Bruno Guimaraes scored a late winner as Newcastle made Fulham pay for their missed opportunities in a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage in the Premier League.

The Brazil international struck after 81 minutes on a day when both sides lacked cutting edge.

Victory for Newcastle extended Fulham’s winless run to three as they struggled to rediscover their March form which included a 3-0 home win over Tottenham.

After both sides took the knee before kick-off, Fulham started on the front foot as they searched for the opener.

Fulham returned to Craven Cottage after failing to pick up victories in their last two away from home and a neat bit of skill on halfway by Willian allowed them to counter, setting the tone for an improved performance in west London.

Marco Silva had blamed a lack of clinical finishing as the reason behind his side’s FA Cup exit to Newcastle in January and more of that was on display here.

After Joao Palhinha dragged his effort wide from six yards out, the unmarked Andreas Pereira squandered the chance of the match when he failed to connect with a close-range header from Antonee Robinson’s whipped delivery.

Newcastle had failed to get going and a slip from Guimaraes in possession had summed up their lacklustre half as Eddie Howe’s men looked to build off their 1-1 draw with Everton last time out.

United sought inspiration through Anthony Gordon, however. The tricky winger’s long-range effort whistled past the left-hand post towards the end of the first half and he started the second half with equal intensity.

Gordon, who will be amongst those in contention to feature in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s Euros, cut in from the left on to his trusted right foot, forcing Bernd Leno into action as his curled strike was palmed away.

The hosts had not replicated the pressure from the first 20 minutes but a well-worked combination between eight-goal man Rodrigo Muniz and Pereira created a huge opportunity.

The Brazilian duo combined on the edge of the area with a neat one-two, with Muniz’s lay-off allowing Pereira’s left-footed attempt to test Martin Dubravka at his right-hand post.

Newcastle thought they had taken the lead through Fabian Schar but referee Sam Allison ruled it a foul after consulting the VAR monitor.

Dan Burn had used his forearm to shove Calvin Bassey to the floor in the build-up before the Swiss centre-back finished at the near post.

But Fulham’s blushes were not saved for long as Newcastle scored a legitimate goal after 81 minutes.

Harvey Barnes broke away down the left and his cross deflected off a white shirt perfectly into the path of the late arriving Guimaraes, who powered his first-time effort into the bottom left corner in front of the travelling supporters.

Luton took a huge step towards Premier League survival as Carlton Morris’s 90th-minute strike earned them a 2-1 comeback win against Bournemouth at a jubilant Kenilworth Road.

Rob Edwards saw his side end their 10-match run without a league victory in dramatic fashion, Morris arriving at the far post to turn home Cauley Woodrow’s deep cross and stun Andoni Iraola in the away dugout.

Bournemouth had been excellent in the first half against a home side that looked creatively clueless, but it took until after the interval to make their breakthrough via James Tavernier’s low shot.

Luton rallied and Jordan Clark levelled to snatch what at that stage looked like being a critical point in their fight against the drop.

Then came Morris’s late intervention, knocking the ball past a stunned Neto in the visitors’ goal to spark joyous scenes.

After an even opening, the early chances fell to Bournemouth and Tavernier, first wrapping his left foot devilishly around a free-kick and sending it crashing against Thomas Kaminski’s post, then drilling wide from the edge of the box.

They hit the woodwork for a second time when Justin Kluivert’s low shot beat Kaminski but not the post.

The Dutch winger’s next effort – cutting in off the left after being played in down the channel by Antoine Semenyo before letting fly with a high, swinging drive – cleared the crossbar by a whisker as the visitors made plain their greater technical craft.

Bournemouth had won four of their last five in contrast to Luton’s 10-game winless streak and as the half progressed, they took near total control.

The advanced three of Kluivert, Semenyo and Tavernier were finding and exploiting space with ease, whilst Edwards’ side saw their own attacking focal point Ross Barkley squeezed out.

Tahith Chong summed up Luton’s creative blind spot when, late in a desperately-poor first half, he attempted a wild volley that clobbered against the roof of the stand behind Neto’s goal.

The situation called urgently for a response and what came next was a radically-improved Luton tempo. Three times in the first five minutes of the second period Neto was called upon to save, most impressively when Morris was denied with a fine fingertip reach.

Whatever cheer it had brought Edwards was wiped out in a flash.

Kluivert picked the ball up wide on right and, after dashing infield, laid it square to Tavernier. He calmly let the ball roll across his body before sending it flying like an arrow wide of Kaminski’s reach into the bottom corner.

Luton’s optimism might have been punctured but instead they pressed on. Morris skipped an effort along ground and against the post with Neto rooted to the spot, with Clark’s ferocious follow-up blocked, then Alfie Doughty got in down the left of the box and made the goalkeeper save.

Their equaliser with 17 minutes to go was deserved and Clark started and finished the move himself, running across the pitch from left to right, then feeding it to Reece Burke, who lost his duel.

The ball broke kindly for Clark who had gambled and continued his run and his reward was Luton’s leveller, lashed brilliantly into the corner.

A draw might have been fair result but Morris and Luton had other ideas at the death.

Everton secured a first Premier League win since December over 10-man Burnley to boost their survival hopes and deal a hammer blow to the struggling Clarets.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s luck appears to have finally changed as his goal gave Sean Dyche’s side a first win in 14 league matches.

The forward, who ended his six-month wait for a goal with the equaliser at Newcastle in the week, charged down Arijanet Muric’s clearance seconds before the end of the first half and saw the ball loop into an empty net for a 1-0 victory.

Rejuvenated by goals in back-to-back matches for the first time since September, the 27-year-old appeared to shift up a gear and had a couple more chances either side of Dara O’Shea’s straight red card for a lunge on Dwight McNeil.

But one goal was enough to prevent an equalling of a club-record 14 league matches without a win dating back to 1937, moving them up to 15th but still only four points above 18th-placed Luton after the Hatters’ win against Bournemouth.

It was crucial timing with the outcome of a second independent commission into profitability and sustainability breaches – for which they have already been docked six points – expected next week.

However, for second-bottom Burnley, themselves with just one win in 15, this was a first defeat in five and left them six points from safety.

Everton made four changes, including both central midfielders, with Idrissa Gana Gueye absent as his wife gave birth overnight and Amadou Onana complaining of soreness after training.

More significantly, Calvert-Lewin was restored to the team and it was him sensing half an opportunity which brought the goal – and much relief – 10 seconds from the end of what was a turgid first half.

Muric, who had not had to face a shot on target, inexplicably delayed far too long from Maxime Esteve’s square backpass and Calvert-Lewin made enough ground to be able to charge down the clearance with maximum reward.

It was the stroke of luck which he had been searching for since October and came hot on the heels of the penalty which ended his drought on Tuesday at St James’ Park.

For Burnley it was moment of self-sabotage as they had edged the first 45 minutes with Jacob Bruun Larsen sending a free-kick just over and David Fofana heading into the arms of Jordan Pickford.

A possibly tactical showing of the afternoon’s scores, just as Luton went behind, 10 minutes into the second half gave home fans a lift but they were not the only ones recharged as Calvert-Lewin nutmegged O’Shea and forced Muric to save with an outstretched foot at his near post after Lorenz Assignon had given away possession.

Abdoulaye Doucoure headed over Ashley Young’s cross as Everton sensed their chance to put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone and the dismissal of O’Shea helped their cause.

The Burnley defender mis-controlled a pass from fellow centre-back Esteve and in trying to rectify the situation lunged at McNeil on the halfway line and referee Michael Oliver immediately brandished what seemed a harsh red card.

Sander Berge’s challenge on Calvert-Lewin’s replacement Beto looked more like a red card on the edge of the area as the striker bore down on goal but Oliver was not interested.

Aston Villa’s Premier League top-four hopes suffered a big blow as they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Brentford, who scored three times in nine minutes.

Villa looked to be consolidating fourth position after goals either side of half-time from Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers put them in the ascendency.

But they hit the self-destruct button as quickfire strikes from Mathias Jorgensen, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa saw Brentford turn the game on its head.

The hosts had to rally and a Watkins header rescued a point, but the result handed the impetus to Tottenham in the race for guaranteed Champions League qualification.

Spurs, who are three points behind in fifth, play relegation threatened Nottingham Forest on Sunday and also have a game in hand.

The draw means Brentford’s winless run extends to nine games and they will see this as a chance missed.

After an even opening, Villa almost took the lead midway through the first half when Lucas Digne’s inswinging corner was clawed away by Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

An opener came in the 39th minute as Watkins grabbed his 23rd goal in all competitions and 16th in the league.

John McGinn, back after a three-game ban, floated in an inviting cross which Watkins headed down towards goal.

Flekken scrambled to scoop the ball away and Leon Bailey followed it in, but the goal decision system showed Watkins’ header had crossed the line.

Villa doubled their lead 32 seconds after the restart as Rogers opened his Villa account in style.

The January signing from Middlesbrough picked up a Youri Tielemans pass, weaved into the area and found the bottom corner.

The game appeared done but Brentford stunned their hosts with three goals in nine minutes.

They got themselves back in it just before the hour, but goalscorer Jorgensen did not know too much about it.

The defender completely missed his kick from Mikkel Damsgaard’s ball across goal, but it hit his standing foot and wrong-footed Emi Martinez.

The tension inside the stadium was palpable and 121 seconds later the Bees were level as Mbeumo volleyed home Sergio Reguilon’s cross from the left.

The remarkable turnaround was complete in the 68th minute as Reguilon was again the provider, squaring for Wissa to convert the easiest of tap-ins.

Suddenly Villa were mounting a rescue act in a game they thought they had already won.

And it took them 12 minutes to get back level as Watkins nodded home Bailey’s deflected cross after Flekken had come to claim it but missed it.

They threw everything forward in search of a winner, with Digne’s acrobatic effort going over, but they could not find a winner and dropped two points.

Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne as “one of the best players in the history of Manchester City” after the Belgian scored two goals in their 4-2 victory at Crystal Palace.

De Bruyne cancelled out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early opener before Rico Lewis fired the visitors into the lead less than two minutes after half-time.

Guardiola’s men then took control, with Erling Haaland adding another before De Bruyne struck his 100th in a City shirt in the 70th minute.

Odsonne Edouard clawed one back for Palace late on, but Guardiola praised the influence of Belgium playmaker De Bruyne as City kept up the pressure on Premier League title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.

City boss Guardiola said: “Today Kevin won the game. Without Kevin today maybe we would not be able to win, so when we talk about tactics, about managers, having players like Kevin in these kinds of games, it’s easy.

“I listen to him on the bus, in the locker room, in the training session, (he) laughs, and we are safe. His body language dictates a lot how he is, and all the players, but especially Kevin.

“How many years has he been with us, nine years, 10 years? The numbers, the presence, the consistency have been amazing. He’s one of the best players in the history of Manchester City.”

De Bruyne told his club’s website: “Yeah, it’s funny. I had a conversation with Erling [Haaland] and Phil [Foden] and said the only goal I want is to score 100 before you guys.

“Erling was like 18 behind but he would probably score that in two games.

“It’s a proud moment. It means that I’ve had longevity here. It means a lot of good moments for this club.”

City have a quick turnaround before facing Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, and their boss admitted their crowded calendar – which will also see them face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals later this month – continues to prove challenging.

Guardiola added: “We were not solid like we normally are in terms of organisation, transition, but especially we gave away the first goal, but this is more a consequence for the fact that three days, three days, three days.

“The mental energy that we waste more than physicality is tremendous and that’s why sometimes that happens.”

Palace have still won just one match since Oliver Glasner replaced Roy Hodgson in February.

They showed plenty of promise, particularly in a determined first half that saw Jordan Ayew hit the crossbar, but their boss wanted more from his men.

Glasner said: “For me it’s a little bit difficult, because when you lose 4-2 I’m never satisfied or happy with the result, but I could see many positive things today in our game.

“We can see if we do our job, how we want to play on a very high level. We are competitive against any team and this gives me confidence again.”

Manchester City kept up the pressure on their title rivals and Kevin de Bruyne hit his 100th goal for the club in their 4-2 victory at Crystal Palace.

There had been doubts about whether or not the Belgian or Erling Haaland would be in the starting line-up for the lunchtime kick-off at Selhurst Park, where the in-form Jean-Philippe Mateta fired the hosts in front three minutes after kick-off.

De Bruyne drew the sides level moments later, and City took the lead for the first time less than two minutes after the restart via Rico Lewis’ second Premier League goal before De Bruyne set up Haaland for City’s third.

De Bruyne then added another with a solo effort to make it a century of goals for City in the 70th minute.

Palace substitute Odsonne Edouard clawed one back late on, and while Pep Guardiola’s men looked to pad what could be vital scoring statistics at the end of the season, they could not find a fifth in seven minutes of second-half stoppage time.

With safety all but secured, perhaps the more interesting proposition for Palace is now how they might affect the title chase.

Arsenal and City will be keeping their eye on the south Londoners, who travel to Liverpool next weekend.

Mateta gave the home support – as well as the Gunners and Liverpool – something to smile about with a low strike that clipped the inside of the far post before crossing over for the opener.

January signing Adam Wharton, who earned the assist, next tried setting up Eberechi Eze but overpowered the pass before City broke back and tested Dean Henderson with efforts from Julian Alvarez and Rodri, the latter calling the Palace shot-stopper into a particularly fine punch.

There was little Henderson could do to stop De Bruyne, who curled into the top right corner for a brilliant finish to draw the sides level in the 13th minute.

Palace replied with determination, enjoying another spell inside City’s final third, and the frenetic pace finally ebbed as the visitors took control and piled on the pressure.

Haaland, through on goal, forced Henderson into a save and Alvarez sent an effort wide, though it was Jordan Ayew who came closest to altering the scoreline before the break after he picked the pocket of Rodri, holding his head in his hands after watching his powerful effort clip the crossbar.

The Eagles wanted a penalty when Josko Gvardiol barged into Eze on the stroke of half-time, and while referee Paul Tierney brushed off their protests, the home support had plenty to cheer about their side’s performance in the first period.

Lewis took the wind out of their sails less than two minutes after the restart, bringing down Jack Grealish’s cross, his shot from near the penalty spot taking a slight deflection off Jefferson Lerma before going in.

More chances came City’s way, first through Alvarez then Grealish from a corner and De Bruyne before the hour mark before De Bruyne and Haaland combined for the visitors’ third.

It took just four minutes more for De Bruyne to bag his brace, drilling past Henderson to pad City’s lead in the 70th minute, after which Palace boss Oliver Glasner introduced a host of substitutes including Michael Olise, who had not played since Palace’s 4-1 loss to Brighton on February 3.

He set up fellow substitute Edouard for a golden chance, and after squandering the initial opportunity he made up for the miss when he poked past Ortega in the 86th minute.

Grealish wanted more with a late chance in second-half stoppage time but sent his effort over. 

Ange Postecoglou feels there is more to come from in-form Tottenham attacker Brennan Johnson.

Wales international Johnson scored in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham to make it five goal involvements in his last five Premier League matches.

After a slow start to life at Spurs following his £47.5million move from Nottingham Forest in September, the 22-year-old is beginning to hit top form now and faces his old club on Sunday.

Postecoglou has been impressed with how Johnson has handled his big-money move, especially in the wake of Harry Kane’s departure weeks before his arrival and amid recent discourse over the part his transfer played in Forest’s points deduction for breaching league profit and sustainability rules.

“We had a minimum of 30 goals walk out the building,” Postecoglou said.

“People are going to be looking at how we’re going to replace that and it can weigh heavily on a young guy’s shoulders.

“Not that we can expect Brennan to replace Harry, but we needed goals and assists and I like the way he’s handled it.

“We’ve tried to tread carefully with him because I can see the potential in him. I can see how much he can improve and the attributes he has, I’ve got no doubt will fit really well with this team, but I’m not going to put a ceiling on it because that would be unfair on him.

“We like the way he’s progressing but we certainly believe there is more to come, for sure.

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“I think now he’s found a bit of confidence, consistency and understanding of how we play, he’s getting the rewards, which is great.

“But he’s still a young guy and we bought him with very much an eye that whatever he does this year, there’s definitely a lot more in him.

“And when you see improvement that encourages us even more because it makes you think that if we invest the time in him even more, he’s going to be a super player for us.”

Johnson’s midweek effort was not enough to fire Tottenham to victory at West Ham, with the hosts able to claim a point after Kurt Zouma scored from a corner.

Spurs have conceded 10 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, but Postecoglou rejected suggestions it has become an Achilles’ heel for his team.

He added: “I think we’ve been pretty good at set-pieces.

“Every goal you concede is down to something. It was a decent delivery the other night, they’ve got some big guys and the rest of the set-pieces I thought we handled quite well.

“We gave away too many corners. That was an issue for us. When you do it against a team like West Ham, who are such a big team physically. They’ve got such great deliveries with (Jarrod) Bowen and (James) Ward-Prowse — you’re asking for trouble.

“I thought that was part of the game we could have handled a bit better, not to give away so many, but I think those kind of things people just kind of look at in snapshots.

“Our winning goal against Luton came from a defensive corner. With all these things, I tend to take a longer-term view on them and for the most part I think we’ve been pretty decent.”

Spurs will be without Richarlison (knee) for this weekend’s visit of Forest.

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo believes their strength in depth is bolstering the club’s Premier League title bid.

The Netherlands international came off the bench for the 19th time in 44 appearances to score his 14th goal in Thursday’s victory over Sheffield United.

This season Jurgen Klopp’s substitutes have been involved in 24 Premier League goals (12 goals, 12 assists) which equals Manchester City’s record from 2011-12, with Gakpo combining with fellow substitute Andy Robertson for the third goal against the Blades.

It has also contributed to Liverpool winning 26 points from losing positions and Gakpo, the team’s third-highest scorer this season, attributes that to the attitude within the squad.

“That’s what this team is all about. We have so much quality, and the manager can only start 11,” he told the club’s website.

“Everybody is eager to perform well for himself, for the team and for the fans when they are coming on.

“At the beginning of the season everyone had the belief that, ‘OK, I’m not starting today but when I come on, you never know what is going to happen, and if I put all of my energy out there then beautiful things can happen’.”

With just eight league matches remaining the focus is getting sharper with every week but Gakpo said no-one was thinking ahead as that leads to scrambled thinking.

“Obviously we are aware of the situation but we just try to approach every game and stay calm,” he added.

“Obviously your mind can go all over the place if you are thinking about the end of the season, but we just have to take it game by game.

“We are doing it pretty well at the moment and we just need to stay calm and stay focused.”

The team return to Old Trafford on Sunday, where only three weeks ago they lost a pulsating FA Cup quarter-final 4-3 after Manchester United scored a winner in the final minute of extra time.

It was only the third domestic defeat of the campaign but losing to their arch-rivals, ending the hope of an unprecedented quadruple, was painful.

“Of course, we were very disappointed. Losing is never good. Especially the way we lost that day, it hurt for 24 hours after the game,” said Gakpo’s international captain Virgil van Dijk.

“We have to do better against them. They started the game well, had the crowd behind them and that gave them a push. Conceding the goals was disappointing.

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“We controlled the game but kept them alive. They made use of it in the best way possible. That’s credit to them but we are going there on Sunday to turn it around and make sure we get the three points.

“We want to win every game and that’s the focus anyway at Liverpool. We know how much this match means and how big it is for the outside world but we are in a phase where we can’t drop points and lose points.

“It never matters what happened the game before results-wise. It is on its own. We have one goal: go there and try to win the game, we will give everything.”

Ange Postecoglou says the chance to end Tottenham’s long trophy drought was the biggest attraction when it came to accepting the job.

This week saw the club announce revenue streams (£549.6million) in the 2022-23 financial year had passed half-a-billion pounds for the first time and also marked five years since Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened.

However, the main draw for Postecoglou to take over at Spurs was not their money-spinning home venue, the state-of-the-art training facility or healthy finances, but the opportunity to bring silverware back to N17.

Any realistic prospect of Tottenham winning a trophy this season ended in January when they exited the FA Cup but their experienced head coach had continued to state they remained in the title race.

Now 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with only 24 points still to play for, Postecoglou has accepted it will be a trophyless campaign but is determined to change that next year.

“It’s a fantastic stadium and the facilities at the training ground are fantastic, so you factor that into it, but it wasn’t the reason I came to Tottenham,” Postecoglou said ahead of Sunday’s visit of Nottingham Forest.

“And I get it. It’s the Premier League, I’m earning decent money, it’s high profile, it’s got a great stadium, great facilities.

“(But) it hasn’t won anything for a while. That’s why I came. That’s the biggest attraction.

“If they were playing out of the back of some other stadium, it wouldn’t have made a difference to me.

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“I see a really big club which hasn’t had success for a quite a while and it’s a great challenge for me.

“Progress is not just an endless road, progress has an objective of being successful. When does that happen? I was hoping it would happen this year but it didn’t so the plan is for it to happen next year.

“At the same time you have got to understand that progress is really messy. It’s disheartening and dispiriting and it can really knock your enthusiasm because it’s not linear.

“You are going to cop some blows along the way and I know that is still ahead of us. We have had to manage a few this year so you understand the progress I’m talking about leads to success.

“If it doesn’t, you will be asking questions to a different bloke next time because it won’t be me.

“That’s why I’m here, to bring success to this football club. This year was my objective so next year becomes the objective. And the quicker it happens, the better for me and the football club.”

Postecoglou has repeatedly faced questions about the battle for Champions League qualification in recent weeks, especially since he claimed a top-four finish was not a priority.

It was put to the 58-year-old that playing in Europe’s elite competition could be the difference between signing the best players or not this summer, but the Australian rejected that notion.

He asked: “Why do you want to come to Tottenham? Because if you want Champions League football and that’s all you want, you don’t want to come to Tottenham; you just want to go to a Champions League club.

“I want people to come to Tottenham, who know this club, know the challenge we’ve got and we do have a challenge. We’re different to other clubs in that we haven’t had success for a while — so I’m looking for a certain type of character.”

Mikel Arteta pointed to Arsenal’s growing maturity as a key factor in driving their Premier League title challenge ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Brighton.

Victory at the Amex Stadium will see the Gunners finish Saturday back on top of the table with leaders Liverpool not in action until Sunday, as they chase a first league crown since 2004.

At 20 years it is the club’s longest streak without winning the top flight since they were first champions in 1930-31.

The last two decades have seen Arsenal consistently written off as being psychologically lacking when it comes to the title-race home straight.

There have been a number of significant collapses in form, particularly during spring. In early 2008 they led the table by six points late in February before finishing third, while the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons also saw points thrown away during the run-in.

In 2013-14 they spent more days on top of the league than any other side yet still finished fourth, and last season they were again dominant for much of the campaign before being overtaken in April by Manchester City.

However, with eight games to go in the title race, Arteta is confident something has changed.

“The team has matured,” he said. “They has found their own rhythm, their own leadership and a way of managing certain things.

“They know we are always there to support. We guide them, you always have to be vigilant that what you expect to happen is happening. They are a great group, they are easy.

“It’s about trust. A culture where everybody is very clear what we expect from each other; where everybody does what we expect when I’m there, when I’m not there, when someone is looking or when they’re not looking.

“Trust has to be built every day. You can have an incident or a situation, you can lose it straight away. It takes so much to build it. That’s why you have to be on it every single day. And you need good people.”

Their most recent outing – a 2-0 victory over Luton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday – saw visiting manager Rob Edwards describe Arteta’s side as being “the perfect team” with no obvious weakness.

With previous Arsenal teams having been regularly accused of being soft and having insufficient physicality despite their bold attacking play, there is a clear sense of that missing toughness having been found.

“In this league, every game demands different things,” said Arteta, whose team have won nine of their last 10 in the league.

“Certain teams try to get you to play a certain game and, when they do, you have to play it in the best possible way. You have to have the adaptability to do that.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, to evolve as a team, be comfortable and be dominant as well.

“You have to evolve the team, you have to understand what you want. You have to have the players to do it and the knowledge to explain it.”

Pep Guardiola is refusing to look beyond Manchester City’s visit to Crystal Palace despite Real Madrid looming as a Selhurst Park slip-up would leave their Premier League title hopes in tatters.

A win for City in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off will move them level on points with leaders Liverpool, who head to Old Trafford for a clash with arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Guardiola accepts a draw or defeat would all but end their aim of claiming a fourth-successive title so even the prospect of a trip to the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening will not divert his attention.

City are also defending their Champions League crown and take on Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the quarter-final first leg but Guardiola will only start thinking about the clash after facing Palace.

“Honestly, if we were 18 points in front of second in the Premier League, I would have two eyes on Madrid but it’s not the case,” Guardiola said.

“We’re third, not far away from the top of the Premier League, but if we drop points it will be almost impossible.

“We have to win that game and after that we will have more time, not for recovery, but to prepare. So I have not had much time to see Real Madrid.

“When we have been fighting for nine or 10 months for the Premier League title, why should I be distracted now from this important game against Palace, when the distance is so close?”

Guardiola is mulling over whether to restore Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne to his starting line-up in south London after benching the pair in the 4-1 midweek victory over Aston Villa.

City will be favourites to beat a side that have claimed just two points from their last 12 and sit 14th in the table but Palace hit back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium in mid-December.

Guardiola, who could welcome back goalkeeper Ederson this weekend but will be continue to be without defenders Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake, is aware he cannot take the threat of the Eagles lightly if City are to remain in contention for a trophy he continues to prize above all others.

“I love it,” he said. “Of the domestic trophies, it is the most important. I’m not going to say the Champions League is not nice, of course it is.

“We have it and know how it feels in our soul and we are at peace, for the fact we’ve got it. But (the Premier League) is just the nicest because it’s more difficult, there are more games, every week, two or three games.

“The Champions League, of course, is important, but it depends on something you perhaps can’t control.

“Both are incredibly important, but the Premier League proves a lot. It shows the mentality of the teams, being there all the time for many, many years.

“From my education at home or whatever, every day you have to do the best – that means a lot to me personally.”

Phil Foden took his tally for the season to 14 goals with a hat-trick against top-four hopefuls Villa and Guardiola admitted he could be in the running for Premier League player of the season.

“He’s a contender like many others, many players play a good season,” Guardiola added. “He can be a contender for sure.”

Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Tottenham will not be restricted like some clubs when it comes to spending in the summer transfer window.

Spurs announced their 2022-23 financial results on Wednesday, which showed total revenue for the Premier League club had increased to £549.6million, up from £444m for the previous year.

Club chairman Daniel Levy also revealed they were “in discussions with prospective investors” over a minority stake in Tottenham, and while a loss of £86.8m was recorded, this was put down to “significant and continued investment in the playing squad”.

The breaches of Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules by Everton and Nottingham Forest, which resulted in points deductions, contributed towards a quiet January transfer window – with Spurs one of the biggest spenders.

A similarly muted summer transfer window is anticipated, but Tottenham could again buck the trend with a plethora of additions despite overall losses of up to £232m over the past three years, due to an annual depreciation charge of £72m being included owing to the club’s stadium rebuild.

“My discussions around those kinds of issues are not the minutiae of a balance sheet,” Postecoglou explained ahead of Sunday’s visit of Forest.

“It is about us planning to build a side that can potentially be successful. So, that’s what we’re doing and nothing that is going to come out in the balance sheet is going to disrupt those plans because those plans are done in alliance with the people who make the balance sheets.

“It is not like ‘oh, we are going to wait for the financial results before we start thinking about who we’re going to sign’. All this stuff is already in planning.

“We kind of know what position we’re in and what we need to do in the summer. That doesn’t mean it’s all going to come to fruition of course, because there are all sorts of other factors that come into it.

“Our planning is well under way in what we need to do. But there’s no doubt that from our perspective, we are not one of the clubs who are going to be as restricted as others.

“From my perspective, I’ve had a clear line of communication about where we are as a football club and nothing I’ve taken on has surprised me in any way. We’re in a good position and hopefully we can build on that.”

It was put to Postecoglou that Champions League qualification would be beneficial from a financial standpoint, but the Australian doubled down on his assertation that a top-four finish is not his aim for this season – it is instead to see clear signs of progress in terms of their playing style.

He added: “We’re not banks, we’re football clubs. We’re not financial institutions. I don’t get measured by the balance sheet at the end of the year.

“What I’m saying is, Champions League, great. Money, great. Does that mean we’re going to finish third next year? No, in fact it is probably going to be more challenging.

“So my role in that is not to worry about the financial pressure of making Champions League.

“It is to create a squad that hopefully can compete in the Champions League and keep improving in the Premier League and have success in the cup competitions. That’s where I differentiate.”

Pep Guardiola is unsure about whether to restore Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne to his Manchester City line-up at Crystal Palace on Saturday with Real Madrid looming next week.

The pair were unused substitutes in midweek as City stayed three points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool by brushing aside Aston Villa 4-1, with Phil Foden bagging a sensational hat-trick.

But as a visit to Palace at lunchtime on Saturday is followed by a mouthwatering trip to the Spanish capital to face Real on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, this season’s leading goal-scorer Haaland and key playmaker De Bruyne might be kept on ice once again this weekend.

“I don’t know yet,” Guardiola said, when asked about the prospect of Haaland and De Bruyne returning to face Palace. “Playing at 12:30pm and playing two days ago, I have to think. There are so many games.

“We play less than two and a half days after our last game. Some players recover quicker than others. A long week is completely different but a short week, you have to talk with doctors, physios and staff.

“We are used to playing every three days over many months and months. For many, many years it has happened that way.

“We play 12:30pm, it’s perfect. More time to recover for the next game in Madrid. We then play on Saturday against Chelsea in the FA Cup afterwards, it’s not fair but we are going to do it.

“We take one game at a time and don’t give up. We are not new to European competitions so the players know how to handle it, not all the time but most of the time.”

City, who could welcome back goalkeeper Ederson at Selhurst Park but are still without defenders Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake, have dropped just six points in an unbeaten 13-match league run.

But with both Liverpool and Arsenal ahead of them, Guardiola reiterated that all City can do to keep alive hopes of a fourth successive league crown is win all of their eight remaining fixtures.

“I hope so but it doesn’t solve the problem if we don’t do our job,” Guardiola said after being asked about whether he expects their title rivals to drop points.

“If we were at the top of the league it would be in our hands, that’s not the case, so what we have to do is win our games. I hope it happens but we cannot control it.

“The quality of the opponent is why we have to keep going and at the end we will realise which team is there.”

Guardiola, who said he had “no opinion” on rumours of a luxury tax being imposed on Premier League clubs to help regulate on overspending, admitted he is wary of upcoming opponents Palace.

The Eagles have taken points in six of their last 12 meetings with City, winning in December 2018 and October 2021 along with four draws – most recently coming from 2-0 down in December with goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise.

“They’ve always been tough,” he added. “I think (manager Oliver) Glasner is doing a really good job.

“The quality is there with (Eberechi) Eze, (Jordan) Ayew and Mateta. They have good structure, strong defensively with (Joachim) Andersen leading the back five, the physicality is always there. Selhurst Park is always difficult.”

Mauricio Pochettino admits it was a risk to join Chelsea given his Tottenham connections but remains determined to build a “genuine relationship” with supporters following the stunning 4-3 win over Manchester United.

Cole Palmer’s strike in the 11th minute of stoppage time was the latest winning goal on record in the Premier League and sparked an eruption of joy around Stamford Bridge, previously the scene of seething discontent as home fans have watched their side plummet down the table.

Pochettino and his players have been booed off more than once this season, with the worst reaction coming after they were beaten 4-2 by Wolves early in February, though there was also audible disquiet as they struggled to overcome Championship sides Leeds and Leicester in the FA Cup.

However, the team are unbeaten in the league since that loss to Wolves, and on top of progressing to the cup semi-final where they will face Manchester City, on Thursday they gave supporters surely their most memorable moment since Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium bought the club almost two years ago.

Palmer’s winner, his third goal of the night and just seconds after he had levelled the game at 3-3 from the penalty spot, triggered a release of emotion shared by Pochettino and home fans, and was reward for a performance in which Chelsea had shown moments of great attacking promise.

“I arrived to Chelsea in a different project than in the previous 10 years,” said Pochettino, who took over from caretaker boss Frank Lampard in July last year.

“I played with my reputation to come here, in a project to build a team with young players, talented players.

“We knew it was a massive challenge to build a team, win games and to be competitive, to take the risk with the fans.

“I said from the beginning, I want to build a genuine relationship. Not kissing the badge or doing stupid things on the touch line to win the (favour) of the fans.

“I want to prove the team the tools to win games, to make them believe in ourselves and to build a relationship. I’m not here to be a populist and a hypocrite and say ‘I love the fans’, because I know it’s about time to build this relationship.”

Pochettino spent more than five years in charge of rivals Spurs, who he guided to the Champions League final in 2019 before being sacked less than six months later.

One of his most famous games in charge came in May 2016 when his team threw away a 2-0 lead against Chelsea in a bad-tempered game in west London to hand Leicester the title, a match which became known as the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have looked a long way from hitting such heights under the Argentinian, but by maintaining their unbeaten streak with the late drama against United, victory at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United on Sunday would place them in touching distance of qualifying for next season’s Europa League.

“We have nine games to play still,” said Pochettino. “If we win them all, for sure we will be in Europe.”

Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool and Manchester United fans to “show a bit of class” during Sunday’s game at Old Trafford.

Last month’s FA Cup meeting was marred by incidents of tragedy chanting about the Hillsborough disaster, resulting in arrests, and additional work has been done by both clubs on the subject in the intervening weeks.

“It is super-important. I don’t hear it, honestly, when I am on the sideline. I heard after the game that it happened and it obviously is not great,” said Klopp.

“But in general it is just helpful that we educate our kids in specific things: respect, understanding, all these things.

“I just see two of the biggest clubs in the world, so let’s just show a bit of class in these moments, don’t sing this or sing that.

“Just show class, let the teams fight on the pitch, let’s play football, that is all fine. Besides that, just show a bit of class, that would be my wish for all of us.”

Klopp heads to Old Trafford knowing not only do his side have to rectify the mistakes of last month’s FA Cup defeat but avoid a similar slip-up which ultimately cost them the title five years ago.

In the first of their epic run-ins with Manchester City the Reds won 10 of their last 12 matches but draws at Manchester United and Everton saw them finish second by a point with a record runners-up points tally of 97.

Klopp has won just twice and drawn four in 10 visits to their historical arch-rivals but that has to change on his final, short trip down the M62 if they are to maintain their advantage at the top of the table.

Three weeks ago their bid for an unprecedented quadruple was ended by a goal in the final minute of extra time and it is their only defeat in the last dozen matches.

“We were really good that day but we didn’t finish the situations off,” was Klopp’s assessment as his side looked like they were running on empty in the additional 30 minutes.

“Extra time was too much for us and we couldn’t avoid the mistakes we could before (in normal time).

“It was the day we couldn’t control it any more, United turned the game around and United is a top side playing at home but we have to do what we did from minute 15 to 70-something.

“Football is not that easy. We have to find a way to cause United problems. They will try the same.

“Against this opponent, in this stadium, we better play a really good game if we want something from it.”

Liverpool have announced a two percent rise in season ticket prices for the second successive year, having frozen the cost for the six campaigns previously. Junior tickets, however, will remain the same for a 10th successive season.