Thomas Tuchel feels Chelsea are a vastly different club now to the one where he loved to work, after he was asked if he could recommend the job to Julian Nagelsmann.

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday, with the Blues 11th in the Premier League following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

Potter replaced Tuchel in September, with the latter having been dismissed by co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali less than 18 months on from leading Chelsea to Champions League glory.

Whether Tuchel would be on speaking terms with Nagelsmann after replacing his compatriot at Bayern in March was not an issue that was raised when the former Paris Saint-Germain coach was asked by reporters if he would tell his predecessor, who is one of the favourites to succeed Potter, to take the Chelsea job.

"He's not going to ask me! He doesn't need my advice, that won't happen," Tuchel said in a press conference ahead of Bayern's DFB-Pokal meeting with Freiburg.

"I saw the news, in the end it was pretty tough timing, as it was right after I took over here and now the next coaching position is vacant at Chelsea.

"I needed quite a bit of time to distance myself from Chelsea, because I really liked to work there and there were friendships for life that I managed to build.

"It was a very intense time but the club changed massively. That helped me to find some distance. That's why this didn't bring out huge emotions in me.

"That's why I don't have to give any advice, because the club is different to the one I worked for."

Tuchel's first game in charge of Bayern could hardly have gone better, with the Bundesliga champions beating his former side Borussia Dortmund 4-2 to move top of the table.

Thomas Muller scored twice after Gregor Kobel's calamitous own goal had put Bayern ahead, with Kingsley Coman making it 4-0 before Emre Can and Donyell Malen grabbing consolations for Dortmund.

Sadio Mane came on as a second-half substitute as he continues his recovery from injury, though he only managed 12 touches and did not get a shot off.

Tuchel, though, is convinced Mane will return to his best form.

"I know him personally from England," Tuchel said of Mane. "He's one of the top players, he's scored in double digits, felt like 20 goals every year for Liverpool in the toughest league in the world.

"He plays at an extraordinary level, won all the trophies and titles for Liverpool. His importance is clear.

"Even with his age and experience, a change of clubs is still a change, it can lead to needing a bit of time to bed in a bit, to feel at home 1,000 per cent.

"Small things, like getting to the stadium, that were so easy in the past, have to be found out, and this takes time. Then it's done and dusted but then an injury occurs, and he could lose a bit of trust and form.

"I don't doubt his qualities, the things he can bring to us. It's about trust, a bit of patience in order to get back to the flow. A goal helps, no matter how, to get his joy back. We're working on it.

"With the strikers, those situations will occur all the time when they lose a bit of rhythm due to an injury."

Interim Chelsea head coach Bruno Saltar believes Graham Potter did "an amazing job" at the club despite his dismissal.

The Blues cut ties with Potter on Sunday following a defeat to Aston Villa that saw the club drop into the bottom half of the Premier League standings.

Potter's departure came fewer than seven months after his appointment at Stamford Bridge, where he succeeded Champions League winning coach Thomas Tuchel, and on the back of a vast spending spree in the January window.

Inability to get the best out of Chelsea's array of recruits, with a lack of goals a major issue, ultimately led to Potter's exit.

Despite all of that, Potter did an impressive job in west London in the eyes of Bruno.

"I'm here right now because Graham and the club thought that was the right step, I'm here to just try to help the club and be the most professional I can," he said at a pre-match press conference.

"I'm just trying to keep the process going, to collaborate the best that we can. I think Graham did an amazing job. Football is a really complex business and we have to keep going.

"It's been really difficult at every single level, you have to deal with the press conference, you have to deal with the players. It's difficult to deal with it, it's been a really difficult 12 hours."

Bruno faces a baptism of fire at Stamford Bridge, with his first game coming against top-four chasing Liverpool, and he expressed his admiration for opposing boss Jurgen Klopp.

"We have to see it as an opportunity for the players. We're representing Chelsea, a club with amazing history, who are about winning, about dominating," he added.

"We need to prepare for the game, preparation helps a lot with performance. That's what players need to focus on.

"Obviously I have pure admiration towards Jurgen. I can't say anything other than what everyone knows. They're going through a tough season as well, but have top players.

"We're expecting a tough game, that's aggressive because they have high intensity players."

Manchester United let Erik ten Hag down in the January transfer window by not signing a striker, club great Gary Neville has declared.

Defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday saw United slip to fourth in the Premier League, one point above Tottenham, who they hold a game in hand over, with a fierce scrap for a top-four finish looming before the end of the season.

United's away form has been a major issue this season, with six of their seven defeats coming on the road, and upcoming trips to face fellow European chasers Tottenham and Brighton and Hove Albion will be a cause for concern.

According to Neville, the club's failure to adequately recruit a new forward in the mid-season window, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, is at the root of their issues.

"He was badly let down, Erik ten Hag, in January, if you look at it. Because that Cristiano Ronaldo interview with Piers Morgan was done in November," the Sky Sports pundit said.

"He was always going to leave at the start of the World Cup. Manchester United then had six weeks before the transfer window began.

"They made a conscious decision not to give Erik ten Hag the money because they have not got the money. They made a conscious decision to tell him he was going to have to bring somebody in on loan.

"Who is going to loan Manchester United a world-class striker in January? Nobody is going to do that.

"I do not blame Wout Weghorst at all. He has done a really good job. He is a placeholder for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag, and I think he is doing absolutely everything he can do out there on the pitch.

"He is obviously not good enough to be a Manchester United striker. But they needed support in January.

"They lost Ronaldo, they lost Edinson Cavani in the summer, and Anthony Martial was injured. You cannot play without a centre-forward. To play football really well your centre-forward and your goalkeeper have to play well. It is just a rule. He does not always play well.

"So, for me, Erik ten Hag was let down badly in January by the club in the sense that they have this £900million of debt and they could not afford to bring in anyone else. That is the harsh reality of it."

Jurgen Klopp feels like "the elephant in the room" after Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea on Sunday.

Potter was dismissed less than seven months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge, following a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa that left Chelsea 11th in the Premier League.

Next up for the Blues is a home game against Liverpool, with Klopp's side licking their wounds after Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Manchester City.

Liverpool are enduring a miserable season by their lofty standards. The Reds are eighth, eight points back from fourth-placed Manchester United, having lost nine league games, while they are out of the FA Cup and Champions League.

And Klopp is aware it is the success of previous campaigns that is keeping him in a job.

"The elephant in the room is why I'm still sitting here, in this crazy world. Last man standing," Klopp told reporters.

"I'm aware of the fact that I'm sitting here because of the past, not because of what we did this season.

"If it was my first season, that would be slightly different. Yes, we have smart owners, they know about the situation, but you better ask them yourselves."

Asked if he was afraid of becoming the 13th Premier League boss to lose their job this season, Klopp replied: "No, no. But I don't think that Graham was afraid!

"There's no need to be afraid, I'm here to deliver. I'm not here as a talisman or whatever, or for murals on walls. I'm here to deliver, nothing else in my mind. But I know I'm here because of the last few years.

"I don't like the fact that I have to pretty much rely on that. Is it right or not? We will see in the future. I am fully in, there's no doubt, but we have to sort it.

"We cannot just continue playing like we do from time to time. Not always, thank God, but from time to time – it's really not allowed. I'm really disappointed by us, that we do these kind of things, but they happen. We have to find a way out, that's what we're working on."

Potter's dismissal followed on from Brendan Rodgers losing his job at Leicester City, with the Foxes in 19th place.

The pair of departures came a week on from Tottenham cutting ties with Antonio Conte.

"I think both clubs [Chelsea and Leicester] are not where they expect to be," Klopp said. "I cannot say a lot more about it. I respect them a lot. I like them both. When I met them, really good people, fantastic managers, both of them, but still, things can go the wrong way.

"When decision-makers at a club think they have to change, then they change. I think we all accept that's part of the business.

"That's it, a strange week. Conte was the last week, [Julian] Nagelsmann [sacked by Bayern Munich], and now these two. The season gets into a decisive part and people are afraid of maybe not reaching their targets.

"You would have to ask the decisive people what they will say about it. For all four I mentioned, the managing future is still bright. It's not a disaster."

Klopp was unsure how much Potter's dismissal would impact Chelsea, noting he expects the Blues to set up in a similar system.

One thing he was sure about was the reaction that is required from Liverpool.

"As badly [needed] as possible," Klopp said, before calling the defeat to City a "super strange game".

"It's unacceptable, but it happened anyway. Now we have to make sure we are ready, that's it," he added.

Sunday saw two more Premier League bosses dismissed from their roles.

Graham Potter's sacking by Chelsea followed on from Leicester City cutting ties with Brendan Rodgers.

That pair of dismissals took the total count of managerial departures for the season to 13 in England's top tier. Twelve of those have been sackings.

According to Opta, it is the most managerial sackings in a Premier League season by three.

The previous high mark of 10 (set in the 2013-14 season and equalled in 2017-18) was matched last season.

Yet this campaign has been even more extreme. Here, Stats Perform assesses the 13 managers to have departed.

Scott Parker - Bournemouth (August 30)

Just four league games had passed when Bournemouth became the first club to blink, sacking Parker on the back of a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. Parker went on to join Club Brugge in Belgium, but lasted less than three months, winning just two of 12 matches. His replacement at Bournemouth, Gary O'Neil, has the Cherries in 16th, far from down and out.

Thomas Tuchel - Chelsea (September 7)

Arguably the biggest shock sacking of the season came early on, when Tuchel was shown the door by Chelsea's new owners. Not long over a year on from leading the Blues to Champions League success, Tuchel was out of work. He is now back in a job, having succeeded Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich in March.

Graham Potter - Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea (September 8)

Potter will feature again in this list, of course, but he does count as two of the 13 departures on Opta's list, given he left Brighton to fill the Chelsea vacancy. The Seagulls had enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and Potter had earned his shot at a big club. It would not, of course, go according to plan.

Bruno Lage - Wolves (October 2)

A full month had not passed by the time a third coach was given the boot. Lage had a decent first season at Wolves, but their form had tailed off towards the back end of the 2021-22 campaign, going winless in seven games. That poor form carried into this term, and having won just one of their first eight league games, Wolves decided to make a change.

Steven Gerrard - Aston Villa (October 20)

Gerrard made a bright start at Villa in 2021, and had been given a large transfer budget across two windows, but the former Rangers boss was struggling to make matters click, either with his team or the fanbase. Villa made the call to end the project before the World Cup, and moved efficiently to bring in Unai Emery, who has got them well clear of any danger. Since his first game in charge, only Arsenal (13) and Manchester City (10) have more Premier League wins than Villa.

Ralph Hasenhuttl - Southampton (November 7)

Hasenhuttl had provided Southampton with fresh life when he was appointed in 2018, but since reaching a pinnacle of topping the table in November of the 2020-21 season, it had been a constant struggle. Saints managed to scrape 40 points last season but were firmly in the relegation scrap when they decided time was up for the Austrian. His replacement, however, did not fare well.

Frank Lampard - Everton (January 23)

That glut of changes prior to the World Cup break was followed by the halting of Lampard's Everton tenure in late January. Results had been terrible, with Lampard managing just three wins all season - a tally already matched by his successor Sean Dyche. However, the nature of dismissing a manager so late in the transfer window left Everton with little time to reinforce their squad, and they are still firmly in the mire. Losses to Wolves, Brighton, Southampton and West Ham marked the end of Lampard's time at Goodison Park.

Jess Marsch - Leeds United (February 6)

After one relegation candidate blinked, so did another. Marsch was ditched by Leeds following a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, with the Whites - like Everton - once again faced with a scrap for their lives. Marsch, like Lampard on Merseyside, had managed to garner enough spirit and resolve to keep Leeds in the division last season, but the American was not an entirely popular figure among Leeds' fanbase, and whatever system he was trying to implement was clearly not working.

Nathan Jones - Southampton (February 12)

To put it frankly, Jones' time at St Mary's Stadium was downright bizarre. Brought in from Luton Town, Jones clearly had no lack of self-belief, but he lost his first four league games at the helm. Southampton appeared to be clicking into gear under Jones when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, Manchester City in the EFL Cup and then Everton in the league, yet the Weslhman – who was not shy at reeling off his strengths despite the lack of results – received his marching orders following the EFL Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle United and a 3-0 top-flight defeat to Brentford, with Saints bottom of the pile, where they remain.

Patrick Vieira - Crystal Palace (March 17)

A run of 13 games in all competitions without a win led to Vieira getting the boot midway through March. Palace lost 4-1 to league leaders Arsenal under the interim charge of Paddy McCarthy, and turned to former, supposedly retired, boss Roy Hodgson to try and push them away from danger. Hodgson made a good start, with the Eagles coming from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 on Saturday.

Antonio Conte - Tottenham (March 26)

An unhappy marriage came to an end when Conte left Spurs by mutual consent, just over a week on from lambasting his "selfish" squad, along with the entire club's mentality, following a 3-3 draw at Southampton. Conte had never seemed content at Tottenham, and now Cristian Stellini will oversee the rest of the season. The international break was a turbulent one for Spurs, with director of football Fabio Paratici now on a leave of absence after his ban from Italian football was made a worldwide one by FIFA last week.

Brendan Rodgers - Leicester City (April 2)

Leicester played the April fools on Saturday in their defeat at Selhurst Park, a result that left them in the relegation zone. Rodgers had earned the Foxes' backing with his achievements since taking over in 2019, having won the FA Cup and led Leicester into Europe twice. However, Leicester had won just two league games since the season restarted, and a change felt overdue.

Graham Potter - Chelsea (April 2)

Not long after the dust had settled on Rodgers' departure, Chelsea confirmed the news that Potter was no more. Well, not literally, but the man who had managed so much magic with Brighton could not replicate those tricks at Stamford Bridge. A three-game winning streak in March seemed to suggest a turnaround was in the offing, but a home draw with Everton and Saturday's 2-0 loss to Villa marked the end for Potter, who will perhaps regret leaving Brighton. He leaves Chelsea with the joint-lowest points-per-game total of any of the Blues' Premier League coaches (1.27).

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday after barely seven months as their manager.

Potter, who took over from Thomas Tuchel in September, led the Blues to 12 wins, eight draws and 11 defeats.

His demise comes amid numerous changes of managers at Premier League clubs, with Tottenham last week parting with Antonio Conte.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA APPROACH TOP CANDIDATE NAGELSMANN

Chelsea have identified ex-Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann as their top candidate and approached him already, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Romano said talks will be ongoing before a final decision, while he added the Blues hierarchy are admirers of Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.

However, Sky Sports Germany claims Nagelsmann is not interested in taking over at Chelsea.

TalkSPORT claims the dismissed Potter could be offered an immediate return to management by Leicester City who sacked Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday.

ROUND-UP

– AS claims that Paris Saint-Germain winger Kylian Mbappe has told the Real Madrid board that he intends to join Los Blancos as a free agent in 2024. According to the report, Madrid are not willing to negotiate a transfer fee with PSG, following their long-running interest in Mbappe, with the player needing to get out of his contract to move to the Spanish capital.

– Liverpool will consider an off-season move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, reports The Independent.

– Fichajes claims Liverpool are also weighing up a surprise move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal have identified three midfield targets in Everton's Amadou Onana, West Ham's Declan Rice and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

– Manchester United's hopes of signing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani have been set back with the Frenchman keen to join Bayern Munich in the off-season.

Chelsea are once again on the hunt for a new head coach after Graham Potter's brief tenure was brought to an abrupt end on Sunday.

While the news might have caught some by surprise given Chelsea's insistence about Potter being a long-term hire when initially appointed, many will feel the writing was on the wall.

Premier League management is a cut-throat business and Chelsea's actions are the case in point, with Potter reportedly costing them £21million in compensation just 206 days earlier.

Despite his excellent reputation, Potter was unable to meet the demands at Stamford Bridge and leaves with a record that does him few favours.

Plumbing new depths

Chelsea's confirmation of Potter's dismissal was very respectful and made clear how remorseful they were about such a decision, but not even he would claim things have gone well.

Potter's record of 1.27 points per game in the Premier League is the joint-worst among Chelsea bosses to take charge of at least 20 matches in the division.

Considering how high expectations have become at Chelsea over the best part of the past two decades, that was a particularly damning return.

Potter leaves with Chelsea languishing in the bottom half of the table – 11th to be exact – and requiring something of a miracle to close the 12-point gap between them and fourth.

The last time they were not in the top half after at least 28 games was in 1995-96.

Additionally, with a haul of 38 points from 28 games, Chelsea have their worst total at this stage of a season since 1994-95 when they had only 36.

Core of the issue

There have certainly been occasions when Potter's Chelsea have been praised for playing good football.

But at no point have they been good at scoring goals, which is quite important in football...

Between November 6 and February 28, Chelsea scored just six goals in 15 games across all competitions, which was the fewest of any team from England's top four tiers.

While that spell was followed by a run of three successive wins, Sunday's 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa showed they were still suffering from the same issues.

They had 27 shots against Unai Emery's side, their most in a Premier League game without scoring since January 2014 against West Ham.

That feeds into a wider issue of wastefulness, with Chelsea underperforming their xG (expected goals) by 7.4 in the Premier League during Potter's reign, which is the worst differential of all 20 top-flight teams.

On top of that, Chelsea's 29 goals is their worst return at this stage of a league campaign since 1978-79, when they also only managed 29.

But was success without proper patience ever possible?

Chelsea's transfer activity was frankly ridiculous. Of the 32 players currently in their squad who have made at least one league appearance this term, 13 are new signings this season – and that does not include the likes of Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher, who returned from long-term loan spells.

His name may be Potter, but he cannot just wave a magic wand and guarantee cohesion – in reality, he was arguably always on a hiding to nothing.

Just 206 days after Chelsea owner Todd Boehly assured the world that incoming head coach Graham Potter would be given time at Chelsea, the American decided to terminate the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss' contract.

That is fewer days in charge than any permanent manager/head coach at Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich era, but it was not a decision taken without reason.

Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League, with 38 points from 28 games their worst total at this stage since the 1994-95 season (36), while the Blues are in the bottom half of the table after at least 28 games for the first time since 1995-96, when they finished 11th.

Potter won just 12 of his 31 games in charge after arriving from Brighton in September (D8 L11), ultimately paying the price after Chelsea's dismal 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.

So who will Boehly turn to next having given up on the Potter project? Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the early favourites.

Julian Nagelsmann

The German will probably have been the first name many thought of when news of Potter's sacking broke on Sunday, with Nagelsmann facing the same fate at Bayern Munich just a few days prior.

It would be somewhat of a coincidence given the 35-year-old was replaced at Bayern by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, who had been replaced at Stamford Bridge by Potter.

Nagelsmann has been one of the most highly-rated young coaches in Europe since his work at Hoffenheim, where he boasted a record of 55 wins from 136 games (40 per cent), before upping that win percentage at RB Leipzig to 57 (54 wins from 95 games).

That was enough to convince Bayern he should replace Hansi Flick in July 2021, but despite winning the Bundesliga in what proved to be his only full season at the Allianz Arena, and reaching the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League, the club removed him.

Several of his former players at Bayern praised him in the days since, but you do wonder if someone who was not deemed a good fit at a similarly sized and demanding club would be a good fit for Chelsea.

Brendan Rodgers

The former Liverpool and Leicester City boss was sacked by the Foxes just hours before Potter got his marching orders, and on paper it doesn't sound like it would be much of an improvement.

Rodgers almost won the Premier League title with Liverpool in 2013-14 before his team regressed the following season after selling Luis Suarez, but he repaired his reputation at the King Power Stadium.

He won the FA Cup in 2020-21, beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final, and ended his time with the Foxes with a record of 92 wins from 204 games (D42 L70), a win percentage of 45.

Rodgers did learn the ropes as a youth coach at Chelsea though, and is arguably more of the same should Boehly still like the idea of a Potter-type of coach who favours a mix of pressing and possession.

It does feel like a job a bit beyond the 50-year-old, though it was not that long ago that some pundits were suggesting Arsenal should sack Mikel Arteta and hire Rodgers. Football, eh?

Mauricio Pochettino

The Argentinian was a very popular figure during his time at Tottenham, and he has been strongly linked with succeeding Antonio Conte at his former club.

Pochettino may not have won a trophy at Spurs, but he presided over two title challenges and the run to the 2019 Champions League final, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

His five-year reign included 113 wins from 202 Premier League games, a points-per-game (PPG) average of 1.89, before he was eventually dismissed by chairman Daniel Levy after appearing to take the club as far as he could.

Pochettino landed at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won a Ligue 1 title as well as a Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions, but failures in the Champions League and losing out on the 2020-21 French title to Lille were low points, albeit he only took over halfway through that season.

He is therefore perhaps more suited to more of an underdog than one that operates in the way Chelsea does.

On the other hand, perhaps he could tempt Harry Kane across London.

Luis Enrique

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona player most recently won 27 of 48 games as Spain head coach, but international football can be a different world to the top-level club game.

Luis Enrique was very successful in his last club job at Barca, though it admittedly helped having a front three of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar all at their peak.

He won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns, a Supercopa de Espana, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup, as well as the 2014-15 Champions League as part of a historic treble.

Overall, Luis Enrique won 87 of his 114 LaLiga games (2.4 PPG), and has shown that he can take a team of superstars and get plenty out of them while managing egos.

However, the fact he has not had a club job since 2017 might be seen as problematic by some fans, while it could also be argued he underachieved with Spain.

Roberto De Zerbi

It would really be a kick in the teeth for Brighton to have Chelsea take another of their head coaches so soon after luring Potter away, but on paper, this could make all the sense in the world for the Blues.

Potter earned the Chelsea gig from the fantastic work he did on the south coast, with De Zerbi replacing him as Seagulls boss after his departure.

The Italian has taken Brighton to another level since his arrival, with the club remarkably still in with a reasonable chance of finishing in the European spots, and perhaps even the top four.

De Zerbi has averaged 1.50 points per game, winning eight of his 20 league games in charge, as well as guiding Brighton to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Having De Zerbi develop the foundations laid by Potter could work twice, though it would likely cost Chelsea a fortune to find out, not that that usually deters them.

Chelsea have sacked head coach Graham Potter following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa left the Blues mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion to take charge of Chelsea following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal in September, but the 47-year-old struggled to inspire consistency during a season of change at Stamford Bridge.

Despite Chelsea spending an estimated £289.7million on players including Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and others in January, Potter has struggled to lead the Blues into contention for European qualification.

While Chelsea overcame Borussia Dortmund to tee up a Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, they have won just two of their past nine Premier League games.

Saturday's home defeat to Aston Villa saw Unai Emery's team leapfrog Chelsea into the top half of the table, with Potter leaving the Blues in 11th place, 12 points adrift of the top four.

Former Brighton full-back Bruno Saltor, who followed Potter to Chelsea earlier this season, will take the reins as interim head coach.

In a statement on the club's website, Chelsea thanked Potter for his efforts and said he would "collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition".

Co-majority owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea.

"We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.

"Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.

"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead.

"We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."

Chelsea host Liverpool in their next Premier League game on Tuesday before visiting Wolves on Saturday, after which they will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie against holders Madrid.

Chelsea have sacked head coach Graham Potter following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa left the Blues mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Luke Shaw believes Manchester United lacked "passion, desire, hunger and attitude" in an "unacceptable" performance in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Newcastle United.

A brilliant display from the Magpies saw Eddie Howe's men leapfrog the Red Devils into third in the Premier League as goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson condemned them to defeat in their first game since the international break.

Erik ten Hag's side have now failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2020 as they mustered just one shot on target at St James' Park, a tame long-range shot from Antony that Nick Pope comfortably saved.

With this winless three-match run dragging them back into the dogfight for the Champions League places, Shaw felt Sunday's dismal display was a couple of games in the making, declaring Newcastle won the match with their superior mentality rather than their footballing ability.

"[We were] not good enough," Shaw told Sky Sports. "As a team, we have to be honest. I do think Newcastle are a very good side but I don't think they won the game on quality today.

"I think they won it on passion, desire, hunger, attitude. They clearly had that higher motivation, and that [cannot] be possible.

"It's not acceptable and we know that. It was a massive game today and they wanted it more. At Man United, that cannot be possible.

"You need that motivation, you need that passion, hunger, attitude, because it's an extremely tough place to come to, here. If we don't have that, we're going to suffer. It was obvious on the pitch. We didn't create too much, to be honest.

"I think maybe you could say it has been coming. Before the international break, we had dropped levels, and it was clear to see today they were not there."

Shaw's side will look to get back on track on Wednesday, when they host a Brentford side at Old Trafford who are themselves looking for European qualification.

The left-back acknowledged that will be a difficult fixture, saying: "We have three days to pick it back up because Brentford is going to be a tough game.

"We're a team. When we go out on that pitch, we all need to fight for each other. Sometimes, this season, maybe it's not shown like that. I'm sure we'll go through it all again and speak again. We need to realise the problems, and change them quick, because we can still have a very good season."

Joe Willock believes Newcastle United "owed" Manchester United a loss as they got revenge for their EFL Cup final defeat to the Red Devils with a 2-0 Premier League victory.

The Magpies were denied a first major trophy in 68 years as goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford condemned them to defeat at Wembley in late February.

But Eddie Howe's men put in a much-improved performance at St James' Park on Sunday, as Willock and Callum Wilson struck to haul them above Erik ten Hag's side and into third in the Premier League.

Speaking after his team moved into the Champions League spots, Willock felt Newcastle used the cup final disappointment to their advantage as they got vengeance for that heartbreak.

"Today we played really well," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved the victory. It was electric today in here. We fed off the crowd and got the big three points.

"I feel like we owed them one after the cup final. We took that very bitterly, we didn't take that lightly. Losing a cup final, it hurts a lot. We took that anger into this game today and from the start we dominated play."

Willock's goal set Newcastle on the way to their first league victory against the Red Devils since October 2019, and the Magpies now lead them in the table by virtue of their far superior goal difference. 

The former Arsenal man is confident his team can get over the line and finish in the Champions League spots for the first time since the 2002-03 season under Bobby Robson, with Opta rating it a 58.2 per cent chance they end the campaign in the top four.

"I feel like we have to believe," Willock added. "We've been in and around there all season.

"We've got a brilliant team, brilliant manager and a brilliant environment for us players to work in, so I feel like there's nothing stopping us."

Howe felt his team's efforts warranted the three points, having accumulated 3.57 xG (expected goals) and restricted Ten Hag's side to just one shot on target, a tame long-range effort from Antony that Nick Pope easily saved.

"Today we fully deserved the win," Howe said. "It wasn't a lucky win.

"We knocked at the door the whole game, I think statistically we were very strong today. So I'm really pleased with the players."

Newcastle's bid to finish in the top four is now entering a crucial stage with three consecutive away matches next up, starting with a trip to the London Stadium to face relegation-threatened West Ham on Wednesday.

Howe urged his players to keep their focus, explaining: "That was my words after the game. We've got three games in six days, we have to be focused on West Ham.

"But we're in a good vein of form. Three wins in a row is difficult to do in the Premier League, so we'll look forward to those games."

Erik ten Hag believed Newcastle United "wanted to win more" than Manchester United on Sunday.

The Red Devils slipped to a second defeat in their last three Premier League games as they suffered a 2-0 loss, with second-half goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson at St James' Park claiming revenge for the Magpies' EFL Cup final loss to United.

United dropped to fourth in the Premier League as a result, behind Newcastle on goal difference and just one point ahead of Tottenham.

Speaking after the game, Ten Hag acknowledged his side deserved to lose, suggesting it was attitude that made the difference.

"I hate to say it but they were better today," he told Sky Sports. "Especially [their] determination, passion and desire. They wanted to win more this week, so they won.

"I think we had our opportunities, but then you have to go for goal with the determination that they did. By far, it was not good enough. We allowed them too many chances.

"You have to be hungry. You have to give everything, every game. I think our attacking game was not good enough. I don't want to focus on one person.

"It has nothing to do with one person. It was about team performance. We didn't break them. It wasn't good enough."

However, the Dutch coach was adamant United are not at risk of falling down a slippery slope, pointing to their response following a 7-0 drubbing against Liverpool as proof of their resilience.

"This is normal," he added. "In a season, you have setbacks and you have to deal with them so many times.

"After Liverpool, we came back. I don't have the concern. I believe in my team, [and] I believe they will bounce back."

Manchester City's 4-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday showed they can cope without Erling Haaland, believes Kevin De Bruyne.

The forward, who leads the Premier League charts with 28 goals this term, missed out on his side's clash with the Reds through injury.

Despite his absence, Pep Guardiola's hosts still ran rampant at the Etihad Stadium to keep up the pressure on Arsenal in the title race.

For De Bruyne, victory reinforced the suggestion City can cope without their first-choice frontman, with the Belgian pointing to Argentina's World Cup winner Julian Alvarez as a handy understudy.

"Erling is an unbelievable player, but we've been winning loads of games in the last eight years that I've been here," he told City's website.

"He's an additional piece that helps us a lot, but we know if he's not there, we have Julian who is a World Cup winner.

"I don't think it's a bad replacement we have as a team-mate. Everybody knows their task and whoever is on the pitch will do the job."

Saturday's result saw City stay eight points off the heels of the Gunners, with a game in hand as they aim to reel them in at the summit.

Though their title chances are technically out of their own hands, De Bruyne still expects them to push Arsenal all the way, as they also compete in the FA Cup and Champions League.

"Obviously, we know we are behind," he added. "We are still doing a really good job and are playing in three competitions.

"To be [at] this stage of the season and to be there means you've been consistent.

"In the league, Arsenal have been a little bit better than us, but we can try and win as many games as possible and see where we end up."

Joe Willock's first goal since November and a late Callum Wilson header moved Newcastle United into the Champions League spots on Sunday as they beat top-four rivals Manchester United 2-0.

Knowing a win at St James' Park would leapfrog the Magpies above the Red Devils and into third, it appeared Newcastle's luck was out as they saw countless chances come and go.

But Willock's close-range header finally put Eddie Howe's side ahead, before Wilson nodded in Kieran Trippier's free-kick to secure a magnificent win that takes them into the Champions League places.

Erik ten Hag's men see their own top-four hopes dented as they drop to fourth, just a point above Tottenham, though they do have a game in hand over the Londoners.

A lively opening saw Wout Weghorst lash into the side netting before David de Gea made a brilliant stop to deny Alexander Isak's header and then Willock's effort from the rebound.

The visitors were on the ropes and forced to spend much of the first half defending, with Sean Longstaff sending a powerful drive whistling past the upright before Willock blazed over from close range.

Ten Hag's men survived until the interval, and Fabian Schar fired an effort from distance just wide after the break as Newcastle continued to press.

The Red Devils' resistance was finally broken in the 65th minute, Allan Saint-Maximin nodding Bruno Guimaraes' delivery back across to Willock, who headed in from close range to send the home fans into raptures.

Joelinton then saw a close-range effort tipped onto the crossbar by De Gea from a corner, but Wilson sealed the victory when he nodded home Trippier's free-kick in the 88th minute to secure three precious points in the Magpies' bid for European football.