Frank Lampard praised the form of Trevoh Chalobah during his spell as Chelsea interim manager after the defender put in a fine all-round display in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.

The 23-year-old academy graduate has featured in all eight of Lampard’s games in charge including five starts, becoming a dependable presence amidst the team’s struggles for performances and results.

He has been used both at right-back and on the right of a back three as Lampard has shuffled between systems, and has been the club’s most visible homegrown product since owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind January transfer spend.

This has been Chalobah’s second season in Chelsea’s first team after loan spells at Ipswich, Huddersfield and French side Lorient, and his 22 Premier League appearances have exceeded the 20 he made last campaign.

Against Forest he was responsible for setting up the first of Raheem Sterling’s two goals, combining well with Noni Madueke down the right before picking out his team-mate to score, as Chelsea recovered from a goal down to avoid the ignominy of another home loss.

“He’s such a selfless lad. He doesn’t say ‘I want to play in this position’,” Lampard said. “Maybe (his best position) will become apparent, but I think he’s played really well in a back three for the club.

“(He had) a really good period when he first got into the team, he can play well as a centre-back in a back four and at right-back. The bigger picture is the way he’s been applying himself since I’ve come back.

“He’s a delight to train with every day because he comes in with an enthusiasm, low maintenance, and when you talk about the things you want, he tries to do them on the pitch, which is a great thing.

“In my short period here, you look at what are the games and the individual players, I’ve been very happy. I was looking forward to working with Trev because I didn’t get that chance when I was here before (2019-21).”

It is understood Chelsea are closing in on appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their next permanent head coach, with an agreement believed to have been reached for the former Tottenham boss to take over from Lampard at the end of the season.

One of his first tasks will be deciding who of the club’s bloated squad will have a role in his plans.

Until recently Chalobah might have seemed a candidate to depart, but that looks less likely after the versatility and consistency he has demonstrated under Lampard.

“I’ve tried to get him on loan when I’ve been working elsewhere, and now it’s been nice and I appreciate what a high-level player he is,” Lampard added. “He’s going to get a lot better.

“He’s always had that (good crossing, finding his man). He’s played as a number six, he’s played as a right-sided centre-half who steps into areas.

“Some things you rely on the level of the player to be able to step in, to make crosses and to have the physical capacity. He’s got all that. He can fill different roles for us.”

Youri Tielemans remains committed to Leicester’s survival fight, according to boss Dean Smith.

The Foxes are two points from safety ahead of Monday’s crucial visit of Liverpool with time running out to save their Premier League skins.

Captain Tielemans is out of contract in the summer with the club having tried for the last two years to convince him to sign a new deal.

The midfielder is expected to leave on a free transfer but Smith dismissed any suggestions he was not dedicated to keeping the Foxes up.

“I’m completely comfortable with his commitment, I’ve seen nothing but a committed player in and around the training ground and on the pitch,” he said.

“You have to remember our first game against Man City he was coming back from an injury having been out five or six weeks but was committed to play that game to get himself up to speed as quick as he could.

“He’s still playing catch-up a little bit but he’s got qualities that we need in the team.

“I’m very good at reading people and as soon as I met Youri you know that football means a lot to him, the same about Cags (Soyuncu) when I looked him in the eyes and it means a lot to him.”

The Foxes were jeered off at the break in their 5-3 defeat at Fulham on Monday, when they trailed 3-0, but Smith insisted all his squad must handle the criticism.

He said: “I heard the fan reaction at half-time and I understood that but I don’t go off that. Football is about opinions and it always has been, somebody’s favourite player will be somebody else’s not favourite player and that’s football.

“Unfortunately, as players, you have to deal with the opinions of people and that’s their job to deal with that.”

Nottingham Forest and Leeds picked up draws against Chelsea and Newcastle respectively while Everton’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City means victory over Liverpool will lift the Foxes out of the bottom three.

“I think they (the players) know the position they’re in and they have done since the moment we came in here,” said Smith. “That’s what we reminded them of and the reason why we’re here, to keep us in the Premier League.

“The players are more than aware of that and I think a perception is always different from what I see day to day on the training ground. What I see day to day are a group of players that care.”

Kyle Walker-Peters believes instability caused by an influx of new signings contributed significantly to relegated Southampton’s season of struggle.

Saints have spent the majority of a dismal campaign in the Premier League drop zone and were finally condemned to the Sky Bet Championship by Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Fulham.

The division’s bottom side recruited 15 players across the last two transfer windows, while current boss Ruben Selles is the third man in charge this term following the sackings of Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones.

England defender Walker-Peters admits individuals have under-performed but feels background upheaval has not helped the club’s predicament.

“No it hasn’t,” said the 26-year-old. “Being 100 per cent honest, that has been really tough for everyone.

“When I first came here it was a smaller squad, a tight-knit squad and sometimes when there is a lot of change it makes things hard.

“On the pitch we haven’t been good enough, we haven’t done our jobs well enough and ultimately that is why we’re getting relegated.”

Defeat to the Cottagers was Southampton’s 24th in the top flight during a dismal season which has brought just six wins and only 31 goals, with 66 conceded.

Victories over Chelsea and Leicester in Selles’ first three games after replacing Jones sparked hope of survival but were followed by a paltry three points from the next 33 available.

“We haven’t scored enough goals, we haven’t stopped enough goals and ultimately if you’re not good enough in both boxes then it’s hard to win games,” said Walker-Peters.

“That has been the story of our season.”

Dropping into the Championship is likely to spark a player exodus at St Mary’s, with Walker-Peters one of those expected to attract interest.

The full-back, who made his international debut last year, was tight-lipped about his own future ahead of matches against Brighton and Liverpool.

He anticipates the club will attempt to build around the raft of young talent they are able to retain as they prepare for life in the second tier.

“There are still two more games so that is my main focus – try and make those results positive and see what happens after there,” he said.

“I’m not looking too much into my future yet.

“I always see myself in a Southampton shirt, I love the club. I enjoy being here so we’ll see what happens.”

Asked how the club bounce back, he replied: “It is not for me to say, the club have their own ideas and they will want to bounce back asap.

“They’ll try and keep everyone they can and everyone they want to keep and try and bounce back from there.”

Fulham require three points from games against Crystal Palace and Manchester United to surpass the club’s record Premier League tally of 53 following success on the south coast.

Cottagers midfielder Harrison Reed, who began his career at Southampton, said: “That is massive for us as a group of players and the staff.

“That is what we are aiming for, and pushing each day to achieve that.

“We have planned this season and we have put our stamp on it from the first game really.

“It’s nice to be in the position we are, winning games of football and with the fans behind us.”

Asked about his former club, Reed, who suffered relegation with Fulham in 2021, said: “It’s been a tough season. We’ve been there.

“You need to get your head down and focus and win some football matches next year and I am sure they will come back stronger.”

A frustrated Mikel Arteta apologised to the Arsenal supporters after a crushing 3-0 loss at home to Brighton all but ended their Premier League title hopes.

Second-half goals from Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan earned the Seagulls a deserved victory at the Emirates that means Manchester City need one more win from their final three games to defend their crown.

City could be champions on Saturday night if Arsenal lose at Nottingham Forest with the gap between the top two now four points, and Pep Guardiola’s side holding a game in hand on the Gunners, who have failed to win five of their last seven matches.

“A really different feeling to the feeling that we all had last Sunday (at Newcastle) when we felt proud and we felt that we really did what we needed to win in certain moments. Today is completely the opposite,” Arteta admitted.

“We have to apologise to our people, especially for the second half.

“What I have to accept first is what happened in the second half and digest it.

“After that until it’s mathematically over… the second position is secure. That’s not going to change. We have to digest and that will take a few days.

“At the moment it’s just frustration. The feeling that we gave the game away in the second half. We fought really hard to be in the position that we are in and today we were in a critical moment to keeping hoping and digging for that dream.

“When you have to play in these moments you cannot do what we did in the second half.

“Then we have to look. If a team is capable of doing that when it comes to the biggest stage, there’s a lot of things to analyse and think about because it cannot happen.”

Manchester City’s 3-0 victory at Everton earlier in the day had ramped up the pressure on Arsenal but they started strongly despite losing Gabriel Martinelli to an ankle injury after 19 minutes.

Gabriel Jesus tested Jason Steele midway through the opening 45 and Leandro Trossard clipped the crossbar with a swerving effort before Bukayo Saka dragged an effort wide from 14 yards at the end of a stop-start half.

Brighton punished Arsenal’s profligacy straight after half-time when Estupinan followed up his blocked cross with a scuffed centre that Enciso headed home for his third goal of the season.

Arteta made a raft of changes after but the visitors stayed in control and picked off the hosts with Undav able to lob Aaron Ramsdale in the 86th minute before Estupinan grabbed a deserved goal with a close-range finish in stoppage-time.

A reflective Arteta added: “Obviously what the team has done over the last 10 months is very different to what anybody expected and that generates a lot of expectation as well enthusiasm, happiness and joy.

“That’s something that has to be managed in the right way and after we have the responsibility to make sure the team performs and I am responsible for that.

“So, I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are expecting something. That’s the biggest regret I have today and I have to apologise for that.”

It was a different set of emotions for Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who laughed off comparisons with Jose Mourinho after he wheeled off down the touchline to celebrate Undav’s goal.

He did insist, however, that nothing had been achieved by his sixth-placed side.

“Yes I am very delighted for the performances. I think we deserved to win but then really happy, really proud because the last five days were very difficult after the defeat on Monday (against Everton),” De Zerbi stated.

“We have 58 points and not enough to qualify for Europe.

“We have another four games, tough games, Newcastle, Southampton, City and last game Aston Villa and we have to fight to deserve to qualify because 58 points is not enough to play Thursdays next year.”

Ilkay Gundogan helped himself to a superb double as Manchester City edged closer to a fifth Premier League title in six seasons with a 3-0 win at Everton.

As a result of their victory on Merseyside and Arsenal’s 3-0 home defeat by Brighton, a maximum of three more points from their remaining three matches, the first of them at home to Chelsea next Sunday, will secure the trophy once again.

Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s men could be crowned champions on Saturday evening should the Gunners lose at Nottingham Forest, and even a draw at the City Ground would effectively end the race as a result of City’s superior goal difference after a straightforward afternoon at Goodison Park.

Gundogan took his tally to four in two matches with an expertly-executed over-the-shoulder volley and an exquisite curling free-kick.

In between, Erling Haaland scored his almost mandatory goal to make it 52 for the season, with former Everton centre-forward Dixie Dean’s record of 63 still realistically within his reach.

Arsenal, however, could not follow suit in a game boss Mikel Arteta admitted before kick-off was a must-win affair as second-half goals by Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan earned Brighton a stunning win at the Emirates Stadium.

After a keenly-contested first half, Arsenal fell behind to Enciso’s 51st-minute header and, as they desperately sought a way back into the game, the hosts were picked off by Undav and then Estupinan in a devastating display by the visitors, who are themselves on the brink of qualifying for Europe for the first time.

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa ensured West Ham are still not mathematically assured of their place in next season’s top flight after Brentford eased to a 2-0 victory.

David Moyes made nine changes ahead of Thursday night’s Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar but saw his side come up short against a Bees line-up deprived of the services of 20-goal striker Ivan Toney by injury, with Mbeumo and Wissa both scoring before half-time.

Danny Ings thought he had reduced the deficit after the break, but his tap-in was controversially disallowed for handball by Divin Mubama following a VAR review.

Brighton handed Manchester City the chance to clinch the Premier League title next weekend as the latest round of fixtures yielded a potentially decisive twist.

The Seagulls’ breath-taking victory at Arsenal left City four points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand, meaning they can clinch the trophy for a fifth time with a home win over struggling Chelsea next Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at an eventful weekend which also saw Southampton slip out of the top flight.

Seagulls soaring

Brighton’s remarkable 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium may have been celebrated in the blue half of Manchester, but certainly not the red, nor on Tyneside or Merseyside. The Seagulls not only dented the Gunners’ title hopes, but dragged themselves back on to the fringes of the hunt for Champions League qualification with the perfect response to Monday’s shock 5-1 drubbing by Everton, edging to within four points of the Reds and eight of United and the Magpies with a game in hand on all three.

Top Gun

If Manchester City do go on to clinch the title, they will have done so with a significant helping hand from skipper Ilkay Gundogan. The 32-year-old Germany international’s double secured a 2-1 win over Leeds last weekend – and it might have been better had he converted a penalty gifted to him by Erling Haaland – and he repeated the feat in sublime style in Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Everton to further underline his importance to Pep Guardiola.

A spot of bother

Should renowned firefighter Sam Allardyce fail in his mission to drag Leeds to safety, he and his players will inevitably lose sleep over an eventful afternoon at Elland Road when Newcastle came to call. Already leading through Luke Ayling’s early strike, the home side passed up a glorious opportunity to extend their advantage when Nick Pope saved Patrick Bamford’s penalty, and their afternoon might have ended in defeat after Magpies frontman Callum Wilson showed him how to do it from the spot not once, but twice before Rasmus Kristensen’s late equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw.

Eze does it

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Crystal Palace’s reliance on Wilfried Zaha in recent seasons has piled huge weight on the Ivory Coast international’s shoulders, but in Eberechi Eze, they appear to have found someone to share the burden. The 24-year-old scored both goals in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, the first with an assured finish after Jordan Ayew had flicked on Zaha’s cross, and the second a stunning solo effort, to take his tally to six in his last seven appearances.

That sinking feeling

If further proof were needed that changing manager twice during a Premier League season is not necessarily a good idea, it was provided on Saturday when Southampton slipped out of the top flight with barely a whimper after a 2-0 home defeat by Fulham. Between them, Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles have managed to win only six of the 36 league games the Saints have played to date and collected just 24 points.

Arsenal’s fading Premier League titles hopes are all but over after second-half goals by Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan earned Brighton a stunning 3-0 win at the Emirates.

The result means Manchester City only need one more victory from their final three games to defend their crown and they could be confirmed as champions as early as Saturday night if Mikel Arteta’s side lose at Nottingham Forest.

Arteta admitted pre-match it was must-win for Arsenal but they tasted defeat after a promising first-half showing thanks to Enciso’s 51st-minute header and late efforts by Undav and Estupinan.

It keeps alive the faint top-four hopes of Roberto De Zerbi’s team, who claimed another scalp in their outstanding season to move up to sixth with games in hand on Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle.

Any hope Arsenal had of Manchester City dropping points at Goodison Park was dispelled even before Arteta had named his starting line-up with their title rivals 3-0 up after 51 minutes.

It failed to dampen the atmosphere at the Emirates but visiting Brighton were not in London to make up the numbers and had European football ambitions to get back on track following a shock home loss to Everton on Monday.

The opening exchanges were affected by stoppages but referee Andrew Madley seemed keen to keep his cards in his pockets with Gabriel Martinelli and Moises Caicedo lucky to avoid punishment for poor challenges.

Caicedo, who saw a move to Arsenal fall through in January, in a less-familiar right-back role caught Martinelli after seven minutes and it eventually forced the Brazilian off with only 19 minutes played.

Enciso had tested Aaron Ramsdale with a firm near-post effort by this point and Martin Odegaard had sent a low strike wide but the contest had failed to get going following a stop-start opening.

Arsenal slowly got into their groove and Jason Steele had to kick away a Gabriel Jesus shot from a narrow angle before substitute Leandro Trossard went close against his old club.

Trossard, a replacement for Martinelli, was booed by the away fans and nearly gained payback after half an hour when Odegaard and Granit Xhaka exchanged passes to find the Belgian, but his swerving effort clipped the top of the crossbar from 16 yards.

Brighton improved after that let-off and Enciso should have done better when Kaoru Mitoma skinned Ben White and teed up the Paraguayan, but he scooped over on the turn.

Teenage forward Evan Ferguson also fired wide soon after for the Seagulls before Bukayo Saka dragged a shot off target from a promising position inside the area in first-half stoppage-time to ensure it remained goalless at the break.

It only took six minutes of the second half for Arsenal’s profligacy to be punished.

Mitoma found the overlapping Estupinan, who had not been tracked by Saka, on the left but after his first delivery had been half-cleared, his scuffed follow-up cross found its way to Enciso, who headed home.

Enciso was only unmarked because Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior was in a heap on the floor after he twisted his ankle after Estupinan’s first centre but Brighton nor Manchester City cared one bit.

Kiwior was fine to carry on but Arteta had seen enough and introduced Thomas Partey and Reiss Nelson on the hour mark.

Substitute Nelson immediately made an impression with a low shot flashed wide and yet emotions were starting to spill over at the Emirates.

Arteta received a booking and while Trossard fired straight at Steele minutes later, Brighton remained in control and the Arsenal boss made his final roll of the dice with 13 minutes left.

Jesus and Odegaard made way for Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe while De Zerbi introduced Facundo Buonanotte for Brighton.

And with four minutes left it was good night to Arsenal’s title challenge when Trossard’s intended flicked pass hit Pascal Gross and ricocheted into the path of Undav, who lobbed over Ramsdale.

De Zerbi sprinted down the touchline to celebrate and was at it again deep into stoppage-time when Estupinan capped a fine display with a first Brighton goal after he fired home on the rebound when Ramsdale spilled Undav’s effort.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was unhappy with Everton defender Yerry Mina for what he implied were underhand and unsporting tactics during their 3-0 win at Goodison Park.

The Colombia international was involved in one visible incident with Aymeric Laporte at a corner in the first half in which the City centre-back slapped his opponent in the stomach following an altercation and Mina fell to the floor.

But at the final whistle Guardiola confronted the Everton defender and remonstrated with him as he followed him off the pitch. All City’s players also refused to shake Mina’s hand.

While Guardiola refused to say what Mina had actually done, his unhappiness appeared to centre on the Colombian’s handling of opponents.

“Mina? It’s not necessary what he does. Away from the football, it is not necessary to do what he does every single game,” said Guardiola.

“And I told him, ‘You are a good enough player to avoid these kind of things’.”

Asked to elaborate on his complaints, the City boss added: “He knows. Ask him. This is not physical, this is not mental.

“There are things that are not necessary to do that he does. This time with Aymeric, Jack (Grealish), everybody. Ask him. Invite him to the press conference.”

The row detracted from the ease with which City dealt with Everton, with Ilkay Gundogan scoring twice for the second game running either side of the obligatory goal – his 52nd of the season – from Erling Haaland.

Gundogan is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but Guardiola is more than happy for him to captain the side, as he did at Goodison where he led from the front with two superbly-taken goals.

“He can show again and again and again the quality and importance and his commitment, to all of us, to the club, not just scoring goals, now he has his momentum,” said Guardiola, who wants the Germany international to extend his stay.

“He doesn’t talk much, but when he talks everyone listens and this is the power of the leader. He show his leadership in every training session – arriving on time, living 24 hours your job and play like he is playing.

“He is a player that when he gets close to the box he has an incredible sense of goal. He can play as a holding midfielder no problem, he proved it years ago when Fernandinho was injured, he played in games like Burnley, long balls, you think you need a physical player, but he is so clever and he is a guy who handles the pressure well.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche said he was unaware of any allegations against Mina and the player had not mentioned anything to him.

“If he did it all the time, I wouldn’t know where he had seen it because he (Mina) hasn’t been on the pitch for weeks,” he said.

City’s 11th successive league victory leaves them requiring a maximum of six points for a fifth title in six seasons.

They inflicted a record 10th home league defeat of the season on Everton, who remain 17th and a point above Leeds, but of equal concern was the withdrawal of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin at half-time.

While the England international has scored only one goal in five games since returning from two-and-half months out with a hamstring injury, he has provided a much-needed focal point and performances have improved as a result.

Dyche, who realistically has to find one win from their two remaining matches against Wolves and Bournemouth, said he took the injury-prone striker off as a precaution.

“I had to make a call because he felt his groin and tight groins can lead to damaged groins,” he said.

“It would have been harder at 0-0 than 2-0. He wanted to carry on, but I said, ‘Dom, you are coming off’.”

On his side’s display, in which they did not trouble City, he added: “A lot of the performance was right against a top side, but you get punished if you make the slightest mistake.

“We arguably had the best chance with Mason Holgate (who missed a difficult close-range opportunity at 0-0).

“There were some outstanding performances, Dwight (McNeil) was outstanding, Doucs (Abdoulaye Doucoure), Conor (Coady) came on and affected it in a change of shape (to a 5-4-1).”

David Moyes believes West Ham have been on the wrong end of too many strange VAR decisions.

Having been denied penalties for handballs against Liverpool and Manchester United in recent weeks, the Hammers had a goal contentiously ruled out in their 2-0 defeat at Brentford.

When Said Benrahma’s cross came back off a post it hit Divin Mubama, who had put his hand up to prevent himself from crashing into the woodwork.

Manuel Lanzini swept the ball back into the box to leave Dany Ings with a tap-in to halve the deficit with 25 minutes remaining.

But referee Michael Oliver went to the pitchside monitor and ruled that young striker Mubama had handled the ball.

“Very strange,” said Hammers boss Moyes. “The Premier League have come out and called it deliberate handball. I think we need a bit of explanation on that.

“The first thing I would say about it is it is inconclusive. If anything I think it hits his shoulder, right on his collarbone.

“If it’s a handball that leads to a goal we all know that rule, but I certainly don’t see deliberate. If anything he might be protecting himself from going into the post. I’m amazed it was chalked off.

“But, let’s be fair, if this was the first one we were talking about in recent games I would say it can happen, but we’re now talking about three of these.

“It’s getting regular. It really is. I don’t want to get in trouble but we’ve had three real ones that could have altered things, and if you said we’ve had our fair share, I’m saying I don’t think we have.”

In truth Brentford, leading through first-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, could have been four or five up by the time Ings’ goal was disallowed.

Moyes’ priorities clearly lie elsewhere despite not being mathematically safe from relegation, with the Hammers boss making nine changes to his side ahead of Thursday night’s Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar.

However, if Moyes was hoping to be given some selection dilemmas for the trip to the Netherlands, he was left sorely disappointed.

Mbeumo pounced after a mistake by Nayef Aguerd and Wissa headed the second after West Ham failed to deal with Mathias Jensen’s long throw.

“I didn’t enjoy the performance. I thought we were soft, easy to play against. It was so poor,” added Moyes.

“We did some work on defending long throws, but you wouldn’t have thought it watching that today. I’m so disappointed the players didn’t deal with it.”

The Bees are now assured of a top-10 finish, proving there is no such thing as second-season syndrome in this corner of west London.

“I was asked before the season about that,” said boss Thomas Frank, “and without sounding too smart we tried to analyse things, looked at the players, the other teams, our performances, our culture, and we thought why shouldn’t we be able to do well in our second season?

“Now we are 100 per cent in the top 10, which is a brilliant achievement.”

Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane delivered a withering assessment of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford following Everton’s Premier League defeat by title-chasing Manchester City.

The 29-year-old was given little chance by Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning first-half strike, but was unable to keep out Erling Haaland’s header seconds later and was well beaten by Gundogan’s second-half free-kick as City won 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.

Analysing the third goal, Keane, who has questioned Pickford’s credentials in the past, disagreed with fellow pundit Micah Richards’ opinion of Gareth Southgate’s number one.

He told Sky Sports: “Pickford, for the goal…my goodness. He looks so small in there. There’s no spring, he’s not anticipating.

“Micah said before the game he’s a top goalkeeper. He’s not.”

Keane was, however, full of praise for Gundogan and in particular, his improvised 37th-minute finish after he had controlled Riyad Mahrez’s cross on his thigh before flicking the ball home with his back still to goal.

He said: “What an outstanding player. Again, we mentioned (Everton boss) Sean Dyche will be disappointed with the defending, but once it goes in there, his first touch is brilliant; his second one is even better.

“What a player this guy is, absolutely brilliant, the way he times his runs into the box…what a magnificent finish. I’d watch that all day. Brilliant.”

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan continued his scoring streak with another two goals as Manchester City edged closer to a fifth Premier League title in six seasons following a 3-0 win over Everton.

Pep Guardiola’s side now only need a maximum of six points from their final three matches to extend their stranglehold on the championship trophy after a straightforward afternoon at Goodison Park

Gundogan took his tally to four in two matches with a brilliant double, one a superbly-executed over-the-shoulder volley and the other an exquisite curling free-kick up and over the wall.

In between Erling Haaland scored his almost mandatory goal to make it 52 for the season, with former Everton centre-forward Dixie Dean’s record of 63 still realistically within his reach.

His 36 league goals is the most in the English top flight since Southampton’s Ron Davies got 37 in 1966-67 and to further underline his quality – were that even required – in 100 league matches for former club Borussia Dortmund and City the Norway international has scored 98 times.

Even a City side registering four changes – Kevin De Bruyne was one of those left out with Wednesday’s delicately-poised Champions League semi-final at home to Real Madrid in mind – was barely tested in registering an 11th successive league victory in an 21-game unbeaten run.

The sight of injury-prone striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin being replaced at half-time would have been of some concern to 17th-placed Everton, who are now relying on neighbours Liverpool to do them a favour and prevent them falling into the bottom three by denying 19th-placed Leicester victory on Monday.

The change could have been precautionary or even a case of damage limitation as there are vital matches coming up against Wolves before a final-day finish at home to Bournemouth.

The worst-case scenario would be facing those two matches without the England international, who, despite only one goal in five games since returning from two-and-half months out with a hamstring injury, has provided a much-needed focal point.

City have no such worries as this game served merely as a semi-competitive training session ahead of the visit of Real, with whom they drew 1-1 in the Bernabeu.

Everton’s deep-lying 4-5-1 formation often left Calvert-Lewin a long way adrift of his midfield, but the hosts came flying out of the blocks, roared on by a Goodison crowd present more in hope than expectation.

However, despite the impressive work-rate of the likes of Dwight McNeil, it was mostly all bluff and bluster as their only real opportunity came in the 34th minute when Mason Holgate blazed over a difficult chance from four yards from James Tarkowski’s knockdown.

Less than three minutes later City were ahead and within seven they had doubled their advantage, with Gundogan at the heart of both goals.

When Riyad Mahrez flicked over a right-wing cross the Germany international took a delicate touch on his thigh before instantly hooking a shot over his shoulder with the outside of his right foot which took marker Nathan Patterson and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford by surprise.

Haaland’s goal was more rudimentary as Gundogan pounced on Patterson’s weak header to cross for the Norwegian to leap higher than makeshift left-back Holgate, in for the injured Vitalii Mykolenko, to head home.

It was only his third touch of the game.

Neal Maupay’s replacement of Calvert-Lewin at half-time reduced Everton’s already slim chances of staging an unlikely recovery and when Gundogan curled home a free-kick after James Garner brought down Phil Foden in the 51st minute the emphasis for the hosts turned to damage limitation.

Toffees boss Sean Dyche decided discretion was the better part of valour and, to protect their slender goal difference advantage over 18th-placed Leeds, he switched to three at the back, with out-of-favour centre-back Conor Coady replacing Holgate and Amadou Onana coming on for Idrissa Gana Gueye in midfield.

Everton’s only genuine goal threat came in the 66th minute when Ederson tipped over a Tarkowski header at a corner.

They will have to do much better against Wolves and Bournemouth if their 69-year stay in the top flight is to be extended.

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa fired Brentford to a 2-0 victory in a Sunday stroll against makeshift West Ham.

David Moyes’ priorities clearly lie elsewhere despite not being mathematically safe from relegation, with the Hammers boss making nine changes to his side ahead of Thursday night’s Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar.

However, if Moyes was hoping to be given some selection dilemmas for the trip to the Netherlands, he was left sorely disappointed.

Not even the absence of 20-goal striker Ivan Toney, out with a hamstring problem, could prevent Brentford racking up a fourth Premier League win from their four meetings with the Hammers.

The visitors were almost caught cold in the seventh minute when Kevin Schade’s cross was missed by Lukasz Fabianski, but Mikkel Damsgaard could not get enough on his header and it drifted wide.

However, Brentford’s next real attack provided the opening goal after 20 minutes thanks to some passive West Ham defending.

Damsgaard intercepted a sloppy pass from Nayef Aguerd, and Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen helped the ball across the pitch to Mbeumo, who was in acres of space as he strode into the penalty area and fired under Fabianski.

Hammers keeper Fabianski made amends after the half-hour mark with a smart save to prevent Wissa from converting Aaron Hickey’s cut-back.

Then came a ridiculous goalmouth scramble after Fabianski punched Schade’s header clear. Damsgaard’s shot was blocked and Fabianski saved from Wissa, with Emerson Palmieri blocking his follow-up on the line before Ben Mee smashed the loose ball wide.

The second goal arrived shortly before half-time when Mee flicked on a long throw from Jensen and Wissa darted in front of Emerson to glance a header home.

West Ham’s feeble first half was summed up when they managed to win a corner, only for Pablo Fornals to fail to get the ball in play with his cross rolling into the side-netting.

Brentford should have had a third after Tomas Soucek needlessly gave the ball away to Wissa, who played a one-two with Mbeumo before firing wide.

Mbeumo then met another cross from Schade at the far post but his header was blocked by stand-in Hammers skipper Angelo Ogbonna, before Damsgaard blazed over from a corner.

Moyes sent on Declan Rice and Said Benrahma with half an hour left and West Ham had the ball in the net shortly afterwards, but Danny Ings’ tap-in was harshly disallowed for handball by Divin Mubama to cap a miserable afternoon for the Hammers.

Ryan Mason refused to defend Tottenham’s wretched away record after slipping to defeat at Aston Villa.

Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz scored for the home side as a 2-1 win moved them level on points with sixth-placed Spurs.

Harry Kane’s last-minute penalty added a flattering look to the scoreline, with Tottenham second best.

They have not won away since January or outside of London since October and are now clinging to a European spot with two games left.

“Many different things contribute to that. Ultimately it is not good enough for a club this size. You cannot expect to compete where we want to compete with that sort of record,” said Mason.

“It needs to improve. It needs to be a collective, it needs to be driven from all of us. It isn’t good enough. It is nowhere near the level we should be at and it needs to change.

“We’ve had a disappointing season in terms of where we are in the table but many other things as well. There probably hasn’t been that consistency, that alignment and that togetherness throughout the whole club.

“That is probably the most important thing going forward that we are going to change and I am absolutely confident that that will change. I believe that will happen.”

Villa have guaranteed a top half finish for the first time in 12 years and remain in the hunt for Europe.

“The victory is so important because the dream is alive,” Luiz told the club’s official site. “My dream, and our dream, is to play in Europe, and we continue.

“We have one more game at home, we’re so strong at home, in six games we haven’t lost, and we need to continue.

“The process is difficult; it’s training every day. It’s so hard, but I’m so happy to score in the game, with the free-kick.”

Frank Lampard asked for his players to show greater intensity in the final third of the pitch after watching Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.

The PA news agency understands the Blues are close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as manager for next season, but performances and results under interim boss Lampard continue to disappoint.

There was a familiar lack of urgency and focus to the team’s attack during the first half at Stamford Bridge, with Steve Cooper’s relegation-threatened side largely untroubled.

It meant Forest were able to bide their time and wait for chances of their own, and one came when Taiwo Awoniyi got between two Chelsea defenders and beat goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to the ball to head them into a half-time lead.

It was a defensive calamity for Lampard’s side, but the manager said he was more alarmed by his players’ lack of attacking intent when they got near Forest’s goal.

“They can happen,” he said of Awoniyi’s 13th-minute effort. “You’re disappointed with them but they can happen. It’s not something where training affected it, it’s one player’s scored, you don’t spend all week recreating that moment.

“What I’m more disappointed about is we lost 45 minutes of the game where we had all the control and we weren’t doing all the things we said about before the game. It’s not good to play 60, 70 per cent in the last third. The last third has to be 100 per cent.

“It has to be repetitive, and that’s not something that can change overnight. I’ve been asked what we did in training all week, but it’s not training at this point in the season that’s going to change this season or what these games look like, it’s the idea and sticking with the idea and doing it and doing it and doing it.

“In the second half when we showed bits of that in our game, it looked different. It’s a game that you would want to come and watch, we’re in the game and we’re playing like we want the team to play.

“But you have to have speed in the last third of the game, and at the moment we’re too comfortable, getting up there and being slow. It’s not hard enough to defend against.”

Chelsea briefly looked to have turned the game on its head thanks to a second-half brace from Raheem Sterling, the first a deflected strike after being set up by Trevoh Chalobah before he rifled in a fine solo effort.

Awoniyi levelled for Forest minutes later to boost their survival hopes and leave Lampard with a familiar feeling of frustration.

He has just one home game left against Newcastle on the final day to secure the first win of his interim tenure before, as expected, Pochettino takes charge.

“That is a game for me with big possession, we should have more shots, (be) more clinical,” Lampard added. “But at the moment that isn’t the case. I think that’s a process that will (need) time, because that’s not changing right now.

“As much as you want to talk about it, it has to be changed by players affecting out and doing it.

“Today we didn’t do that in the first half. We did it better in the second half and we all saw the result.”

Sam Allardyce refused to criticise Patrick Bamford after the Leeds striker’s saved penalty proved costly in Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw against Newcastle.

Bamford had the chance to atone for his glaring miss in last month’s home draw against Leicester and put relegation battlers Leeds 2-0 up at Elland Road.

Luke Ayling had given Allardyce’s side an early lead, but after Joelinton had hauled down Junior Firpo, Bamford’s weak spot-kick was comfortably saved by Nick Pope.

Allardyce said: “I thought he was good today. He held the ball up, he caused a few problems. He got the cross in for the (opening) goal. We were doing OK with him.

“Hopefully, like everybody needs to do when it gets a little bit better next week and better again, he scores goals when he gets a chance.

“We need goal-scorers on the pitch and also, we’ve not got that many.”

Four minutes after Bamford’s effort, Callum Wilson converted the first of his two penalties following Max Wober’s reckless challenge on Alexander Isak.

Wilson then struck his 17th league goal of the season from the spot early in the second half after VAR had referred referee Simon Hooper to the pitch-side monitor to check Firpo’s handball.

Rasmus Kristensen’s 79th-minute equaliser rescued a point for Leeds, but some fans were left angry that Bamford, low on confidence, had taken the penalty instead of leading goalscorer Rodrigo.

Allardyce added: “Well, I left it how it used to be like before I got here. I mean, I haven’t seen them take many penalties.

“It is what it is. I would have thought if Rodrigo really wanted it he’d have gone and snatched it off Patrick and said ‘I’m taking this’.

“So you miss it, it can happen to anybody. It happened to us today, but at the worst possible time. And that’s very unfortunate for us.”

Newcastle’s point ensured them a top-six finish and they remain on course for Champions League football next season with back-to-back home games against Brighton and Leicester to come before a last-day visit to Chelsea.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe said: “We can wait a few more days if we achieve it. It is the toughest league in the world and we knew how difficult it would be today.”

Nerves frayed on and off the pitch in a highly-charged clash at Elland Road. Firpo was sent off in the closing stages after his lunge on Anthony Gordon earned him a second yellow card.

And before the subsequent free-kick was taken a Leeds fan leapt from the crowd to confront Howe before being dragged clear by match stewards.

“I’m struggling to make sense of it all,” Howe added. “We hadn’t created clear-cut chances. I thought we played well at times without hitting our best form and we were rushed around the box.”

Leeds issued a statement shortly after the match to confirm the fan who confronted Howe had been arrested and issued with a lifetime ban.

West Yorkshire Police added in a statement on Sunday: “Police have charged a man with assault and entering the field of play following an incident at Elland Road football stadium during the Leeds United versus Newcastle United football match yesterday.  The man has been bailed to appear before magistrates on July 21.”