Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the club will not be held to ransom over transfer targets and are not prepared to pay over-inflated prices.

The club have already pulled out of the running for their primary option Jude Bellingham with Borussia Dortmund likely to ask for a fee around £130million.

With a midfield rebuild required it was decided to spread their limited resources wider rather than going for a megabucks marquee signing, with Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister near the top of their alternatives.

Liverpool’s issues in midfield could lead to selling clubs upping the price knowing the rival’s need to sign players and, more specifically, secure them early in the summer.

But Klopp said they were not prepared to pay over the odds and have a list of targets which he feels provides the club with options if they should encounter a stumbling block in negotiations.

“We cannot buy the player then. If they are overpriced we cannot do it,” he said.

“I am pretty sure we will bring in the players we want and those who will help us. I am pretty confident of that.

“You never know 100 per cent until they are signed but that (bumping up prices) is not new that some clubs might try that.

“Let me say it like this: you identify a position and you have not only one option on the position. That means they should all be good.

“You might have a favourite but if the other club doesn’t want to sell or someone else will pay the price then we cannot go with it.

“But usually we got the players we wanted. The one thing is can we afford them and then they are here.”

Liverpool’s five-match winning run, lifting them to within four points of fourth-placed Manchester United but with only an outside chance of making the top four because their rivals have played two matches fewer, has put a better spin on a season which had the club lingering between eighth and 10th for long periods.

Klopp knows he cannot “replace the whole team” with his summer transfers but does not believe their final league position will have much effect on the success of the business he does, although he thinks it may be of assistance to the players he currently has.

“Each performance we have now helps us and helps the players,” he added.

“We cannot replace the whole team. How I understand life is if you have a problem you sort it better now because if you just move on you have the same problem.

“We have to give the boys a frame where they can perform because I see them every day, I know they want to perform.

“It is not that they say ‘I cannot do that anymore’. We were not able to do it that is true for a long period, but we will find a frame where the boys can shine again.

“Everything we do well now will help us for next season. These five games I liked the reaction in moments, it is not full games, but the signs I saw are really promising and I am happy with that.

“Another four games, a break, then a proper pre-season and we will be strong.”

Brighton have announced the signing of Brazilian forward Joao Pedro from Watford for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old will join the Seagulls on a contract until June 2028 when the summer transfer window opens.

Pedro, who moved to the Hornets from Fluminense in January 2020,  has scored 11 goals in 35 Sky Bet Championship outings this term.

Albion technical director David Weir told his club’s website: “Joao has been a long-term target of ours and he has also attracted a lot of interest from across Europe.

“He’s a brilliant young talent, technically very good, quick and with an eye for goal. He will complement our existing forward line very well.

“He also has settled well here (in England), with good experience of both the Premier League and Championship and more than 100 games for Watford.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi last week described Pedro as a “great player”.

He scored a total of 24 goals in 109 appearances in all competitions for Watford.

While the cost of the transfer has not been disclosed by either club, a statement from the Hornets described the initial fee and potential add-ons as “among the very highest” secured in English Football League history.

Watford technical director Ben Manga told his club’s website: “It can be a surprise to no one that Joao Pedro leaves us now for the Premier League.

“Supporters will understand this agreement is right for all involved. This early action allows us to plan an effective transfer window as we seek to build a competitive team for next season.”

Frank Lampard has praised the good intentions of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and challenged his players to take the club’s first step into the future over the final weeks of the season.

Defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday will see Chelsea slip below Gary O’Neil’s side, who have battled relegation for most of the season, and they could fall as low as 14th.

Boehly, who has spent almost £600million on signings in the 12 months since buying the club, said this week that he and the hierarchy “very much believe we’re going to figure it out” after the team slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat – and possibly their most incoherent – against Arsenal.

It leaves Chelsea yet to break the 40-point barrier with five games to play, and on course to record their lowest Premier League finish in 29 years.

Lampard’s team need one more goal to avoid matching the club’s all-time lowest tally in a league season, 31, a record which has stood since 1924. The team are still 15 goals short of the club’s lowest return for a Premier League season.

Despite the damning statistics, Lampard said he has seen signs of positivity from the owners since he took over as interim manager a month ago.

“It’s a good thing to speak so positively,” he said of Boehly’s comments. “It’s what I’ve found since I’ve been here, good intentions on where the club is going to be taken.

“That’s good, and then from my point of view I’m working with the squad to try and get some turnaround in terms of feeling, performance and then results. It’s up to the owners of the club to take those bigger decisions.

“It’s not for me to talk about (a vision for the club). I’m here until the end of the season. I don’t think my vision at this point is for me to answer.”

Chelsea still have to face three of the top four on the run-in as Lampard looks to mastermind the team’s first win in any competition since March 11. The club have had three managers since that 3-1 victory against Leicester, and scored only four goals in nine games.

The 3-1 loss at the Emirates was as dismal as anything in what has been a hugely disappointing first season under Boehly, with the spirit amongst the squad seemingly at rock bottom as they sink down the table.

Lampard said: “All we can say in this period – everybody from the outside wants to say there’s not much on it (the run-in)….but for myself and for the players we have to show an immense amount of pride in what we do in the games. It’s the first step into the future.

“Will we need a reboot of some sense in the summer? Sure. That’s clear because we’re not where we want to be.

“But at the moment we have to do what’s right in front of us, and the fans you can be sure from my point of view will be pushing for that. I hope they can see the rewards of that, whatever they are.”

Chelsea have long since dropped out of the race for the Europa League and Conference League, meaning they are facing a first season without European competition since 2016/17 and for only the second time in 26 years.

Lampard added: “It’s not for me to sit on and feel hurt by too much. It’s more what’s the action that’s going to get us out of it. The action this season is not going to get us in the Champions League or in the top eight.

“Who knows where it might get, it’ll be like the first small step. You have to consider it in that period. Not all fans want to hear that, but it’s a reality which I’ve come back into.

“Every situation is different. I’m the third manager, maybe fourth. You can see from that that it’s been a tough season all round.”

Ruben Selles believes Southampton have deserved more in recent weeks ahead of the must-win clash with Premier League relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

Saints sit at the foot of the table, six points from safety with four matches remaining.

Southampton are without a win since March 4, when they beat Leicester, but they have shown some promise in recent matches against high-flyers Arsenal and Newcastle to give them hope before the trip to the City Ground.

“For us right now it is about changing the dynamic of results, try to get that victory that we need and I think we deserve,” Selles said.

“We need to find that changing point for us and try to show we are still competitive and can win football matches, and it will be a big plus for us if we can get that on Monday night.”

Saints have mustered just one point in their last six games, which came last month in a 3-3 draw at the Emirates when they conceded two late goals.

Selles believes the responsibility for his team’s form lies with both the staff and players.

“No, I will not put this (blame) only on the players. I think we (coaches and players) need to be better on that,” he said.

“I think we are a unit and we need to stick together, and when we don’t do it it’s not only one player or one group of players, it’s just us as a team, as a club.

“If we’re not good enough in the 95, 100, 107 minutes as we did against Arsenal, I think it is for us to find a better strategy, better mindset, situations for the players. So all of us need to put a little bit more on that.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper cannot say whether he will work with Dean Henderson again in the future after the goalkeeper’s season was ended by thigh surgery.

Henderson has spent the campaign on loan from Manchester United but picked up an injury in January and has not played since, with him going under the knife this week to finally repair the problem.

The 26-year-old is likely to want to leave Old Trafford in the summer as he chases regular first-team action, but whether that will be at Forest will primarily depend on whether they are in the Premier League or not.

And with Forest’s status up in the air going into the final four games of the season, Cooper was coy when asked whether he would like to work with Henderson again.

“Hard to say. I have enjoyed working with him, we have all enjoyed Dean and the personality he is,” he said.

“All you see mainly is when he is in goal but there is more to him than that. He is a real good professional, he really cares, he has a fantastic mentality of winning and wanting to be the best, we have really enjoyed working with him and are grateful for what he has given to us and what he will continue to give to us.

“He will still be around and quite visible. The medical teams are working together with United and ourselves on what’s right for him and what they want our contribution to be.

“With Dean he is on loan from Manchester United but he really bought into the football club and the city, moving here and making it a permanent base for the loan showed he really wanted to be part of it on and off the pitch.

“We have had great commitment from him, even when he hasn’t been available in the last few months, it is a pity that his season has definitely ended because of surgery, but he has to focus on his recovery.

“We have a good working relationship with United and communication. It is still fresh after the surgery for what his recovery plan will be. We wish him well.”

Forest have been boosted by the news that midfielder Danilo’s injury is not as bad as first feared.

The Brazilian limped out of last weekend’s defeat to Brentford, having earlier scored his second goal in two matches.

Cooper said: “It is not as bad as we feared, when anyone comes off with a muscle injury you fear the worst, especially with the timing of the season and how little time is left but scan results were fairly positive and we hope for him to return sooner or later.”

Unai Emery hinted Aston Villa are closing in on Barcelona’s director of football Mateu Alemany.

The LaLiga leaders have already confirmed he will leave at the end of the season, with Villa his expected destination.

It will be the next piece in the puzzle for Emery at Villa Park as the club looks to move to the next level.

He said: “Mateu Alemany is a person with experiences, he has worked at a high level and, if he’s coming here because it is a possibility, it will be a very good opportunity to create a strong structure with him.

“It’s not the moment to speak about some circumstances that could come here, about some expectation about who is coming here. When I was committed with the chairman Nassef (Sawiris) and with Wes (Edens), we were speaking about the objective in our future we want to create.

“We want to strengthen our structure. To try to get another level going up with the team, with the players, with the structure we can create here.”

Villa go to Wolves on Saturday having dropped to eighth after the midweek results but remain in the hunt for a surprise European place.

Emery recognises failing to qualify for Europe could impact the calibre of players the club could sign this summer but it will not change his ultimate goal.

“Maybe, yes, but it’s not changing the mind I have, the idea we spoke about,” he said.

“We want to create a strong structure here, a strong mentality. You have to build a team like a family. If we are in Europe – we will add some possibility to take away trophies, playing more matches, for me it will be fantastic.

“If it’s not this year, my idea and objective is the same – try to play in Europe with Aston Villa. Not only just to play in Europe but I want to play in the Champions League with Aston Villa. ”

Philippe Coutinho, Matty Cash, Leon Bailey and Boubacar Kamara have all resumed training and could be involved at Molineux.

Emery added: “This week was fantastic. Coutinho started training on Monday, Kamara and Leon on Wednesday and Matty Cash started training with the group yesterday.”

Kevin De Bruyne could come straight back into the Manchester City side for Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds.

De Bruyne missed the wins over Fulham and West Ham after taking a knock late in City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal on April 26.

Now, as City look to use Saturday’s fixture to go four points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table, the Belgian could be back after returning to training on Thursday.

“He trained yesterday, trained good. Today we train and we decide after training,” Guardiola said.

“Losing or missing just one week or 10 days in this stage of the season is not a problem. The same happened with Nathan (Ake). If he’s fit, he can play.”

Tuesday’s first leg of the Champions League semi-final away to Real Madrid is already looming, but Guardiola insisted that game would not come into his thinking when deciding how to manage De Bruyne’s return, or his team selection as a whole.

“There’s a lot of games and a lot of tension,” Guardiola said. “I see the team really tired after the demands from West Ham and Fulham. I have to see how the players recover, just three days from the previous game.

“I will be focussed on how they are physically and mentally for this game. After, Madrid. The Premier League is so nice, it’s important to go four points in front of Arsenal, really important. All focus is on the game tomorrow.”

City will come up against Sam Allardyce on Saturday as the 68-year-old takes charge of Leeds for the first time, having been brought in to try and save their Premier League status.

“Always there is an impact of a new manager on the players for the first one or two games,” Guardiola said. “Every team is playing for important things. Of course for Leeds to stay here, the impact is always huge.

“I don’t know how they play, we don’t have any info, we will have to adapt quick after five, 10 minutes. We can imagine what he tries to do. It’s a massive, important game for us…

“When you don’t have information on the opponent, you don’t focus much on them. Focus more on you. You have to think about your team. We analyse the West Ham game to help us with the next game.”

A meeting with Leeds will once again bring into focus Kalvin Phillips’ struggle for playing time at City.

The £42million summer signing has made only eight appearances in the Premier League, all as a substitute, having suffered an early setback in his City career when he needed shoulder surgery in September.

Displacing Rodri has proved all but impossible for the England man, who had to see the funny side when he was ushered off the bench in the 87th minute against West Ham on Wednesday, but had to wait until the start of stoppage time to get on – even with Guardiola urging his players to kick the ball out.

Asked if Phillips still had an important role to play in the rest of the season, Guardiola said: “I’m sure he will be ready, always ready, every player is ready. The doctors, physios make an incredible job to have the players fit. We arrive with all the players ready, it’s really important.

“Everyone has to be ready. I’m sure everyone will be important, a lot of minutes or a few minutes.”

Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil remains hopeful Marcus Tavernier will play again this season but vowed not to take risks with the injured winger.

Tavernier sustained his third hamstring issue of the campaign shortly after scoring the winner in last week’s 1-0 success at local rivals Southampton.

The 24-year-old subsequently sat out Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing of Leeds and has been ruled out of the Vitality Stadium clash with Chelsea.

With Premier League survival almost certainly assured, O’Neil is under no pressure to rush back Tavernier and admits his main focus is on ensuring the player is fit and firing in time for the start of pre-season training.

“We’re still not clear on exactly how long it would be,” the Cherries manager said of the injury.

“Even if we were scrapping for points and desperate to stay in the Premier League, I’m still not sure. We haven’t had enough of the information back to let you know exactly when it would be.

“But, of course, now that the situation has changed, there will be no rush.

“If it’s three weeks that he should be out and we need to take four, we’ll take four. Whereas before it was like ‘right, it’s three weeks, let’s get him back for this game, let’s see if he can have an impact again’. Obviously that has changed.

“My real focus at this moment with Tav is to make sure he is absolutely spot on by July 1 and we can get a real, good pre-season into him.

“But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of him this season. It might be that it’s a couple of weeks and he’s feeling fantastic and we’ll see him back on the pitch.”

Bournemouth sit level on 39 points with Frank Lampard’s Blues ahead of their penultimate home fixture this term.

Striker Kieffer Moore will join Tavernier on the sidelines due to concussion, while midfielder Hamed Traore will sit out a sixth successive game with a contact injury.

While there is seemingly little left to play for, O’Neil is eager for his side to continue the fine form which has brought six wins from nine games.

“There are still a lot of points available to us and, of course, as the head coach of the team, I’m desperate to put as many points on the board as possible regardless of the situation,” he said.

“We really want to finish the season strong and then take that into the summer break with us.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits even extending their five-match winning run is unlikely to affect the top-four sides they are chasing and he expects to miss out on Champions League football next season.

Wednesday’s victory over Fulham, combined with Manchester United’s late defeat to Brighton, meant the gap to fourth place in the Premier League is four points.

However, United have a match in hand, from which they could overtake Newcastle two points ahead, while Liverpool also face pressure from below with Brighton four points behind with two games in hand.

“Other teams are in much better positions. As long as they win games, we have no chance and we have to keep teams behind us, which (for) not all of them we can do that,” said Klopp

“We have 59 (points), United has 63 so we can get 71 maximum. United needs for that eight points in five, (eight points) from 15. I think they will do that.

“They win three games of the rest and that is it for us.”

While their current run is the best for more than a year, the cracks are starting to appear in the squad again.

Midfielder Thiago Alcantara is having surgery on a troublesome hip injury in order to ensure he is fit for pre-season, while captain Jordan Henderson could miss Saturday’s visit of Brentford.

Thiago was absent for two months with his problem and although he made a brief comeback in April, he has missed the last two matches and the club have decided it is best for him to get it sorted now.

“Thiago will have surgery and is out for the rest of the season. It’s the same issue he was recently out for a couple of months with,” said Klopp.

Asked whether he would be ready for pre-season, the manager added: “Yeah. That is why we do it now.”

Liverpool are awaiting the results of a scan on Henderson but he could miss the visit of Brentford with the minor problem.

“Hendo I have to see; a scan yesterday will not be a big thing but maybe enough to rule him out tomorrow.”

Liverpool have confirmed they will play the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s evening kick-off despite expected opposition from home fans.

Supporters have regularly booed the anthem, such as before cup finals, in defiance at their long-standing resentment against the establishment due to the city’s political background and, more recently, in relation to the handling of the Hillsborough disaster and the fight for justice.

Liverpool feel they have been put in an impossible position by the Premier League’s suggestion the anthem is played and although have they taken the “tough” decision to play the anthem, they believe in safe freedom of expression and are aware the response may not be favourable.

During Wednesday’s win over Fulham the Kop sang “You can stick your coronation up your a***”.

“The club’s position is my position. That is clear. Besides that, this is definitely a subject which I cannot really have a proper opinion about,” said Klopp.

“I am from Germany, we don’t have a king or a queen, I am 55 years old and I have no experience of that.

“Watching from the outside, it is a nice thing to watch when all the weddings are massive things in Germany but no one really knows what it is like. It is like watching a movie. We don’t feel that.

“I am pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation. Some will not be interested and some will not like it. That is it and that is over the whole country.”

West Ham should be boosted by the returns of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd for Sunday’s visit of Manchester United.

David Moyes’ first-choice trio were absent for the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City after a sickness bug swept through the Hammers’ camp.

All three travelled to Manchester only to be sent home a few hours before kick-off.

But Hammers boss Moyes is confident the midfield partnership of Rice and Soucek, along with key centre-half Aguerd, will be available at the weekend.

However, Moyes revealed another couple of players have also come down with illness.

“They’ve been in today and done a little bit of training,” said Moyes. “We are hoping all three will be available for the weekend.

“But we had one other player who was sent home this morning and another who said he didn’t feel so good.

“We’ve just got to hope we can contain it. It looks like it’s more like sickness and players are getting over it quite quickly.”

Moyes will still be without Kurt Zouma, who has an ankle injury, and fellow defender Vladimir Coufal, who tweaked a hamstring at City.

The Scot, who turned 60 last week, is juggling the Premier League relegation battle with a Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, the first leg of which takes place next Thursday.

“I’ve always said the Premier League is the priority,” he said. “But when you are starting to talk about a semi-final in Europe you’re talking about another decision.

“If we play to our best we will give any team a very good match. If we do that then we will gain the extra points we need.”

Marco Silva vowed Fulham would do everything they could to match their best-ever Premier League points tally with just four opportunities left to meet the objective.

Fulham last hit 53 points in 2008-09 under Roy Hodgson, ultimately finishing seventh that campaign.

Silva’s 10th-placed Cottagers are still eight points away from repeating that feat and have their next opportunity to move closer when they host relegation-threatened Leicester on Monday.

“We are going to fight for it,” said Silva. “We are going to fight because it’s a target for us, clearly it’s a target for us. We have 12 points to fight for and we are going to do our best.

“As always, game by game, thinking the next one will be a very good one at home at the Cottage that we want to do our best and we are going to do our best to win.

“It’s there, the target is there but realistically we are going to have to fight really hard to get it.”

Silva’s side are hoping to bounce back from three-consecutive losses, including Wednesday night’s Liverpool encounter decided by Mohamed Salah’s 39th-minute penalty – awarded following a VAR decision the Fulham boss reiterated should not have gone the Reds’ way.

He said: “Liverpool clearly didn’t deserve the result. It was a clear mistake that made us to lose the match and that penalty that I repeat is embarrassing, that decision and of course it’s up to us to react, to go again and to do our best to take the three points.”

Fulham’s second-most recent loss was at the hands of surging table-toppers Manchester City, who presented a very different challenge from the one expected from the 16th-placed Foxes on Monday.

Silva will be without midfielder Andreas Pereira and skipper Tim Ream, who were both ruled out for the rest of the season following injuries sustained in the City clash.

Dean Smith’s men are outside the drop zone on goal difference alone and Silva expects their precarious position to be a dangerous motivator come the Bank Holiday.

He added: “Probably the next game against Leicester will probably be even more difficult than against City and Liverpool.

“People probably don’t understand what I’m saying. I’m not saying that Leicester is a better team than the other two, that’s not what I’m saying, but they’re fighting for their lives.

“They come to play in a different way than the other two teams against us and of course, it will be a tough one, a good test, another one for us at the Cottage with our fans and of course we have to play as best as we can to win the game.”

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris will not play again this season due to a thigh injury.

Lloris has not featured since he was replaced at half-time of Tottenham’s 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle and there are now doubts over whether he will play for the club again given his uncertain future with only one year left on his deal.

“Hugo’s out for the season,” Spurs’ acting head coach Ryan Mason confirmed ahead of Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace.

“We had the results back. Obviously disappointing, but we kind of feared that initially. We did some more tests and he won’t play for us again this season.

“I can’t speak about next season but what I can say is that he has a very important role for us until the end of the season. We need him. We need him to be part of the group and I’m sure he will be.”

Lloris is alongside Emerson Royal (ankle), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Yves Bissouma (ankle) and Rodrigo Bentancur (knee) on the treatment table.

Mason provided a positive update on Emerson and Bissouma but Sessegnon will not play again this season while Bentancur is set for a long spell on the sidelines as he recovers from anterior cruciate ligament damage.

On Bissouma, Mason said: “There are obviously some hurdles he has got to overcome and to hit some certain goals but we are hopeful he will appear before the end of the season.

“Ryan had a significant injury, he’s been out for a long time so Ryan won’t feature again this season.

“Emerson, I think it is a day-to-day check on how he is and how he’s coping. Hopefully Emerson can help us between now and end of the season.”

When Emerson does return to full fitness, it will increase the likelihood of Spurs reverting to a back four, which Mason used during his previous tenure in caretaker charge.

He hinted on Friday that a tactical switch could occur before Palace visit and also started his press conference with a congratulations message to the club’s under-18s.

Stuart Lewis’ side won 3-1 at Aston Villa to clinch the Under-18 Premier League Cup on Thursday night, having also sealed the Under-17 League Cup last month.

Academy graduate Mason is hopeful some of them can progress into the first-team.

“I’d just like to congratulate our under-18s from our academy because they won the under-18s Premier League Cup last night. Backed the under-17s up. It’s important and good for the football club,” Mason added.

“First of all you have to be good enough. That’s a challenge to any of our academy players.

“It is a big step up to the first team and we want them to aspire to that. We need academy players.

“We’ve got Harry Kane, we’ve got (Oliver) Skippy, we’ve got others in the squad that are helping. I understand and the club certainly understand the value in that.”

Mason also paid tribute to “amazing” Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson, who gave him his solitary England cap in 2015.

“I will obviously always have a soft spot for Roy Hodgson because he gave me my England debut,” he said of the 75-year-old.

“I think the most important thing in football is if you have the fire inside you and if you can influence players and he’s definitely got that still.”

Roy Hodgson rubbished “insulting” reports of Wilfried Zaha being unhappy at his substitution against West Ham last week as he defended the player ahead of Crystal Palace’s trip to Tottenham.

The Ivory Coast forward appeared to cut a frustrated figure when he was brought off during Palace’s 4-3 win over the Hammers.

However, Palace manager Hodgson has since refuted suggestions it was as a result of being taken off the pitch, instead claiming the attacker’s unhappiness was in response to another player on the pitch.

“He’s fine, he’s a good captain. I’m irritated to some extent,” Hodgson said.

“The press are reporting that Wilf was angry at being taken off, how do the press feel they have the right to report that?

“He wasn’t angry at being taken off at all. In fact he and I discussed him playing an extra 10 minutes when I’d been thinking about taking him off 10 minutes earlier.

“I hear that he was going on about one of the other players in the game, he certainly wasn’t moaning about being taken off.”

Zaha returned to the line-up against West Ham after a spell out with injury and scored Palace’s second on a day where he was named captain of the side.

And Hodgson alluded to his leadership qualities in a team of young players as Palace prepare to face an out-of-form Spurs on Saturday.

“It’s an insult really as we are talking about someone who I made captain of the team, and he was working hard to show an example to the team, saying this is what’s needed,” the manager said.

“For him to read that Wilf Zaha throws his toys out the pram is totally and utterly untrue, I think that’s unfair. I think that’s bad journalism. Hopefully you guys weren’t responsible, one b****** was that’s for sure.”

Palace’s resurgence in form under Hodgson has seen them pick up four wins in six and hit the 40-point-mark for the season – a tally the Eagles boss believes has secured their Premier League status for next season.

He said: “Forty is always a target. I didn’t go down and set that target and speak to the players about it. We keep getting points where we can and let’s in every game try and come away with something, that’s probably been the only real, serious aim.

“Now we have got to 40 we can say the job is done in the sense that we aren’t going to get relegated. These last four games, I think, are an ideal opportunity to get extra points and hopefully win other games and get ourselves, if possible, higher up the table.”

Alexis Mac Allister believes Brighton are proving they have the quality to reach Europe after his nerveless penalty secured an “unforgettable” 1-0 win over Manchester United.

The Seagulls soared to sixth spot in the Premier League table, above Tottenham and Aston Villa, thanks to Mac Allister thumping home with virtually the last kick of Thursday’s pulsating contest.

Roberto De Zerbi’s free-flowing side have two games in hand on Spurs and Villa, as well as fifth-placed Liverpool, who sit just four points above them.

Argentina midfielder Mac Allister says Albion must focus on their own situation and results as they bid to cap a memorable campaign by achieving continental qualification.

“We know that it’s the end of the season and these three points are very important,” he told Brighton’s club website.

“The way we are playing is very important because we feel very good. We will do our best to finish as high as we can.

“We have to think about ourselves and not look at the other teams. If we play the way we play, we will have big chances to fight for a European spot and that has to be our aim.”

World Cup winner Mac Allister kept his composure to fire into the top-left corner from 12 yards nine minutes into added time after Luke Shaw’s inexplicable handball was penalised following VAR intervention.

The 24-year-old’s 11th club goal of the season prompted more jubilant scenes inside the Amex Stadium on the back of Saturday’s record-breaking 6-0 hammering of Wolves.

“It was so special,” he said. “For the team and the fans, it was an amazing win and something unforgettable.”

Brighton’s last-gasp success partially avenged their painful FA Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to United 11 days earlier.

The Seagulls also broke the club-record top-flight points tally by moving on to 55 – three more than they managed in the the 42-game 1981-82 season – with six games still to go.

Goalkeeper Jason Steele, who made smart saves to deny Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes, admits Albion’s recent Wembley agony gave them additional incentive.

“It wasn’t about revenge or anything like that,” he said. “Did we have a little bit extra motivation? Yeah, probably.

“But I don’t think it spilled over into anything other than that and we deserved to win.

“It was a big night for us. Two good teams were going toe to toe, really enjoyable to play in and the last-minute winner, you can’t beat that.”

Brighton complete a trio of consecutive home games against relegation-threatened Everton on Monday evening.

The fitness of Pascal Gross and Evan Ferguson will be assessed ahead of that match but head coach De Zerbi does not expect to have Joel Veltman back from injury.

Manchester United’s wretched record away to the Premier League’s best continued with Thursday’s late loss to Brighton.

The Red Devils have failed to win any of their away games against the current top nine teams, drawing one and losing the other eight.

Here, the PA news agency looks at that poor record as Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge edges towards a conclusion.

Brentford (currently 9th) 4 Manchester United 0 – August 13, 2022

Ten Hag’s first away match in charge ended in a 4-0 capitulation, with a mixture of catastrophic defensive ineptitude and Brentford opportunism meaning the Red Devils were four down at half-time. David De Gea gifted the first two to Josh Dasilva and Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee helped himself to a third and Bryan Mbeumo hit a slick fourth on a chastening afternoon for the visitors.

Manchester City (currently 1st) 6 Manchester United 3 – October 2, 2022

The phenomenal Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks in a Manchester derby humbling that evoked memories of City’s famous 6-1 win at Old Trafford in 2011. Foden began the rout after just eight minutes and United were a distinct second best thereafter, although Antony pulled one back and Anthony Martial also claimed two consolation efforts.

Aston Villa (currently 8th) 3 Manchester United 1 – November 6, 2022

United fell to their first Premier League loss at Villa Park since 1995 in what proved to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final match at the club. The Portuguese wore the armband in Birmingham, where the hosts ended a 9,941-day wait to beat the Red Devils in Unai Emery’s first match in charge. Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne scored inside the opening 11 minutes, with Jacob Ramsey atoning for deflecting in a Luke Shaw strike by scoring a fine effort just after half-time.

Arsenal (currently 2nd) 3 Manchester United 2 – January 22, 2023

Eddie Nketiah flicked home a late winner as title-chasing Arsenal won a five-goal thriller in the capital. In-form Marcus Rashford scored a stunning opener that was cancelled out by Nketiah before Bukayo Saka’s own top-drawer finish had Arsenal ahead. Lisandro Martinez, an Arsenal target last summer, levelled but Nketiah would turn home a wayward Martin Odegaard shot to secure a memorable win.

Liverpool (currently 5th) 7 Manchester United 0 – March 5, 2023

Ten Hag fumed at his side’s “unprofessional” display in a loss that equalled United’s record competitive defeat – against Blackburn in 1926, Aston Villa in 1930 and Wolves in 1931. Just a week on from lifting the Carabao Cup, the Old Trafford giants were brought back down to earth with a bump at Anfield. Cody Gakpo’s smart strike had Liverpool ahead at the break and nobody could have foreseen the way United would unravel. Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah ended the day with two goals apiece, with substitute Roberto Firmino completing a win that will live long in the memory of both clubs.

Newcastle (currently 3rd) 2 Manchester United 0 – April 2, 2023

The loss to Liverpool was called “unprofessional” and United defender Luke Shaw labelled the defeat at St James’ Park “unacceptable”. Boss Ten Hag agreed with the left-back’s assessment that the Magpies were “more determined, more passionate” and had “more desire” as Joe Willock and substitute Callum Wilson secured the hosts a win that was more one-sided than the scoreline suggested.

Tottenham (currently 7th) 2 Manchester United 2 – April 27, 2023

United last week blew a two-goal lead against a Spurs side playing their first match since replacing interim Cristian Stellini with another caretaker boss in the wake of their 6-1 trouncing at Newcastle. First-half efforts by Jadon Sancho and Rashford put United in cruise control, only for Ryan Mason’s half-time message to do the trick. Pedro Porro reduced the deficit and Son Heung-min levelled.

Brighton (currently 6th) 1 Manchester United 0 – May 4, 2023

Ten Hag bemoaned Thursday’s “annoying” last-gasp loss at Brighton, where Alexis Mac Allister slammed home from the penalty spot in the ninth minute of added time after Shaw’s inexplicable handball was punished following VAR intervention. Ten Hag conceded his side contributed to their own downfall during a pulsating south-coast clash.