palmer and cutting inside before firing past Grbic.

Palmer then saw a dipping effort turned over the crossbar by Grbic.

Nicolas Jackson threatened to put the visitors further ahead before a last-ditch tackle from Anel Ahmedhodzic inside the area snuffed out the danger.

Petrovic had to be at full stretch to keep out Jack Robinson’s looping header in the closing stages.

But an equaliser came in the third minute of time added on when Hamer’s header was knocked on by Cameron Archer into the path of McBurnie who fired into the net from close range.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saw Manchester United throw a spanner in the works of their bid to equal their arch-rivals’ record of 20 league titles but he does not expect Erik ten Hag’s side to do them any favours when Arsenal come calling.

Klopp said he was “absolutely fine” with their situation after two dropped points in the title race after the 2-2 draw kept Arsenal top of the table on goal difference.

The Gunners are due at Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend of the season, but the Liverpool boss does not hold out much hope of a helping hand.

“Probably if we are still around then it would be great but Arsenal is a good football team and if they (United) play like they did today Arsenal will win that game, I’m 100 per cent sure,” said Klopp, whose side took just two points off United this season.

“I’m really sorry to say it, but we should have won both games and didn’t. That’s our fault.”

Mohamed Salah rescued a point with an 84th-minute penalty after the visitors failed to capitalise on their first-half dominance which brought only Luis Diaz’s opener.

A mistake by young centre-back Jarell Quansah allowed Bruno Fernandes to equalise with a lob over goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from the centre-circle before Kobbie Mainoo put the home side ahead.

“The feelings are obviously mixed. I’m happy with a lot of parts of the game, being 1-0 up at Old Trafford and having a 15-0 shooting stat (in the first half) is incredible. We should and could have been calmer and clearer in moments,” added Klopp, who was left to rue failing to capitalise on their first-half dominance.

“It (league position) matters after 38 matchdays. People and our supporters as well will tell us now we need to better our goal difference and go for that – that would be the dumbest thing we could do.

“We are who we are and we are how we are and that’s why we are in the race. I’m absolutely fine with that.

“We are fine with our situation. I wish we had more points, but I’m absolutely fine and over the moon actually that these boys brought us into that situation.

“The same boys who missed today a few chances are the boys who brought us 71 points.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was equally happy with how his side responded after being outplayed for large parts of the game.

“First half we lost the duels and our decision-making in the half spaces, we weren’t quick enough,” he said.

“We encouraged the team at half-time to win those duels. We didn’t take advantage in the first half and the second half we did.

“We needed a moment in the game to punish a mistake of Liverpool, but that got us back in the game.

“It (their second goal) was a very good team goal, a goal from out of the game plan, so I’m very proud the team could transfer this in the way we did to get the ball to the far-side half-space and then switch and then that finish was brilliant.”

Ten Hag also had praise for 19-year-old centre-back Willy Kambwala on only his second Premier League start.

“The decision? Old soldiers die and new have to come in. Already a long time he has been training with us and his progress is amazing during training, we didn’t have any doubt,” he added.

“We were convinced he could do the job, I’m very pleased he could do the performance. It’s another signal and message for Manchester United has high potential.

“If you have more players available, especially in the backline where we have had 27 combinations over the course of the season, the future will be very good.”

However, Ten Hag was not happy his side capitulated late on for the third successive game.

“It’s very disappointing when you put yourselves three times in the week in a winning position just before the end of the game, but then drop points,” he said.

“We have all seen some poor decisions. All three games had poor decisions and not every time the same players.

“We have to improve. The sooner the better.”

Manchester United dented bitter rivals Liverpool’s title hopes as Mohamed Salah’s late spot-kick salvaged a 2-2 draw in Jurgen Klopp’s final trip to Old Trafford.

Three weeks on from Erik ten Hag’s men edging an FA Cup classic at the end of extra-time, this age-old rivalry resumed in a similarly chaotic clash in the Premier League on Sunday.

Luis Diaz put dominant Liverpool into a deserved half-time lead against stumbling United, only for Bruno Fernandes’s 45-yard jaw dropper and a magnificent Kobbie Mainoo effort to turn the match on its head.

Salah levelled with a late penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Harvey Elliott, but the Reds could not eke out a winner as Ten Hag’s men successfully put a spanner in their old foes’ title charge.

It was the 27th point Klopp’s comeback kings have won from a losing position but may not be enough, putting them level with leaders Arsenal on 71 points but substantially behind on goal difference.

Liverpool will be praying a costly Old Trafford draw does not go onto cost them the title like it did five years ago.

Kevin De Bruyne insists there is no reason why he and Phil Foden cannot play alongside each other.

Three days after he watched from the bench as Foden’s hat-trick inspired Manchester City to victory over Aston Villa, the Belgian took centre stage by racking up his 100th goal for the club with a double in their 4-2 win at Crystal Palace.

This time it was Foden, enjoying arguably the best season of his career, who was among the substitutes but De Bruyne believes it does not have to be a case of one or the other.

“Phil has been amazing this season so he deserves it, it keeps me on my toes to give me that little push,” he said on the City website.

“It’s possible (to play together in midfield with Foden). When I started with David Silva, nobody thought it would be possible but we managed it in a way.

“David was the older player and I was younger and the runner, now it’s going to be a bit vice versa. I don’t see why not. I don’t think we’ve done it that much. If I can do it with Julian (Alvarez), who is more of a striker, then I can also do it with Phil.

“I just try to be more of an example with the way I am on the pitch. I’m not the person who will tell them how to live their life as that is a personal thing. I try to give my best from day one.

“I’ve been with Phil for about seven years now so I don’t feel he’s a youngster anymore. He’s an established superstar in our team, he’s been here that long. He’s just amazing.”

Saturday’s victory at Selhurst Park ensured City kept up the pressure in their three-way battle for the Premier League title with Arsenal and Liverpool.

And De Bruyne, who is bidding for a fourth straight league title with City, is in no mood to let up.

“The only thing we can do is play as good as possible and get as many points as we can,” he said.

“We have another game on Tuesday (against Real Madrid in the Champions League). We need to have a little rest and then get ready for that one.

“I’m not bored of winning the league. If we were bored, we wouldn’t push like (Saturday). We’ll see.”

Mikel Arteta believes Kai Havertz is benefitting from feeling the love at Arsenal and has challenged the forward to maintain his red-hot recent form.

Germany international Havertz endured a slow start to his Gunners career following a £65million summer switch from Chelsea but has registered five goals and four assists in his last seven Premier League outings.

The 24-year-old was instrumental in his title-chasing side’s 3-0 win at Brighton on Saturday, doubling their lead following Bukayo Saka’s first-half penalty before setting up Leandro Trossard to complete the scoring.

Arsenal are in a three-way tussle for the title with Liverpool and Manchester City and manager Arteta knows Havertz is central to their chances of ending the club’s 20-year wait to be champions.

“He’s certainly having a huge impact on the team,” said Arteta.

“I think his overall performances have been really good and now his numbers in terms of goal contributions, are really, really high. He needs to maintain that level.

“He’s got some fantastic players around him. We have tried to create the right environment for him, which I think is very important for any player.

“We have given him confidence, hopefully we’ve given the love that he needs.

“He has the appreciation from the rest of the players and the staff at the club and now our supporters for sure.”

Havertz managed only one goal and one assist in his first 19 Arsenal appearances in all competitions, prompting doubts about the decision to sign him.

He now has nine league goals in 23 starts this season, in addition to five assists, and is thriving playing as a central striker.

“A lot of the time players decide where they have to play, and we can have certain ideas, but then you see certain relationships and some things flow,” said Arteta.

“And when it flows, you have to let it go, and I think Kai at the moment is flowing and he’s feeling really comfortable there, the rest of the team is comfortable with him there and things happen naturally.”

Arsenal impressively ended Brighton’s 12-match unbeaten home record to register a 10th win in 11 top-flight games in 2024.

Their final seven fixtures included tricky away trips to Wolves, north London rivals Tottenham and Manchester United.

Arteta feels a standout display at the Amex Stadium gives the Gunners increased belief for their remaining away matches.

“Yes it does, because this is a really, really tough place to come and win in the manner and the form that we’ve done it,” he said.

“So hopefully yes, and we can carry on doing what we’re doing.”

Brighton’s hopes of a second successive season in Europe were dealt a blow by the comprehensive defeat.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi believes his team are paying a heavy price for a lengthy injury list containing Kaoru Mitoma, Solly March, James Milner, Billy Gilmour, Adam Webster, Jack Hinshelwood and Evan Ferguson.

“We can lose against Arsenal at home,” he said.

“We can analyse the performance, we can analyse the improvement of our players and we couldn’t say anything because if we play without Mitoma, March and all the other injured players we have to accept the result, keeping the focus on the last games we have to play.”

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery praised Ollie Watkins’ desire after the striker scored two goals in the 3-3 draw with Brentford.

The England international was a doubt for the game with a hamstring injury but was passed fit and put his side ahead before rescuing a point after the Bees scored three goals in nine minutes to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

Watkins’ double took his Premier League tally to 18 for the season and he is firmly in the race for the Golden Boot, trailing Manchester City striker Erling Haaland by just one.

Emery said: “Ollie has been fantastic, his performances. Fantastic. He is very involved in the new demands we have as a club.

“Myself as a coach with them. And he is involving in it. His processes are getting better, his attitude every day, his wishes to get something collectively and individually is very important for his career.

“To be in the national team, to be one of the best scorers in the Premier League.

“This is his motivation every day. And to get it, to achieve it, is through hard work. And today one step more in his increase of the level.”

Brentford defender Sergio Reguilon had a hand in all three of his side’s goals, directly assisting for Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa on his first start since serving a suspension.

The Spaniard’s career in England has never really taken off since joining Tottenham from Real Madrid in 2020 but Thomas Frank thinks he might have found a home at Brentford.

“I was very pleased with his response,” he said. “I think Reggie is a very good player and he has proved that in his career.

“He needed a place to come to in Brentford where he will play and get the trust and opportunity to perform.

“I actually said to him when he came to us he will make six assists and two goals, and now he is on three assists so he needs to hurry up! But he hadn’t made an assist for one and a half years or something like that.

“I think he has had some very good games for us and obviously he was involved in the red card and penalty against Burnley, and a very good response today.”

Mikel Arteta savoured a “big, big performance” after Arsenal reclaimed top spot in the Premier League by ending Brighton’s impressive home form with a thumping 3-0 victory.

The title-chasing Gunners arrived at the Amex Stadium having dropped to third place in the table following Manchester City’s 4-2 success at Crystal Palace in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

Bukayo Saka set Arteta’s men on course to return to the summit by converting a 33rd-minute penalty before second-half goals from Kai Havertz and substitute Leandro Trossard completed a comprehensive win.

The result – Albion’s first top-flight home loss in more than seven months – puts Arsenal a point ahead of both Liverpool, who play their game in hand at rivals Manchester United on Sunday, and City.

“I’m really happy, really proud of the boys,” said Gunners boss Arteta.

“They put in a big, big performance to beat this great Brighton side.

“They haven’t lost here since August and that tells you the difficulty of the task but we were really good today.”

Fit-again Saka was recalled after sitting out the 2-0 midweek win over Luton with a muscular problem.

The England forward scored from the spot when Seagulls full-back Tariq Lamptey was penalised for bringing down Gabriel Jesus, despite brushing the top of the ball.

Havertz rewarded Arsenal’s dominance by tapping home Jorginho’s centre 28 minutes from time before substitute Trossard ran half the length of the pitch to rub salt into the wounds of his former club late on.

“The understanding between the attacking players today was superb,” said Arteta.

“They had real purpose and connection and we created many chances.”

Arsenal led the division for much of last season before falling short in the final weeks.

The Gunners, who begin their two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening, have won 10 of 11 top-flight fixtures in 2024, with seven games to go.

“We are in a really good moment,” said Arteta.

“We have the squad healthy, with a really good energy, with a lot of confidence individually and collectively because they are performing really well and we are winning a lot of matches.

“We just have to carry on doing what we’re doing.”

Brighton dropped to 10th position, below Chelsea on goal difference, as their quest for a second successive season of European football suffered a setback.

Injury-hit Albion faded from a positive start and rarely threatened Gunners goalkeeper David Raya.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi had no complaints about the award of Arsenal’s penalty and urged his players to quickly move on.

“I thought it was clear but I don’t want to speak about the decisions of the referee,” he said of the spot-kick.

“We lost not for the referee’s responsibility.

“We played a good game until the second goal we conceded but we didn’t shoot enough to score. We weren’t strong enough to score.

“Arsenal are one of the best teams in the Premier League. We knew that before the game.

“We fought in a good way.

“The penalty was clear and we move on trying to work better, to improve our young players, to recover our eight injured players, and we try to compete to reach another season in the European positions.”

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea’s status as a big club dictates the style that has helped them loosen their goalscoring inhibitions this season.

With nine Premier League games still to play the team have already scored 15 more goals than they managed in the entirety of the last campaign, when they recorded the club’s lowest return in almost a century.

After failing to find the net in three of Pochettino’s first six games in charge, including consecutive blanks against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, there has been a significant change in the Argentinian’s approach, favouring a more fluid, open style that has seen goals conceded as well as scored.

The 4-3 win against Manchester United on Thursday means there have been a combined 33 goals for and against Chelsea in their last six games in all competitions at Stamford Bridge.

In total there have been 10 games this season in which the team has either scored or conceded four or more goals – or both, in the case of their 4-4 draw with Manchester City – whilst the swashbuckling style has also seen 13 penalties awarded in their favour.

By contrast, the team went the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign without scoring four in a match.

“The quality is our philosophy,” said Pochettino, who takes his team to Bramall Lane to face the league’s bottom side Sheffield United on Sunday.

“We are always thinking to go forward, to create chances. We are in the top four in the Premier League at creating big chances.

“It’s about philosophy. We see different clubs that try to get goals or chances through set-pieces, but we are Chelsea. We are a big club. A big club is about creating a philosophy to play good football, and play in the opposite half.

“It’s about ideas, about how we taste football. We have a lot of attempts in the last third. It’s why we get (so many) penalties. That is a good quality of the team, and of the football we want to apply here at Chelsea.”

Chelsea have forced themselves into the reckoning for European qualification off the back of their longest unbeaten league run in almost 18 months.

Despite not playing they climbed to ninth in the league on Saturday courtesy of Brighton’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.

They have games in hand which if won would see them overtake the two teams directly above them, Newcastle and West Ham, and draw to within two points of sixth-place Manchester United, who play Liverpool on Sunday.

Sixth is almost certain be a Europa League qualifying spot, though they could also reach the competition by winning the FA Cup.

Pochettino will lead his team out in the semi-final against City at Wembley on April 20.

Arsenal regained top spot in the Premier League after goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard secured a thumping 3-0 success which dented Brighton’s push for Europe.

Mikel Arteta’s men arrived at the Amex Stadium having dropped to third place in the table following Manchester City’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

Fit-again top scorer Saka set the Gunners on course to return to the summit by converting a debatable first-half penalty before substitute Trossard sealed victory over his former club following a tap-in from Havertz.

The north London visitors were worthy winners on the south coast and sit a point ahead of both Liverpool, who play their game in hand at Manchester United on Sunday, and City as attention switches to a Champions League quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich.

Brighton faded from a strong start and, despite being unhappy with the decision to award a spot-kick for Tariq Lamptey’s challenge on Gabriel Jesus, could have few complaints about the result.

The Seagulls’ first top-flight home loss in 13 outings dating back to August leaves them with an uphill task to secure continental football for the second successive year on the back of this season’s Europa League adventure.

England international Saka overcame a muscle injury to start in Sussex and was recalled alongside Declan Rice, Jorginho and Jesus following Wednesday evening’s routine 2-0 win over Luton.

Brighton began brightly in an entertaining opening but it was Arsenal who created – and squandered – a string of early chances.

After Gabriel headed wastefully off target from Martin Odegaard’s free-kick, the lively Saka curled narrowly wide before teeing up Jesus to force a fine diving save out of Bart Verbruggen.

Gunners manager Arteta expressed further frustration on the touchline just two minutes later when Jesus failed to test Seagulls goalkeeper Verbruggen with an unmarked header from a Havertz cross.

For all of their neat interplay, Brighton, whose five changes included a recall for former Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck, were lacking a cutting edge.

Lamptey had been central to the Seagulls’ slick start but moments after returning to the field following treatment he gifted the Gunners a golden chance to edge ahead.

While the full-back brushed the ball with his left foot as he brought down Jesus in the 18-yard box, referee John Brooks had little hesitation in pointing to the spot, allowing Saka to confidently find the bottom left corner from 12 yards and claim his 14th league goal this term.

Unhappy home fans wasted little time in venting displeasure at the perceived injustice of the 33rd-minute opener as the contest slipped into a temporary lull.

Julio Enciso almost enlivened Seagulls supporters with a stunning curling effort from distance, which was clawed away by David Raya, before the match officials were jeered off at the break.

Arsenal could easily have been out of sight at the interval but came back out with plenty still to do.

Jesus and Odegaard each went close to doubling the lead before the Gunners delivered the knockout blow in the 62nd minute.

Jorginho was alert to intercept Enciso’s attempted pass deep in Albion territory and, after receiving the ball back from Odegaard, his low centre from the right was slotted home by Havertz in front of the sold-out away end.

Arteta exuberantly celebrated the strike and promptly withdrew Saka and Jesus ahead of Tuesday’s European first leg at home to Bayern.

Roberto De Zerbi’s injury-hit hosts had little answer to the two-goal deficit and contributed to their own undoing for the Gunners’ third as Trossard, who left Albion last year, rubbed salt into their wounds four minutes from time.

Pascal Gross’ dithering allowed Havertz to release Belgium forward Trossard and he ran half the length of the pitch before dinking over Verbruggen to seal Arsenal’s 10th league win from 11 outings in 2024.

Erik ten Hag has urged his Manchester United players to “bring big games over the line” ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United have dropped five points from winning positions in their last two games, with the most recent missed opportunity coming against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Cole Palmer scored twice deep in second half added-time as the Blues stole all three points in a dramatic 4-3 victory over ten Hag’s outfit.

Mason Mount thought he had found the winner with his strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time against Brentford, but Kristoffer Ajer equalised three minutes later in a 1-1 draw last Saturday at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Ten Hag admitted his side need to start getting over the line when leading games, seeking inspiration from previous victories over the league’s best.

“We can play to a very high standard. We can compete with the best and beat the best in the Premier League and when you can do that, you can also do it across Europe,” he said.

“We need to learn how to bring big games over the line, Saturday was an example.

“We have to step up, make better decisions individually and as a team.”

Thursday’s defeat in west London ended an unbeaten Premier League run against Chelsea which started in 2017.

Ten Hag wants his players to use the defeat as fuel going into their clash against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

He added: “We will see on Sunday (how to beat Liverpool).

“But I have to say first I have to deal with this, but we can’t deal with this long. We have to recover very quick. We have to turn this around.

“We will be in a positive mood. We will be looking forward. We have to take energy but we will be mad, angry. From anger you can take a lot of energy and that is how we have to do it.”

Marcus Rashford came off the bench at Stamford Bridge, but failed to have an impact on the night.

Ten Hag revealed the forward is as motivated as ever to help the team.

He said: “I think lately his form is progressing and so the time will always be right. I think he has a big motivation because he wants to be successful with us.

“He wants to score goals, but he wants to win trophies and contribute and we still have a chance in the FA Cup.

“He wants to fight for a Champions League spot and the Euros are coming so I will say his motivation should be high.

“And the form, that is a moment and he can change the momentum always. Before Brentford, he scored three goals in three games.”

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil admitted he may face further disciplinary action after confronting referee Tony Harrington following his side’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to West Ham at Molineux.

Wolves were angered when Maximilian Kilman’s goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time was disallowed, something O’Neil described as “possibly the worst decision I’ve ever seen”.

VAR Darren England advised Harrington to check the monitor as Wolves substitute Tawanda Chirewa was stood in front of Lukasz Fabianski in an offside position and deemed to be impeding the West Ham goalkeeper.

Wolves’ protests led to a flurry of yellow cards for those on O’Neil’s bench, and the manager said he walked towards the tunnel because he was aware he is one yellow card away from a touchline ban.

But O’Neil’s attempts to speak to Harrington after the game may yet lead to further problems.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t able to control my emotions and my feelings,” O’Neil said. “I was in with the referee and it didn’t go too well so I haven’t had an explanation.

“But the explanation is irrelevant anyway because everyone I’ve spoken to, David Moyes, Fabianski, they all can’t believe it’s been given for offside. It’s a terrible decision.”

O’Neil said Harrington shut down their conversation “probably because of the way I asked”, adding that he was “in a fairly bad mood” when he went to the referee’s room.

“I don’t know if it will be reported,” O’Neil added. “If I get told off, so be it. I’ve been told off many times before. I will apologise if I’ve stepped over the line but I can only react on how I feel at that moment.”

West Ham came from behind to win with James Ward-Prowse scoring directly from a corner after Lucas Paqueta’s penalty cancelled out a first-half spot-kick from Pablo Sarabia.

Moyes expressed sympathy for O’Neil but said any player stood where Chirewa had was at risk of being penalised for offside.

Asked if his side had got away with a decision, the Scot said: “I think I’m probably the last man at the moment to say you’re getting away with one. We’ve had so many poor decisions it is unbelievable in recent weeks.

“When I’ve looked at it again, the boy’s definitely standing in front of the goalkeeper…and if that player is not going to try to get back onside then there’s a chance you’ll be called offside.

“But I have to say I felt for Gary because the way I’ve felt the last 2-3 weeks with the decisions we’ve had, I’ve been sitting in a dark room for a week.”

Wolves have disputed several refereeing decisions throughout the season, and O’Neil said his players felt they had been disrespected.

“The players are unbelievably frustrated with the decision-making and officiating,” he said.

“They had a discussion as a group, they don’t feel like they’re being respected by the officials and I’ve talked them down a couple of times from figuring out what they want to do about that.

“I can’t expect them not to this time, I understand how they feel about it, and whatever they decide to do about it is up to them.”

Wolves had deservedly led at the break, but West Ham improved massively after the half-time introduction of Michail Antonio and Ben Johnson.

“I think the two teams changed shirts at half-time,” Moyes said.

But the win may have come at a cost with Jarrod Bowen limping off as Thursday’s Europa League match away to Bayer Leverkusen looms.

“He’s had a knee into his hip, or into his back,” Moyes said. “It’s not a twist but he’s really stiff. I’ve had one or two of those myself and they don’t go away too quickly so we need to hope it doesn’t linger with him.”