Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will have "an extra level of motivation" when they face Tottenham on Thursday knowing a victory would seal Champions League qualification.

The Gunners extended their winning run to four Premier League matches at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, seeing off 10-man Leeds United 2-1 to go four points clear of Spurs.

Eddie Nketiah punished Illan Meslier's early howler to open the scoring and the striker doubled Arsenal's lead with a clinical finish only 10 minutes in.

Things went from bad to worse for Leeds in a nightmare first half when Luke Ayling was sent off for a reckless two-footed lunge on Gabriel Martinelli.

Diego Llorente pulled a goal back in the second half, but Leeds dropped into the relegation zone as Arsenal strengthened their grip on fourth place with three games to play.

A North London derby win will guarantee them a place in the Champions League next season and the Spaniard is determined to make it mission accomplished in the home of their fierce rivals.

The Arsenal boss said: "We want to prepare and go for that match like we always do, with the same enthusiasm, but knowing obviously that this can be a defining moment and that’s an extra level of motivation and another layer for us to really go for it and I can't wait to play that game."

It appeared that Arsenal could run riot even before Whites captain Ayling was sent off and Arteta felt his side made hard work of securing three precious points two days after he signed a new contract.

Asked if they made seeing out the win more difficult than it ought to have been, he replied: "Yes, considering the way that we started I think we were electric, so determined, so incisive, we scored two good goals, created chances and didn’t allow anything to happen around our box.

"And after that, obviously, the red card presents a different match where they change completely their behaviour and how they set up and we have to manage the game in a different way.

"I think for a lot of phases we did well, but we needed to score the third goal and we had the chances to do so and then the accident happen when the first time that they were through at a set-piece we conceded a goal and it's game on and some nerves have to handled."

Arteta, who revealed Ben White is poised to return at Tottenham, says spirits are understandably high in the Arsenal dressing room but they know there is work to do.

"Really good, really positive, but at the same time really humble," he said of the mood in the camp. "We know that nothing has been achieved yet and still a lot of things and a lot of minutes to play to do what we want to achieve."

Jesse Marsch vowed his Leeds United side will "fight for our lives" after dropping into the Premier League relegation zone with a 2-1 loss to Arsenal on Sunday.

Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier gifted Eddie Nketiah an early opener, and the Arsenal striker, who spent 2019-20 on loan at Elland Road, added a second with just 10 minutes played.

The visitors inflicted more damage on themselves after 27 minutes when Luke Ayling, making the 500th appearance of his career, was sent off for lunging in on Gabriel Martinelli.

Diego Llorente did manage to pull one back through Leeds' first effort on target in the 66th minute, but they were ultimately left with too much to do.

A second loss in a row for Leeds, coupled with Everton's 2-1 win at Leicester City, means they will end the day in the bottom three for the first time since October 30.

Leeds have spent 16 days in the relegation zone this – five fewer than Arsenal, who made a poor start to the season with three defeats in a row.

Marsch accepts Leeds were victims of their own mistakes at Emirates Stadium but is hopeful his side will respond in their remaining three fixtures.

"I think we had a really bad start and dug a hole for ourselves, which we didn't need to," Marsch, who succeeded Marcelo Bielsa in late February, told BBC Sport. 

"At half-time we talked about keeping our composure and treating the game like it was 0-0. That's what we did.

"We are in a difficult situation. We have to regroup and figure out what we can do. Our backs are against the wall. We are in the relegation zone, but we have to fight for our lives.

"When I arrived two months ago I knew this wasn't going to be easy. The group's stayed strong. Our second-half performance highlights the character of the people we have.

"The fans and the support at this club is unreal. We want to put a performance on the pitch that honours that support."

With their 95th and 96th yellow cards of the season, Leeds set a record for the most bookings for a club in a single Premier League campaign.

They now host Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion in successive home games before travelling to Brentford on the final day of the season.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have won four successive league games while conceding at least once each time for the first time since a run of five in February and March 2012.

Following Tottenham's 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday, the Gunners now hold a four-point lead over their fierce rivals in the battle for fourth place.

Should Arsenal make it five top-flight wins a row by beating Spurs on Thursday, they will secure a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17.

"We know that, and we have earned the right to play that game in that context," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who signed a contract extension this week, told BBC Sport. 

"Winning any match is extremely difficult. We are going to prepare for the game as best as we can.

"We started extremely well today and were determined, creating chance after chance. And then playing against 10 men it is always more complicated.

"We controlled the game really well. It became nervy, and you start to defend that result."

Eddie Nketiah was non-committal over his future after his double consigned 10-man Leeds United to a 2-1 defeat and moved Arsenal a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League.

Nketiah pounced on a howler from Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier to open the scoring and added a second goal only 10 minutes into the Premier League encounter at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Luke Ayling was sent off for a reckless lunge on Gabriel Martinelli just 27 minutes in, and although Diego Llorente pulled one back in the second half, his close-range strike was in vain.

A fourth win in a row moved the Gunners four points clear of fierce rivals Tottenham with three games to play in the battle for a top-four finish ahead of a huge north London derby on Thursday.

Nketiah is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and the in-form striker, who has been linked with Crystal Palace, gave little away when asked about his future after plunging his former club Leeds into the relegation zone.

He told Sky Sports: "It's a great atmosphere throughout the whole season, it's been excellent.

"You really feel the connection between the players and the fans, it's amazing to be involved."

Nketiah's opportunities have been limited this season, but he has four goals in as many games after scoring twice in a recent victory at Chelsea.

The 22-year-old is relishing the chance to show what he is capable of as Mikel Arteta's side strive to seal a return to the premier club competition in Europe.

He said: "Any player just wants to be playing and get the opportunities. I've worked hard throughout the season to make sure that I was ready when I get my chance, and credit to my team-mates for helping me play and do well. I'm just happy in the team and helping."

Arsenal will be guaranteed a Champions League place if they beat Spurs in their own backyard, while Leeds are in the bottom three following Everton's 2-1 win at Leicester City.

Erling Haaland looks set to announce his exit from Borussia Dortmund within days as the club prepare to lose their star striker. 

Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl, who will step up from his player licensing role to become sporting director at the season's end, said on Sunday that the club were braced for the 21-year-old to move on. 

Manchester City are reported front-runners for the signature of the Norway international, who joined Dortmund in late December 2019 after catching the eye at Salzburg. 

Kehl told German broadcaster Sport1: "I think we will have clarity next week. I wouldn't be surprised if he moves on in the end." 

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been heavily linked with Haaland, but the prospect of a move to LaLiga has seemed to cool in recent months. 

Haaland's father, Alf-Inge, had a playing stint at City and the Dortmund striker was born in Leeds, so a move to England may hold particular appeal. 

Pep Guardiola, the City manager, has repeatedly declined to discuss the prospect of bringing in Haaland. 

However, with Champions League trophy success again proving elusive for City this season, acquiring a striker of Haaland's pedigree looks imperative for Guardiola. 

Dortmund are expected to sign Karim Adeyemi from Salzburg as Haaland's replacement, with Kehl also expecting movement in that direction in the coming week. 

Haaland has scored 28 goals in 29 games across all competitions for Dortmund this season, proving prolific despite his campaign being disrupted by injuries. He scored 41 times in 41 matches last term, his first full season in Germany. 

Eddie Nketiah scored twice against his former club as Arsenal remained on course for the Champions League and plunged 10-man Leeds United into the relegation zone with a 2-1 win.

Nketiah capitalised on an Illan Meslier error to put the Gunners in front and added a second just 10 minutes into the Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Leeds suffered another massive blow when captain Luke Ayling marked the 500th appearance of his career by getting sent off for a reckless first-half lunge on Gabriel Martinelli with only 27 minutes played.

Diego Llorente pulled a goal back in the second half, but Arsenal moved four points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham and Jesse Marsch's side dropped into the bottom three after Everton won at Leicester City.

Meslier gifted Arsenal the lead in the fifth minute, taking a heavy touch from Ayling's back pass to present Nketiah with a tap-in.

Nketiah doubled the Gunners' advantage five minutes later, finishing clinically with his left foot from close to the penalty spot after the excellent Martinelli picked him out with a cutback from the byline.

A nightmare start for Leeds took another huge turn for the worse when Ayling was given his marching orders for a mindless challenge, referee Chris Kavanagh whipping out a red card following a VAR check after initially booking the defender.

Llorente cleared off the line late in the first half and Martinelli forced a save from Meslier following the restart before blazing over the crossbar, with Leeds on the ropes.

Arsenal were coasting, but Llorente gave Leeds a lifeline when Junior Firpo flicked on a corner from the left and Llorente was on hand to tuck home with his right foot at the back post.

Martin Odegaard spurned a chance to restore Arsenal's two-goal advantage when he cut inside and drilled a left-foot drive just wide, but Nketiah's double extended the Gunners' winning run to four games.

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand lamented the Red Devils for "downing tools" at Brighton and Hove Albion as he questioned the fight of his former side.

Ralf Rangnick's men were thumped 4-0 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard were all on target for Graham Potter's dominant hosts.

Rangnick, who will be replaced by Erik ten Hag at the end of the season, apologised for the humiliating defeat, while Bruno Fernandes accepted United supporters' assessment that the players were "not fit to wear the shirt".

This is set to go down as United's worst season in the Premier League era, having conceded their most goals in a single campaign (56) and fallen short of their record low for points, sitting on 58, six fewer than their 2013-14 mark with only a game to play.

Ferdinand, speaking on his YouTube podcast 'FIVE', heaped criticism on his old club as he expressed his dismay at United's situation.

"We are getting mocked every week," said Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles and a Champions League at United. "We have gone down to Brighton to the seaside for a day out.

"We got pumped and sent back home. There is no fight, there is no character, and it seems there is no desire. People have downed tools, it seems.

"We are getting smashed 4-0 at Brighton. Listen, they are a decent team, but United shouldn't be getting beat 4-0 like that. 

"This is a terrible situation and I really wonder what it is like in that changing room.

"Is there anyone standing up? Are there any characters that are picking people up, or is everyone in there thinking that it has gone now? We have gone, and that is it."

Daniel Sturridge has issued a rallying cry to his former club Liverpool after they dropped points in the Premier League title race.

The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday, giving rivals Manchester City a boost ahead of their clash with Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Should City win, they will go three points ahead of Liverpool with three games remaining.

Sturridge – who played for both teams either side of a spell at Chelsea – took to Twitter on Sunday to share his belief that "all isn't lost" for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Despite the setback in their title push, Liverpool still have Champions League and FA Cup finals to look forward to, having already secured the EFL Cup in February.

"To all the red men out there. All isn't lost," Sturridge wrote. "Big games ahead, a lot to play for. An unbelievable squad, backroom staff and ownership intact.

"The club has improved immensely in the last 10 years. My optimism for what @LFC are and will become hasn't wavered. #redordead"

The former England international played 160 games for Liverpool between 2013 and 2019, scoring 67 goals and registering 20 assists.

He left Anfield to sign for Trabzonspor before moving to Australia with Perth Glory.

The draw with Spurs was only the third time Liverpool have dropped points in a Premier League game since the turn of the year, and was the first time they have failed to win at home in the league since a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in October.

Following their exit at the hands of Roma in the Europa Conference League semi-finals, Leicester City are at the fork in the road that faces every club their size following some success.

History says that sustainable progress will have to come at the expense of selling the players who got the club to such heights.

While James Maddison and Wesley Fofana have long been on the wish lists of bigger clubs, Youri Tielemans reportedly looks set to leave also.

TOP STORY – ARSENAL, REAL MADRID SET ON TIELEMANS

Arsenal are closing in on a £40million transfer for Leicester City and Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans, The Sun is reporting.

Real Madrid are waiting to pounce, however, if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Leicester are now reportedly resigned to selling the 25-year-old, whose goal won the Foxes the FA Cup last term. 

Tielemans has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football, meaning Manchester United have dropped out of the race.

ROUND-UP

- Fernandinho appears set to leave Manchester City, despite having a year remaining on his contract, citing a personal decision, per Fabrizio Romano.

- Tottenham are looking to sign Villarreal's Pau Torres for a fee below his release clause of £55million (€64.3m), Football Insider reports.

- The Daily Star are reporting Nemanja Matic, who will leave Manchester United at the end of the season, is set to join Juventus.

- West Ham are leading the race to sign 23-year-old Chile international Ben Brereton-Diaz from Blackburn Rovers, according to The Sun.

 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was not impressed with Antonio Conte's tactics after Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham on Saturday.

The Reds struggled in possession against a side openly looking to exploit them as they dropped two points in the Premier League title race.

Following Son Heung-min's opening goal, Liverpool needed some fortune to equalise in the 74th minute, with Luis Diaz's tame attempt from distance deflecting off Rodrigo Bentancur and wrong-footing Hugo Lloris.

Liverpool moved top on goal difference, but Manchester City can go three points clear by beating Newcastle United on Sunday and Klopp was critical of Spurs' approach at Anfield.

"I'm sorry I'm the wrong person for that, I don't like this kind of football," he said. "But that's my personal problem. I think they're world class, and I think they should do more for the game.

"I think the game against Liverpool they had 36, 38 per cent possession, but it's my problem. I cannot coach it. So that's why I cannot do it.

"So yes, world-class players block all the balls, really difficult. Fine, whatever, fine, absolutely fine. I just can't. I respect everything they do, but it's not me."

With 67 per cent possession in the second half, the Reds generated a cumulative total of 0.17 xG from 11 shots, in comparison to Spurs' 0.69 from five shots.

Klopp took the positives out of what could be a costly result for the Reds four days after they reached the Champions League final with a win over Villarreal.

"It is an important point because it's one point more than before the game," he said. "We're top of the table. In this moment we're disappointed.

"The boys are more disappointed than I am, it might be because I'm older and I've seen more.

"Some good things tonight though, the counter-press. Just little moments, better decision-making. It's easy for me to say because I didn't run, like, I didn't run four days ago. We could have won, but also they could have won because of their insane counter-attacking."

Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool would keep fighting for the Premier League trophy after a 1-1 draw with Tottenham dealt their title hopes a huge blow.

It could have been worse for Klopp's team, who fell behind to a close-range strike from Son Heung-min but kept going and snatched a draw thanks to Luis Diaz's deflected shot.

Liverpool had 22 shots to Tottenham's eight, but only three of those efforts from the Reds hit the target, with 13 blocked as Tottenham produced a doughty defensive effort.

The point took Liverpool top of the table, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference, but their title rivals have a game in hand and that comes on Sunday when Pep Guardiola's men face Newcastle United.

Klopp told BT Sport: "I'm really happy with the performance and proud of the mentality we showed against an incredibly good opponent with a game plan.

"I said before the game we have to win. I thought we had a few things today that were on a different level. The counter-press was absolutely outstanding.

"They scored a goal, and we had to keep our calm and increase the pressure. That's a massive challenge, but we did, and we scored an equaliser. It was not the result we wanted, but it was the performance I wanted, so from that point of view I'm fine."

Klopp even suggested Liverpool had it in their thoughts that they might score a goal such as the one Diaz came up with.

"We said before the game that the box would be full, so we need to give the deflection a chance," Klopp said.

His team were in midweek Champions League action, battling past Villarreal to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday night in Spain, keeping hopes of a quadruple alive.

That four-trophy bid has taken a knock, and a 12-game winning streak in the league at Anfield has been halted, but Klopp is not giving up on the dream outcome.

He said: "It's incredibly difficult to play against an opponent with world-class players and a world-class manager, and they have a full week to prepare, and we play every three days. But I'm really fine with the performance, and we will keep going.

"The dressing room is not flying at this moment, but come on, it was always clear something like this could happen. It's not that we need now tomorrow a defeat of City against Newcastle. There are other games to play, and we just have to keep going."

Neither side could be particularly happy with the final outcome, given three points for Tottenham would have lifted them to fourth, above north London rivals Arsenal who they will face on Thursday. Liverpool are back in action against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Son said Tottenham delivered a "really good" display and described the reward as "a big point", albeit saying he was "gutted" Tottenham did not take advantage of a late chance when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was unable to find Harry Kane.

South Korean forward Son is Tottenham's leading scorer this term and took his Premier League tally for the campaign to 20, making him just the second Tottenham player to hit 20 or more goals in a season without having a penalty among the haul, after Gareth Bale in 2012-13 (21 goals).

Son has scored (12) and been involved in (17) more Premier League goals than any other player in 2022.

"It was a good team play and very proud, but it should be more," Son said. "The point is always good at Anfield, it's a really, really difficult place, but hard work has paid off."

Tottenham are itching to be involved in the Champions League next season, and whether they reach that objective may yet affect the future of key personnel.

"I want to play Champions League next season, this is clear in our minds," Son said, "so I think it was a big, big point."

Next comes the Arsenal derby, and Son said: "It's a big game like today, but we are playing at home, so we should take advantage. We need to prepare for four days and go for it, give everything we have and see what happens."

Luis Diaz spared Liverpool a rare Anfield defeat, but a 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Saturday represents a major blow to the Reds' title ambitions.

Son Heung-min left the famous old stadium shaken early in the second half when he tucked in from close range to give Antonio Conte's visitors a shock lead.

That was his 20th league goal of the season, and Liverpool knew anything other than a win would put City within sight of the Premier League trophy.

Liverpool have an unprecedented quadruple in their sights, and Diaz's deflected strike for an equaliser in the 74th minute just about kept the dream alive, but hopes might be fading. They go top for now, level on points with a City side who have a game in hand, against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane had early shots blocked, before Virgil van Dijk nodded wide after getting on the end of an outswinging Andy Robertson corner from the left.

A misdirected defensive header from Ryan Sessegnon almost gave Salah a tap-in, but Hugo Lloris was alert to the danger.

Van Dijk headed against the top of the Tottenham crossbar from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner, before Luis Diaz drew a save from Lloris with a fizzing low strike. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg served a reminder of the visitors' threat when his skidding drive hit the outside of the left post.

Liverpool were full of purpose, swarming and probing early in the second half for the big chance that might bring a breakthrough.

However, they were stunned by Son in the 56th minute, when he slotted past Alisson after Kane's pass to Ryan Sessegnon on the left was followed by a sharp centre to the unmarked South Korean.

Jurgen Klopp threw on Diogo Jota, looking for a spark, and Salah soon had a great chance as he cut inside on his left foot, only for Ben Davies to produce a glorious block.

Diaz hit the equaliser when his 22-yard strike took a massive deflection past Lloris, finding the bottom-left corner, and try as they did, Liverpool could not find a second.

Bruno Fernandes agreed with the Manchester United fans' assessment that the team were "not fit to wear the shirt" in Saturday's humiliating defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

United went down 4-0 at the Amex Stadium and were perhaps fortunate not to have conceded more against a Brighton team previously without a home win in 2022.

This is set to go down as United's worst season of the Premier League era, already having conceded their most goals in a single campaign and certain to fall short of the previous low benchmark in terms of points.

And United supporters turned on their team as a shocking second half played out, chanting: "You're not fit to wear the shirt."

Star midfielder Fernandes had no issue with that view when it was relayed to him in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.

"I include myself in that," he said. "What we did today, what I did today, was not enough to be in the Manchester United shirt, and I accept that."

Ralf Rangnick apologised to Manchester United's supporters after what he said was their worst performance under his management, as the Red Devils capitulated in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion.

United fell behind to Moises Caicedo's first-half strike before Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross, and Leandro Trossard scored second-half goals to condemn the Red Devils to a humiliating defeat at the Amex Stadium. 

The Red Devils have now conceded more league goals this season (56) than they have in any other Premier League campaign, and with 58 points after 37 games, are guaranteed to record their lowest points tally in the competition (previously 64 in 2013-14).

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have now conceded four or more goals in 12 separate Premier League games since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, as many times as they did in 810 games under him in the competition.

Speaking to BT Sport after United's fifth consecutive away league defeat, Rangnick rejected the idea that his players had "ignored" his game plan but called the defeat "humiliating".

Asked whether the loss was the worst he had experienced since arriving at Old Trafford, Rangnick replied: "It was. From the first to the last minute this was just not enough, in all important areas we were second best and we can only apologise to our supporters. 

"It was a terrible performance and a humiliating defeat. Today, from the first minute we gave them too much time, too much space, we were never in a position where we could stop them playing through our lines.

"I don't think that they ignored the game plan, but we were just not able to stop them, we gave them too much time and space and if you do that against a technically good team like Brighton, this is the result."

Meanwhile, the Seagulls' comprehensive victory represented the biggest top-flight win in their history, in what was their 365th game at this level.

Rangnick attempted to change the game at the break by introducing Edinson Cavani and Fred, and despite three of Brighton's four goals arriving in the second period, maintained something had to change after United failed to register a shot on target in the first half.

"As I said, it was very, very difficult in the first half to stop them at all. In the second half we took the risk to bring on Edinson as a second striker plus Fred, and play 4-4-2", he added.

"In hindsight, maybe it was too much of a risk to play in a 4-4-2 against them but we had to change the energy, today we were just second best in all relevant areas. 

"Had we continued to play as we did in the first half it would only have been a question of time when we conceded the second goal, that's why I decided to take more of a risk with the 4-4-2. But with two early goals, it was a disaster for us. As a team, we didn't defend at all."

Rangnick now has just one match left in the Old Trafford dugout, with United rounding off their frustrating season with a final-day trip to Crystal Palace before Erik ten Hag takes charge.

Looking back on his tenure at United, Rangnick who will assume a consultancy position after vacating his coaching role, claims his side were "on the right pathway" for much of his time in charge, though admitted the Red Devils have been "really poor" recently.

"I think we have to split it into two different halves. Until the West Ham game [a 1-0 win in late January] or even the Tottenham game [a 3-2 victory in March], we had very good performances, when we beat Tottenham at home, West Ham at home, when we won [4-2] at Leeds, it was a completely different level of energy.

"But in games like today, or at Everton [a 1-0 defeat last month], it was a lack of energy, of aggressiveness. If you play like that without the ball you cannot win a game.

"When the call came in November it was clear I wanted to come, and as I said, in the first three or four months we were on the right pathway, we were in three competitions and had really good performances, but in the last four, five, six weeks, we were really poor."

Manchester United produced a terrible performance to fall to a fifth consecutive away loss in the Premier League as Brighton and Hove Albion thrashed the Red Devils 4-0 at the Amex Stadium.

Moises Caicedo struck a fine first-half effort beyond David de Gea, but worse was to come for United after half-time as Brighton took advantage of a dismal performance from their visitors.

Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard each scored in quick succession, with the Belgium winger finishing with a goal and two assists.

The result marked a new low in the Red Devils' woeful season, with their tally of 56 Premier League goals conceded this term representing their most in a single campaign in the competition's history.

Ralf Rangnick opted not to restore fit-again captain Harry Maguire to his defence, which was breached after 15 minutes when Caicedo drilled a brilliant finish into the bottom-left corner from outside the area.

Victor Lindelof was forced into a last-ditch clearance after a flowing move from the dominant hosts, before Danny Welbeck lobbed over the bar after latching onto Raphael Varane's poor touch.

Rangnick introduced Fred and Edinson Cavani after watching his team fail to register a shot on target before the break, but Cucurella then side-footed home from Trossard's 49th-minute cutback.

Brighton ended the game as a contest after 57 minutes when Gross produced a neat left-footed finish after taking Trossard's pass into his stride, and they were in dreamland as the creator turned scorer three minutes later, bundling in from close range after Welbeck's chipped effort.

Brighton almost had a fifth after 65 minutes when Diogo Dalot deflected Alexis Mac Allister's effort against his own post, while Welbeck also narrowly missed the target again as United endured another day to forget – Cavani's consolation ruled out for offside at the other end.

What does it mean? Red Devils confirm worst Premier League showing

United's capitulation saw the positivity of Monday's 3-0 win over Brentford evaporate and confirmed the 2021-22 season will be their worst ever in the Premier League.

With 58 points and just one game remaining, Rangnick's team will finish with their lowest points tally in the competition, unable to match the 64 they earned in 2013-14 under David Moyes and Ryan Giggs.

United stunned again

United have now conceded four or more goals in 12 separate Premier League matches since Alex Ferguson's 2013 retirement, as many as they did in 810 games under him in the competition.

Away-day woes continue

Following up defeats at Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal with another on the road, this is United's worst such run since they lost six away league games in a row between December 1980 and March 1981.

They could yet match that sequence when they go to Crystal Palace on the Premier League's final day.

What's next?

Brighton's penultimate Premier League match sees them travel to Leeds United next Sunday, while United have just one game remaining this term, away at Palace on May 22.

Thomas Tuchel said his Chelsea side took too many risks as they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.

On the day a £4.25billion sale of the Blues was agreed, Romelu Lukaku scored his first Premier League goals since a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on December 29 to put the hosts 2-0 up before the hour mark.

Substitute Trincao set up a dramatic finale with a fine goal in the 79th minute, before Conor Coady sealed a point for Wolves with a header in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

That goal was the second-latest Chelsea have conceded in the Premier League since Opta have exact times available (from 2006-07), after Luis Suarez's strike for Liverpool in April 2013 (96:30).

The result meant the Blues failed to win a top-flight game in which they were 2+ goals ahead for the first time since October 2020 against Southampton (3-3), having won 24 consecutive such prior matches.

Although Tuchel was largely happy with his side's display, the German bemoaned an inability to play things safe after Lukaku's brace had put them in pole position to claim all three points.

"I thought we started both halves well with an offensive 5-3-2," he told a media conference.

"We knew about the risks and we need to be disciplined. We showed discipline over most moments of the first half. In some situations we took too many risks.

"That cost us some dangerous moments at the end of the first half. I reminded the players at half-time to stick to the plan. We were 2-0 up and again we took too many risks.

"We invited the counter-attacks and big chances. Once you do this, you lose confidence and invite the opponent to smell something is possible when it is unnecessary.

"It's not about dropping too much, it's about where we were losing the ball and the opponent taking a crazy approach. Big chances that we don't create, the pass is missing, the dribbling is wrong.

"At some point we played like we were 2-0 down not 2-0 up. We tried to change the structure. I don't know if that was the right decision from me, I need to watch it back."

Tuchel refuted suggestions that the announcement of the takeover, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss, had any bearing on his side's late collapse. 

"I don't think ownership is a reason for lack of focus," he added. "We showed when the situation began that we can still focus. I would not consider this as an advantage for Leeds [who Chelsea play on Wednesday].

"It does not change much for us as the sanctions are not lifted. It's not worth thinking about, we have our own stuff to solve and make better."