Bournemouth have completed the permanent signing of on-loan Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore.

The Ivory Coast international initially joined on a six-month deal from the Serie A side on the last day of the January transfer window, with a five-year deal to be triggered if certain conditions were met.

The 23-year-old has played only three times in the Premier League as Gary O’Neil’s side have secured survival, with injury having kept him out of contention for the last month.

He has signed a deal to keep him at the Vitality Stadium until 2028, having played 140 times in Italy’s top flight for Sassuolo and Empoli.

Traore told the club website: “Everyone has been really welcoming with me. Everything is good here and I’m just happy to be here.

“I’ve had a couple of injuries so I’m looking forward to next season, but right now I’m working hard and hope to come back before the end and help the team.”

Chief executive Neill Blake added: “We’ve been really impressed by Hamed since his arrival in January, and we’re delighted to have him with us for the long term.

“He’s shown he’s already capable of performing well at the top level, and we’re excited to see him develop even further.

“The permanent signing of Hamed is another mark of our ambition for the coming years, building on this season’s success to compete once again in the Premier League.”

Bournemouth’s place in the top flight for next season was confirmed at the weekend despite their 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Kyle Walker feels Manchester City owe it to club owner Sheikh Mansour to win the Champions League.

City are eyeing up European club football’s top prize once again after years of near misses in their quest to land the trophy for the first time.

Losing to Chelsea in the final two years ago is the closest they have come, but Wednesday brings another opportunity to reach the showpiece fixture as they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their semi-final.

The tie is delicately poised after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital last week.

City have won the Premier League six times since the sheikh bought the club in 2008 – and are on the brink of a seventh domestic title – but the Champions League has long been viewed as their ‘holy grail’.

Right-back Walker said: “The club is missing that one and, (with) the owners and the amount of money they have pumped into this club and the investment they have done, we owe that to them.

“To get to the Champions League final against Chelsea and not perform as well as we can, we owe that to ourselves and get some revenge for ourselves because we know that was below par on that day.

“But we have a tough opponent to get past to get to the Champions League final. It’s a ‘final’, anything can happen. The first thing is getting past Real Madrid and then let’s see about the final.”

City dominated the first leg at the Bernabeu in terms of possession, but Real were incisive on the counter-attack and created more clear-cut opportunities.

Walker was involved in a tough battle with the pacey Vinicius Junior, who scored Real’s goal, and the City defender is relishing another encounter with the Brazilian.

The pair embraced in a sign of respect after last week’s meeting, but Walker has revealed there was also extra significance in the gesture.

He said: “I went to hug him because he tried to rainbow flick me, so it was kind of like, ‘Please don’t try that again – I don’t want to be a meme’.

“But boxers fight, have a good battle, and then they shake hands after, and that is the level of respect I do have for him.

“It’s the same with any other player, when it is a good game, you go and give them that level of respect because they deserve it.

“I will give him the respect he deserves (after the final whistle), but before then it is dog eat dog.

“It is a personal battle where you are coming up against one of the best players in the world.

“I have faced many over the years who have been just as good as him, but I think he is in the best form of his life, so whoever is picked to play in that position to defend against him it is going to be a great battle.”

It could be a memorable week for City, who will also retain the Premier League title if they beat Chelsea on Sunday.

Walker said: “I think it is big to everyone in that dressing room. We know the goals at the end of it – it is a massive week for the club.”

Nottingham Forest have been fined over the pitch invasion at the end of their Championship play-off semi-final against Sheffield United almost a year ago.

A Forest fan was jailed after headbutting Blades striker Billy Sharp during the incident at the end of the second leg at the City Ground on May 17 last year, while Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie was cleared last December of stamping on another pitch-invading Forest fan.

The Football Association had charged Forest with failing to ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening or violent behaviour while encroaching onto the pitch following the final whistle.

The charge was partially admitted by Forest, and a £50,000 fine was imposed by an independent regulatory commission. The FA said half of the fine had been suspended by the panel until the end of next season, provided there were no further breaches of FA rule E20.

West Ham will not entertain any bids for Declan Rice until the season is over, the PA news agency understands.

Reports emerged on Monday that Arsenal want to open talks with the Hammers over a £90million move for the England midfielder.

West Ham are understood to be resigned to losing their captain this summer and are braced for a bidding war, with Chelsea and Manchester United also in the mix.

But the club, and Rice, are focused solely on ending the season on a positive note, both domestically and in Europe.

The Hammers are all but safe from relegation and face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final in the Netherlands on Thursday, leading 2-1 from the first leg.

Rice, 24, knows his final act in a West Ham shirt could be lifting a European trophy in Prague on June 7, sealing his place in club folklore.

He would become only the third West Ham captain to collect a trophy, along with Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, who lifted their last piece of silverware, the FA Cup, in 1980.

Curtis Jones insisted he never lost faith he would earn a Liverpool revival after coming through a “tough time” to establish himself as a first-team regular.

The 22-year-old midfielder’s quickfire double helped the in-form Reds to a comfortable 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Leicester on Monday.

Jones has now started the Reds’ last nine Premier League games having previously only made two starts all season, with a shin injury sidelining him until mid-October.

He has also scored three goals in his last four appearances – ending an 18-month drought – to help Liverpool in their late Champions League charge with Jurgen Klopp’s side fifth and a point behind the top four.

The England Under-21 international told the club’s official site: “In terms of confidence, I’ve always been the same lad. I’ve always had the belief in myself but it’s been a tough time, I’ve had the injuries and stuff so I’ve not really had a full run of games in the past.

“But I came in against Chelsea and I kept my shirt and I’ve still got the shirt now. I’m enjoying it, I’m being humble and keeping my feet on the ground and I know what it takes, so that’s what I’m doing.

“Being a kid in the academy days I’ve always scored goals and I wouldn’t say I’ve been the star kid but I’ve always been the kid who has jumped up the age groups.

“Then I came around the first team and it was kind of a shock where the whole of the game changes, so I’ve had to make a change to the whole of my game. But I’m adapting well and I think it’s the best run I’ve had for a while.”

Jones struck twice in three first-half minutes against Leicester before Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 25-yard effort added the gloss.

It left Leicester two points from safety with two games left and Jamie Vardy admitted they need to win at Newcastle on Monday and in the final-day visit of West Ham to stand a chance of surviving.

“We’ve got to put it straight to the back of our minds now,” the striker told the club’s official site. “We’ve got to focus on the next two games and we’ve got to pick two wins up. It’ll be tough but we know we’ve got the talent in that dressing room. It needs to click.

“We’ve got two games left and the minimum we can have is two wins just to give ourselves a chance.

“So, we’ll get back on that training pitch, spend all week looking at Newcastle, how we can exploit the weaknesses and how we stop, obviously, their strengths.

“We’ve got to make sure that we put the 90-minute effort in next week to pick up a win.”

Southampton have already been relegated from the Premier League, but the race to avoid joining them looks set to go down to the wire.

Two of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Leeds and Leicester will play alongside the Saints in the Championship next season.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the relegation battle with two games to go.

West Ham (Leeds H, Leicester A)

Given their own plight and their opposition in the final two rounds of fixtures, West Ham will play a deciding role in who goes down. It will take an extraordinary set of results for them to be relegated as they are six points clear of Leeds with a significantly better goal difference, so would need to lose both games heavily and see a number of other results go against them. Their only concern will be how their European exertions affect them, with their match against Leeds coming days after a Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar.

Nottingham Forest (Arsenal H, Crystal Palace A)

Seven points from the last four games has hauled Forest out of the bottom three and they now could stay up even if they lose their remaining fixtures. Safety will be assured if they draw with Arsenal at the City Ground and then Leeds lose at West Ham and Leicester fail to beat Newcastle. However, two defeats, including on the final day at Crystal Palace, and results going against them elsewhere would see them drop back into the Championship.

Everton (Wolves A, Bournemouth H)

Everton, on paper, have the kindest fixtures of those in the fight and they will fancy their chances of staying up, with their Bank Holiday win at Brighton last week looking pivotal. They will confirm their survival if they win at Wolves and then Leeds lose at West Ham and Leicester fail to beat Newcastle. Two defeats could be enough for Leeds to overtake them by drawing just one of their two games, although that will be dependent on a minor goal difference swing.

Leeds (West Ham A, Tottenham H)

Leeds are relying on other teams to lose, but they also have to do their own business under Sam Allardyce, with so many permutations still possible. The most worrying one is they will be sent back to the Championship if they lose at West Ham, Everton win at Wolves and Forest pick up a positive result against Arsenal. But, as mentioned, they could stay up by drawing just one game, if Everton and Leicester lose both of their matches. They will be hoping to take advantage of West Ham’s European distraction as Allardyce visits his old club on Sunday before a vital home game against Tottenham.

Leicester (Newcastle A, West Ham H)

Leicester, Premier League champions seven years ago, could be relegated if they fail to beat Newcastle on Monday night, Forest pick up a point against Arsenal and Everton beat Wolves. Defeat at St James’ Park would also mean Everton would only need two points from their final two games. To stay up, Leicester realistically need to win at least one of their remaining games at Newcastle or at home to West Ham, although it is possible two draws could be enough.

Jurgen Klopp vowed Liverpool will maintain the pressure in the race for the Champions League after a routine 3-0 win at Leicester.

Curtis Jones’ quickfire double and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fabulous goal kept their push for the top four alive while plunging the Foxes closer to the drop.

Second-bottom Leicester are two points from Premier League safety with two games left and go to Newcastle next Monday.

Victory means Liverpool have booked European football next season and they sit fifth, a point behind Newcastle and Manchester United, who have both played a game less.

Klopp said: “Our job is to keep the pressure (on Newcastle and Manchester United), but if not this is already better than we could have expected six or seven weeks ago.

“I have no clue what it means to us. Four or five years ago we had Chelsea on our neck and they were winning all the time. I think it was the year we finished fourth and had to go in the qualification.

“We had to win the last game and until the last we had to win, win, win, because behind us they were always winning.

“We made it anyway and that’s what I expect them to do as well, if I am honest.

“But it keeps you on your toes and that’s our job – we have to keep them on their toes and then we will see what happens.

“Six or seven weeks ago I didn’t believe it could happen. What we lacked at the time was consistency.

“The game never became the game it could have been, a real fight, challenges everywhere, because we controlled it in a really convincing way.”

Alisson Becker snuffed out an early chance for Jamie Vardy and Liverpool swiftly took control, with Jones’ double ending the game as a contest before the break.

The midfielder opened the scoring after 33 minutes when he arrived unmarked at the far post to steer in Mohamed Salah’s cross.

Three minutes later he collected another Salah pass to swivel and blast past Daniel Iversen from just inside the box.

Leicester had capitulated and only Iversen’s smart save stopped Cody Gakpo making it 3-0 soon after.

Harvey Barnes tested Alisson early in the second half, but there was little fight from the Foxes and Liverpool ultimately eased to victory.

Alexander-Arnold rubber stamped the points with a stunning 25-yard strike following Salah’s short free-kick with 19 minutes left.

Salah should have made it 4-0 rather than shoot wide after going clean through and Leicester were booed off.

They are teetering on the brink of relegation two years to the day since lifting the FA Cup for the first time.

Boss Dean Smith said: “We are all supporters in here, we all support clubs, and you want to see your club winning. We got beaten by a team who physically overran us when they got a 2-0 lead.

“I wouldn’t question our fight, our attitude, but I understand and we all should hear the supporters. If you are losing 2-0 or 3-0 at home and fighting a relegation battle I understand fans react in certain ways.

“Of course I do (believe they can survive). I don’t like playing Monday nights, I don’t think it’s right. We will certainly know what we will have to do at St James’ Park next week.

“Goals change games. I could throw their goalkeeper 50 balls and they wouldn’t score from one of his big kicks.

“It was a really disappointing goal to give away. For the second, Wilf (Ndidi) has tried to read a pass and they play it to Jones who scores a good goal.

“Our minds get a little frazzled then and we needed to get into half-time without any further pain.”

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte is hopeful of their treble chances as he believes Pep Guardiola’s side “deserve many things”.

If City beat Real Madrid on Wednesday they will be in their second Champions League final in three seasons, and that will quickly be followed by the chance to lift a fifth Premier League title in six years on Sunday with a victory over Chelsea.

A first all-Manchester FA Cup final awaits on June 3 and, after a key weekend in which Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton gave City the opportunity to win the Premier League at home with two matches to spare, Laporte admits the focus is narrowing.

A post shared by Aymeric Laporte ⓮ (@laporte)

“It’s massive for us and important for the season,” he said of the 3-0 win over Everton on Sunday which set up next weekend’s potential celebration at the Etihad Stadium.

“We deserve many things. Hopefully we can get the treble, but we have to be focused in every single game, do what we have done in the last few weeks even more.”

A key figure in recent matches has been midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who scored twice for the second successive game while also providing an assist for Erling Haaland in the win at Everton.

Guardiola has praised his captaincy skills, admitting the German does not say a lot but when he does his team-mates listen with the 32-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, preferring to lead by example.

It is why Gundogan is probably the most grounded of the treble-chasing squad as, when asked what is required from them for the rest of the season, he said: “To keep the group calm and not get too over-excited.

“It’s a game every three or four days so there’s not a lot of time to recover so we have to try to make the most out of it.

“We know in the final stages of the season we need every single player. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, it’s about the group and the support for each other.

“If we can keep the spirits in that way, it can be an amazing end to the season for us.”

Curtis Jones’ double pushed Leicester to the brink of relegation as Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win – two years to the day since the Foxes’ FA Cup triumph.

The midfielder’s first-half brace and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunner eased the visitors to victory as the hosts capitulated to leave them staring at the drop.

That it came on the anniversary of their first ever FA Cup win underlined the 2016 Premier League champions’ fall from grace.

Harvey Barnes called it one of the biggest games in the club’s history, but Leicester folded to remain two points from safety with two games left.

The Foxes have sleepwalked into this position. Stricter finances dictated last summer’s quiet transfer window, but the club stood still and have paid the price.

An air of acceptance had begun to descend on the King Power Stadium and, even before the Reds marched in to claim three easy points, the writing appeared on the wall.

For Liverpool, they moved to within a point of Manchester United as their late charge for the top four continued.

A seventh straight win – the most painless by far – kept them on United’s coattails, although they will need to maintain their form and hope their rivals slip up.

There was never any suggestion of a surprise on Monday, though, as Leicester surrendered.

Even prior to kick-off the Foxes had lost Danny Ward, Caglar Soyuncu and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to injury.

That forced Dean Smith to give Jonny Evans a first Premier League start since October, showing the desperation in a dire situation.

Leicester needed a strong start and were bright enough. James Maddison’s arrowed pass and Youri Tielemans’ dummy sent Barnes away, only for Alisson Becker to smother the danger when Jamie Vardy broke through.

Yet their early gusto waned as Liverpool bossed possession before turning on the afterburners as the hosts fell apart.

Alisson’s long clearance found Luis Diaz to nod down for Jordan Henderson. He teed up Mohamed Salah to cross for Jones to steal in ahead of the dawdling Boubakary Soumare and find the far corner for a 33rd-minute opener.

Just three minutes later the England Under-21 international doubled the lead, following a lengthy VAR check, when he collected Salah’s pass and was given the freedom to turn and rifle past Daniel Iversen.

It was the midfielder’s third goals in four games, having ended an 18-month drought against Tottenham last month.

It was mayhem and Leicester, with just one win in their previous 13 games, collapsed as Iversen needed to deny Cody Gakpo a quickfire third.

Desperate for a response, the Foxes at least came out for the second half swinging and Alisson tipped Barnes’ effort wide.

That was as good as it got, though, as Liverpool slipped back into their controlled rhythm, with Iversen beating Salah’s shot away.

It was then curtains with 19 minutes left when, after Evans fouled Henderson, Salah tapped a free-kick to Alexander-Arnold to blast into the top corner from 25 yards.

Salah shot wide when clean through but, by then, the King Power had begun to empty as quickly as the hope drained from Leicester, who look doomed.

Referees chief Howard Webb says airing conversations between on-pitch officials and VARs concerning key Premier League incidents is likely to become a regular event.

Webb talked through some of the two-way audio discussions from this season on Monday evening during a pilot feature alongside Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Incidents dissected by the trio included disallowed goals for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard against Liverpool and Leicester, respectively, plus the overturning of a penalty for an adjudged handball by Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior in their 2-0 win at Newcastle on May 7.

“We’re looking to do this as much as we possibly can and obviously tonight is something new,” said Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

“We’re making a small step forward. Going forward into next season, we will be looking to do more of the same.

“We can’t play it live, that’s not allowed in the laws of the game, FIFA don’t allow us to play this out during the game. Who knows where that might go in the future?

“But there’s nothing to stop us doing what we’re doing tonight and showing it later.

“I hope tonight has been a good insight as we’ve drawn that curtain back to reveal the way the officials work together as a team and some of the rationale for some of the decisions that have been taken.

“We’ve tried to show you a range of situations and going forward we’re looking to do more of the same.”

Incidents selected for the programme almost unanimously reflected favourably on the use of VAR.

Viewers could hear ongoing dialogue between on-field officials and those at Stockley Park as decisions were debated and reviewed.

Other incidents analysed were the overturning of an offside against Joelinton in Newcastle’s 5-1 win at West Ham last month and a penalty given to Brentford in their 2-0 success over Bournemouth in January.

The spot-kick – awarded by referee Jarred Gillett for Marcos Senesi’s adjudged tug on Ivan Toney – was the only contentious incident analysed.

Webb admitted the decision was incorrect as Bees striker Toney had initially fouled Cherries defender Senesi. He blamed process rather than judgement due to the footage reviewed by VAR not beginning early enough.

“In this situation, we see a foul by Ivan Toney on Senesi just before Senesi puts his arm across Ivan Toney,” said Webb.

“It was checked by the VAR but actually this was an issue around process really where the sequence the VAR looked at didn’t start early enough, it didn’t quite show how that contact came to happen, it was already happening when he started to look at it.

“It’s a matter of process, as opposed to judgement, on this one. This should have been penalised with a free-kick to Bournemouth.

“We’ve got to get it right as VAR. We’ve got this tool to see this and it’s clear and therefore we should step in.”

Referees chief Howard Webb says airing conversations between match officials and VARs concerning key Premier League incidents is likely to become a regular event.

Webb talked through some of the two-way audio discussions from this season on Monday evening during a pilot feature alongside Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Incidents dissected by the trio included disallowed goals for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard against Liverpool and Leicester, respectively, plus the overturning of a penalty for an adjudged handball by Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior in last weekend’s 2-0 win at Newcastle.

“We’re looking to do this as much as we possibly can and obviously tonight is something new,” said Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

“We’re making a small step forward. Going forward into next season, we will be looking to do more of the same.

“We can’t play it live, that’s not allowed in the laws of the game, FIFA don’t allow us to play this out during the game. Who knows where that might go in the future?

“But there’s nothing to stop us doing what we’re doing tonight and showing it later.

“I hope tonight has been a good insight as we’ve drawn that curtain back to reveal the way the officials work together as a team and some of the rationale for some of the decisions that have been taken.

“We’ve tried to show you a range of situations and going forward we’re looking to do more of the same.”

Incidents selected for the programme almost unanimously reflected favourably on the use of VAR.

Viewers could hear ongoing dialogue between on-field officials and those at Stockley Park as decisions were debated and reviewed.

Other incidents analysed were the overturning of an offside against Joelinton in Newcastle’s 5-1 win at West Ham last month and a penalty given to Brentford in their 2-0 success over Bournemouth in January.

The spot-kick – awarded by referee Jarred Gillett for Marcos Senesi’s adjudged tug on Ivan Toney – was the only contentious incident analysed.

Webb admitted the decision was incorrect as Bees striker Toney had initially fouled Cherries defender Senesi. He blamed process rather than judgement due to the footage reviewed by VAR not beginning early enough.

“In this situation, we see a foul by Ivan Toney on Senesi just before Senesi puts his arm across Ivan Toney,” said Webb.

“It was checked by the VAR but actually this was an issue around process really where the sequence the VAR looked at didn’t start early enough, it didn’t quite show how that contact came to happen, it was already happening when he started to look at it.

“It’s a matter of process, as opposed to judgement, on this one. This should have been penalised with a free-kick to Bournemouth.

“We’ve got to get it right as VAR. We’ve got this tool to see this and it’s clear and therefore we should step in.”

Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out of Manchester United’s final three matches of the Premier League season as well as next month’s FA Cup final because of a knee injury.

The 29-year-old Austrian, who joined United on loan from Bayern Munich in January, missed Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves and tests have revealed a meniscal problem, bringing his campaign to an early end.

“Everyone at the club is disappointed to lose Marcel’s services, as the Reds chase a strong finish to the season in the Premier League and FA Cup, and we are grateful for his contribution to our progress so far,” said a statement on United’s official website.

Sabitzer was brought in on deadline day because of injuries to fellow midfielders Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay and impressed with three goals in 18 appearances at the Old Trafford club.

He bolstered United’s hopes of a top-four finish and scored from the spot in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Brighton that set up a showdown against rivals Manchester City on June 3.

Sabitzer came on as a substitute in United’s win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February.

Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi insists the players are targeting victories in their final two games to secure their Premier League status.

Defeat at home to champions-elect Manchester City was not unexpected, even after the vital, morale-boosting win at Brighton six days previously, and has not really changed the equation for Sean Dyche’s side.

One win could possibly be enough to extend their top-flight stay into a 70th season but beating both Wolves away and Bournemouth at Goodison Park would almost certainly do that.

A year ago the Toffees safeguarded their future in their penultimate fixture, the final home game against Crystal Palace, but with things so tight at the bottom it is likely the outcome of one or both remaining relegation places will go to the final day.

Which is why a maximum haul for Everton will be absolutely crucial.

“We can’t be too down but there is a saying in football that you can’t be too high, like against Brighton, and then too low about City. We just need to kick on and go again,” said Iwobi.

“The mindset is to have the belief that we can stay up and get maximum points – get six points.

“We have to prepare, analyse and see Wolves’ weaknesses and how we capitalise against them.”

Despite the City defeat the fans who remained behind at a rapidly-emptying Goodison Park were keen to voice their support for the players.

Iwobi accepts that will be crucial for the final day of the season against a Bournemouth side who are already safe but said it was an important boost for the squad heading to Molineux before that, especially in a campaign which has been fractious between fans and the club.

“To have the fans having our back after a disappointing result shows how much the fans care and want us to do well,” he added.

“We use that as motivation to go into the next game. If they can fight for us, it is only right that we can fight for them as well.”

Right-back Nathan Patterson is still trying to find his feet in the side having struggled with fitness and it has been difficult for him coming into an under-performing side, starting the last two matches due to an injury to Seamus Coleman.

But having been given his chance he is focused on the fight for survival rather than worrying too much about his own personal difficulties.

“You always have to be ready any time you are called upon and I feel I’ve done that in the last couple of games,” he said.

“We are making sure we are focused on the things we do and as long as we do our job and do our best I’m sure we will be fine.

“All season we’ve concentrated on ourselves, trying to not look at the table and anyone around us.

“We just have to make sure we are focused and everyone is on the right page.”

Everton are still waiting to find out the extent of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s groin problem, which forced him to be taken off as a precaution at half-time with the side already 2-0 down against City.

Manager Sean Dyche refused to take any chances after the injury-plagued forward reported a niggle in the first half and took him out of the firing line in the hope he can still feature in their remaining two games.

While Calvert-Lewin has scored only once in five appearances after two-and-half months out with a hamstring problem, his return to the side has contributed to better performances with him being able to provide a focal point.

Pep Guardiola says a week in which Manchester City can reach the Champions League final and win the Premier League again is a “dream come true”.

Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton following City’s victory by the same scoreline at Everton means Guardiola’s side can clinch a fifth title in six seasons next weekend.

But before that City will have to get past holders Real Madrid in a home semi-final second leg to maintain their quest for a first Champions League triumph, with the tie level at 1-1.

“It is a dream come true being here, honestly,” said Guardiola, whose side also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United to look forward to next month.

“I know at the end we maybe don’t get all the trophies, people say we are a not good team, a ‘failure’ team, but it is a dream come true being here.

“We are the only team in Europe fighting for all the competitions: the FA Cup final with Manchester United and still it is not over, the Premier League never ends, we know that from the past with Liverpool.

“(We have) the semi-final at home with our people, second leg trying to reach the final of the Champions League.

“Where we have come from previous seasons is an extraordinary season and hopefully we can finish well.”

City, who are currently on an 11-match winning run in the league as part of a 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, can guarantee the Premier League title with victory at home to Chelsea next Sunday.

But they will be confirmed as champions even sooner if Arsenal are defeated at relegation-battling Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

Guardiola is taking nothing for granted but knows the win at Everton, after their draw in the Bernabeu, was key in keeping the Gunners out of reach.

Everton went into the game on the back of an impressive 5-1 win at high-flying Brighton but a brace from Ilkay Gundogan either side of Erling Haaland’s 36th league goal of the season secured the points for City at Goodison Park.

“When I see Chelsea and Brighton (City’s next two matches) we have a lot of work to do,” Guardiola added.

“But this one (Everton) away was a tricky one.

“I was really impressed by the way Everton handled the game against Brighton but from the first minute we controlled the game, except certain transitions.

“They are the best in the Premier League from every free-kick and corner since Sean Dyche went in there, it is almost a goal every time. Arsenal lost here for one corner, so it happens.

“We had the patience and momentum and movements from Riyad (Mahrez) and Phil (Foden) was really good in behind. We scored the goals in the right moment.

“It was so important and nice to to celebrate with our fans away because they are always with us.”

West Ham are sweating on the fitness of Michail Antonio ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League semi-final second leg at AZ Alkmaar.

Antonio’s strike secured a 2-1 win for the Hammers in the first leg at the London Stadium, but the forward missed Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Brentford with a calf problem.

Boss David Moyes made nine changes against the Bees, West Ham’s 53rd match of the season, with the hectic schedule beginning to catch up with his players.

With Gianluca Scamacca injured and Danny Ings struggling for goals, Antonio would be a huge miss as the Hammers bid to reach a first European final in 47 years.

“I’ve no idea yet how he is going to be for Thursday,” said Moyes. “I could put them out and then continue to get more injuries, because we’ve had a relentless season of games which has been really really difficult to cope with.

“I made nine changes because of the fatigue and because we had beaten Manchester United and we had beaten Alkmaar.

“If I’m being honest, if I’m going to keep flogging the same players all the time then I’m going to break them and that’s wrong.

“We had an injury to Michail because he’s been putting in the miles in the games and I just don’t want it to be anybody else. That was the risk.

“We’ll now go into the semi-final, I’ll dust myself down, get myself back on it and we’ll go in there hoping to reach the final.”

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa gave Thomas Frank his 100th win as Brentford boss.

It was all the more impressive given the Bees were without 20-goal frontman Ivan Toney.

“It’s a hamstring injury,” said Frank. “We’ll assess him during the week and, hopefully, he’s going to be available for Tottenham next weekend. That’s what we’re working towards.

“I would obviously like Ivan in the team, but you need other players that can step in and Wissa, again, stepped in and scored. Fantastic.”