Tottenham roared to fourth in the Premier League with a 5-1 thumping of Newcastle United as Son Heung-min scored one and created another.

Fabian Schar gave visitors Newcastle a first-half lead when he struck a free-kick past Hugo Lloris, but Ben Davies levelled within four minutes when he converted Son's cross.

Antonio Conte's home side required just three minutes of the second period to turn the game around as Matt Doherty's header gave them the lead, before Son rifled home after 54 minutes and Emerson Royal added gloss with a 63rd-minute fourth. Steven Bergwijn made it a five-goal show for the hosts when he struck in the 83rd minute.

Spurs now sit fourth in the Premier League table, above local rivals Arsenal on goal difference, ahead of the Gunners facing Crystal Palace on Monday.

Harry Kane finished without a goal but was heavily involved. He shot wide of the bottom-left corner after 15 minutes, before Cristian Romero made a stunning block to deny Joe Willock at the other end.

The Magpies took a shock lead when Schar's free-kick found the bottom-right corner after 39 minutes, with Lloris getting a weak hand to the ball on its way past him.

Spurs were soon level though, with Davies meeting Son's left-wing cross to divert a superb glancing header past Martin Dubravka.

Having found the perfect response at the end of the first half, Tottenham made a superb start to the second, Doherty stooping to head home Kane's cross at the back post after 48 minutes.

The much-improved hosts effectively ended the contest after 54 minutes, the impressive Son latching on to Kulusevksi's right-footed cross before powering a close-range shot past Dubrakva.

Emerson stabbed home a close-range fourth shortly after the hour mark, before Son missed a glorious one-on-one chance after latching onto Kane's pass. Spurs still found time to add a fifth, with substitute Bergwijn slotting past Dubravka from Lucas Moura's pass to complete the rout.

What does it mean? Spurs boost top-four hopes with quickfire turnaround

Four goals from the 43rd minute to the 63rd minute turned a difficult contest into a rampant win for Conte's men, who have now won five of their last six league games.

Conte's men have also scored two or more goals in each of the six matches, last doing so in more consecutive league games between February and April 2017 (a run of seven).

Son continues home hot streak

Son's goal was his ninth in his last nine league outings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while his tally of 11 home goals cannot be matched by any other Premier League player this term.

This is the first campaign in which Son has ever reached double figures for home league goals, as the in-form South Korea international continues to play a crucial role in Spurs' top-four charge.

Davies ends long drought with help from creative Son

Davies' equaliser represented his first Premier League goal since September 2017 (against Huddersfield), and ended the Wales man's run of 108 league appearances without netting.

Meanwhile, Son's assist was his 45th in the Premier League, matching the tally Aaron Lennon managed for Spurs in the competition. Only Darren Anderton (68) and Christian Eriksen (62) now have more for the club.

What's next? 

Tottenham's next Premier League outing sees them travel to Aston Villa for an early evening kick-off next Saturday, while Newcastle will host Wolves on Friday.

Everton's players are in "dreamland" and the squad are suffering from a significant lack of leadership, says Tim Howard.

Frank Lampard's team lost again on the road on Sunday, going down 2-1 to West Ham in another blow to their chances of staying up.

Just three points separate Everton from the bottom three, and the Toffees still have to face fellow strugglers Burnley and Watford away from home, where they have taken just six points all season.

Since the start of October, Everton have won the fewest points in the top flight (12) and are the only side in the division to not win an away game in that timeframe (P11 D2 L9), while Lampard is the club's first manager in the Premier League era to lose his first four away matches in charge of the club in the competition.

Mason Holgate's deflected strike restored parity at the London Stadium after Aaron Cresswell's free-kick put West Ham ahead, yet Michael Keane and Alex Iwobi then combined to undo Everton's hard work.

Michail Antonio pounced on the error and Jarrod Bowen scored from the resulting rebound. Keane – captain of Everton in the absence of Seamus Coleman – later received a second yellow card for a lunge on striker Antonio.

Howard, who played under current West Ham manager David Moyes during a nine-year stint at Goodison Park, was angered by what he saw from Everton's players at full-time.

"I don't see a leader on this team. I see smiles. I see them losing again and I see smiles after the whistle," said Howard, who is a pundit on the USA Network.

"I see no urgency, no one running to get the ball, chasing it, kicking up the pitch. It's as if they're in dreamland that they're not in this thing.

"[There is] lack of leadership. Three red cards in the last three games. You have to basically say to each other, 'We can't even win a game with 11 players, don't you dare get sent off', and it just keeps happening."

Everton have had a player sent off in each of their last three Premier League games, matching a record in the competition for successive matches by a team with a player having been shown red. It had previously occurred on 10 occasions.

Lampard was only given his marching orders three times across his entire Premier League playing career, and Everton are the first Premier League side to have a player see red in three games in a row since Watford in December 2017.

Everton have made eight errors leading to goals in the Premier League, at least three more than any other team this season, and Howard questioned why Keane – who picked up his first booking for fouling Antonio before half-time – was even kept on the pitch by Lampard.

"You have to protect your team, knowing that it was a rash challenge, he hasn't been in the best of form," Howard said.

"He's giving you the right opportunity to say, 'Sorry Michael, you're coming off, I have to put somebody on who I know can finish the game'."

While West Ham boosted their hopes of pushing for the Champions League, Everton stay 17th, with that huge Burnley clash at Turf Moor next up on Wednesday.

Everton lost Donny van de Beek to injury in the warm-up, with Lampard confirming the on-loan midfielder would be assessed before the trip to face the Clarets.

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand questioned Marcus Rashford's future with the Red Devils after the forward was only a substitute against Leicester City.

Ralf Rangnick's side, who were without Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, limped to a 1-1 draw on Sunday with Fred cancelling out Kelechi Iheanacho's opener at Old Trafford.

Rashford was named on the bench despite the absence of the United attacking pair, with midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba preferred up top before the England international was introduced in the 55th minute.

The 24-year-old offered little after coming on, failing to register a single shot in his 35-minute cameo, winning none of his three duels and managing just 14 touches for the underwhelming hosts.

Indeed, Rashford has started just five Premier League games since Rangnick's arrival in December, racking up a meagre 564 minutes from the 12 top-flight appearances he has made under the German.

Rangnick justified his decision after the game as he cited a lack of confidence for Rashford, who has scored a league-high four goals from the bench, but Ferdinand questioned the reluctance to trust the striker.

"What Rashford must be thinking now – wow," Ferdinnd said on his YouTube channel FIVE. "Maybe there's a new contract negotiation behind the scenes but if you're him, you're thinking, 'How can I stay here?'.

"You're thinking, 'This gaffer does not fancy me. How can I sign this contract when the team would rather play without a striker than play with me?'.

"I'm not saying he's been perfect. If I'm Rashford, I'm thinking this guy doesn't rate me if he's going to play two midfielders up front.

"He hasn't played well enough to be selected if Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani are fit. It's a different case when he's going into a game with no striker.

"How bad must he be in training? How badly must he rate him to go into a game like that?"

United dropped further ground in the race for Champions League qualification, currently sitting three points adrift of fourth place, with the Red Devils' next clash coming at strugglers Everton on Saturday.

The Ricketts family have pledged to never involve Chelsea in a European Super League, in a statement released by the prospective buyers of the West London club.

Chelsea were one of six Premier League sides to sign up to the ill-fated launch of the Super League in April 2021, with Stamford Bridge the scene of fierce fan protests after the club's involvement was announced.

The Ricketts family, who own Major League Baseball outfit the Chicago Cubs, are looking to buy the club after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government last month.

Furthermore, the family pledged to put diversity and inclusion "at the heart" of their prospective regime after their bid was subject to protests from Chelsea fans.

A statement containing a list of eight "specific commitments" has been released by the family in an attempt to persuade supporters of their ability to protect Chelsea's heritage and build for future success.

"Over the past fortnight, the Ricketts Family has met with several Chelsea supporter groups and carefully listened to all their feedback," the statement began.

"As we enter the next phase of the process, we are sharing a list of specific commitments that give fans a pivotal role in protecting Chelsea's heritage and building for future success.

"We will continue to discuss our ambitions for the club with fans and the wider football community in the coming days."

The first of the eight commitments made by the family pledged never to make changes to the club's name, badge, or colours without the consent of supporters, while point two addressed future participation in a revived Super League.

The prospective buyers promised to "never participate in a European Super League and always protect the integrity and heritage of Chelsea Football Club."

Chelsea Technical Director Petr Cech was forced to confront angry protesters outside the club's stadium last April, with hundreds of fans gathering to demand the Blues' withdrawal from the short-lived project. 

Meanwhile, point four on the list of commitments addressed concerns around diversity and inclusivity, with a "NoToRicketts" campaign gaining traction on social media after accusations of Islamophobia were made against family head Joe Ricketts.

A recent poll by the Chelsea Supporters trust found that 72% of respondents did not have confidence that the family would "run an inclusive and successful club", after Ricketts referred to Muslims as his "enemy" in a 2019 email.

The statement, however, promised that the family would "put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club and fight against any form of discrimination or inequality" if the bid was successful.

Several other promises were made, relating to investment in the first team, exploring the potential redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, and increasing funding for Chelsea Women.

The list also pledged the creation of an "advisory committee" featuring former players, fans' representatives and community leaders to be involved in the club's decision-making processes. 

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has suggested out-of-favour striker Romelu Lukaku may have to leave Chelsea with the World Cup in Qatar on the horizon.

Chelsea forked out a club-record fee that was reported to be £97.5million (€115m) to take Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter last August.

Lukaku's second spell with Chelsea has not gone to plan so far, though, and the 28-year-old did not do himself any favours by telling Sky Sport Italia that he was unhappy with his situation with the European champions after losing his place in the side.

The former Everton and Manchester United frontman remains out of favour, having scored only 12 goals in 35 appearances this season under Thomas Tuchel.

Martinez hinted that the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer may have to seek pastures new if he is unable to force his way back into the Blues side, so he is firing on all cylinders in Qatar later this year.

"We are talking about players, like Romelu, who have got over 100 caps and are part of this group of players who know the national team inside out," the Spaniard told The Sun.

"I'm not going to judge or assess the condition of any player until after the summer because it is not a normal situation.

"It is still seven months to the World Cup and probably you will go into the details of how a player feels when it gets closer to it than now.

"But there will be a lot of players who change clubs or are going to feel in a different way in the summer.

"Romelu needs to be assessed on how he feels in September, the same way Eden Hazard does and some others.

"But he is one of the players for whom the summer could be a big moment for their careers."

Martinez, however, says Lukaku is ready to fight for his place in Tuchel's team.

He added: "We always speak. I have a very close relationship with all my players. I would never tell a player what to do but we always share thoughts.

"At the moment Romelu is in a good place. He is so committed.

"He was delighted to win the Club World Cup and the next step is to finish the season strong with Chelsea and make sure he can feel very important."

Chelsea's midfield targets in the upcoming transfer window have left a potential opening for Real Madrid in pursuit of N'Golo Kante.

The France international reportedly knocked back a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the January window, but midfield rejuvenation is a priority for Madrid.

While Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos have been mainstays in the middle at the Santiago Bernabeu, Kante would bring new energy to the Spanish giants.

TOP STORY – KANTE LINED UP AS REAL MADRID SOLUTION

The transfer market domino effect could lead Kante to Madrid, AS has reported.

While both Madrid and Chelsea are in the race to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, the Blues also have an interest in Declan Rice, which could open up the possibility of Kante leaving.

The 31-year-old is coming into the final year of his contract, leaving Madrid with potential leverage to force Chelsea's hand.

While Kante has seen extensive time on the sidelines this season, missing game time through a combination of COVID-19, groin and knee troubles, he could be Madrid's top target if they fail to land Tchouameni.

ROUND-UP

– Barcelona are keen to sign 30-year-old Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season, Sport reports.

– Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is confident the club will be able to keep Antonio Rudiger alongside Cesar Azpilicueta, who triggered a contract extension, per Goal.

– Bild is reporting Bayern Munich have commenced talks over a new deal for Thomas Muller, with his contract expiring at the end of next season.

– Erik ten Hag is the favourite to become the new Manchester United manager, with the Ajax coach seeing a move to the Premier League as a progression in his career, according to Sport1.

With the final international break of the season done and dusted, it was back to Premier League action on Saturday as teams prepare for the all-important run-in.

Having not had any changes of leader since the turn of the year, it was a novelty to see it change twice in one day, albeit with a familiar look at the end as Liverpool and Manchester City both recorded wins.

Something far less routine happened at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea were clobbered by Brentford, while there was also a win for Wolves against Aston Villa and draws at Brighton and Hove Albion, Leeds and Manchester United.

Stats Perform takes a look at some key Opta facts from a selection of the day's games…

Liverpool 2-0 Watford: Jota the slotter strikes again

It was a nervy afternoon at Anfield as Liverpool looked to leapfrog City to the top of the table.

Despite a determined performance from Roy Hodgson's Hornets, a first-half header from Diogo Jota and a late penalty from Fabinho secured the three points for the Reds.

It sent Jurgen Klopp's men to the top of the Premier League for the first time since December, albeit they were back to second later on after City's own win.

Liverpool are back in the title race after having won 10 consecutive Premier League games, becoming just the second side to embark on such a run on five separate occasions after City (also five).

It was another goal for Jota, his 20th of the season, and since making his Liverpool debut in September 2020, the Portugal international has scored more headed goals (nine) than any other player for a Premier League club in all competitions.

Burnley 0-2 Manchester City: Citizens retain top spot

Despite being displaced by their rivals, City eased to victory against Sean Dyche's side to take back their top spot just a couple of hours after losing it.

First-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan saw Pep Guardiola's men to the win, continuing their exemplary record against Burnley.

This made it 14 wins from their last 15 games against the Clarets in all competitions (D1), winning each of their last 10 by an aggregate scoreline of 34-1.

City are the only side yet to drop a single point from a winning position in the Premier League this season, winning all 23 games in which they have led. No side has ever gone through an entire Premier League campaign without dropping points when ahead before.

Aymeric Laporte made his 100th Premier League appearance, picking up his 82nd win – the most wins by a player in their first 100 games in the competition's history.

Chelsea 1-4 Brentford: Tuchel's men toppled

It has been a turbulent time for Chelsea off the field, but until now they had kept their on-field form in check.

Brentford had other ideas at Stamford Bridge as they came from 1-0 down to ease to their first victory in nine meetings against the Blues in all competitions since a 3-1 away win in the top-flight in February 1939.

Chelsea went ahead thanks to an Antonio Rudiger piledriver from 39.6 yards, which was Chelsea's longest range Premier League goal since Frank Lampard against Wigan in January 2007 (45.1 yards).

However, goals from Vitaly Janelt (two), Christian Eriksen and Yoane Wissa turned things around to make it just the second time Chelsea have conceded four or more goals in the Premier League at home to a newly promoted side (also under Thomas Tuchel in the 5-2 defeat against West Brom in April 2021).

Eriksen scored his first Premier League goal since December 2019. He has now been directly involved in eight goals (three goals, five assists) against Chelsea in the competition, with all three goals arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United 1-1 Leicester City: Ronaldo-less Red Devils' top four hopes dealt another blow

It felt like an ominous sign for United when Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of their game against Leicester through illness.

Ralf Rangnick's side ultimately rescued a draw having fallen behind to Kelechi Iheanacho's header, with Fred following in from a Bruno Fernandes shot, but it was still two points dropped in the race for the top four.

United have now won just one of their last six games in all competitions (D3 L2), after winning four and drawing three of the seven before that.

Fred is the seventh player to score on their 100th Premier League appearance for the Red Devils, and the first since Marcus Rashford did so, also against Leicester, in February 2019.

James Maddison laid on the assist for Iheanacho, and has now been directly involved in 21 goals in all competitions this season (13 goals, eight assists), four more than any other Leicester player; only in 2017-18 with Norwich has he been involved in more goals in a single campaign (26 – 15 goals, 11 assists).

Gary Neville said being left out of a depleted Manchester United attack will have "killed" Marcus Rashford after the Red Devils laboured to a 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

Despite Ralf Rangnick's side being without Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani through illness and injury, Rashford remained on the bench for the first 55 minutes as United's top-four hopes were dented by the Foxes.

Rashford has recorded just four goals and two assists during a frustrating Premier League campaign, making half of his 20 league appearances from the bench.

Indeed, all four of the 24-year-old's league goals this season have come from the bench, a league-high tally, and Rashford was left out of Gareth Southgate's latest England squad as a result of his poor form.

Acknowledging Rashford's recent slump, Neville questioned what being left out of such a depleted Red Devils team said for the striker's role at the club, during a stark assessment of United's display.

"I was struggling with it [the system] before the game, without a centre-forward," Neville told Sky Sports.

"That's killed Marcus Rashford, not playing in that team.

"I know he's been in poor form, I know he's lacked confidence, but for Cristiano Ronaldo to pull out this morning, and then for Paul Pogba to be put in to change the system, not to just put Marcus Rashford in as a straight swap, after he's trained with the players for the last 10 days.

"Overall, there are too many things at this club that are uncertain: talks about Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cavani, the new manager, Ralf Rangnick – is he going to be a consultant at the end of the season, or is he not?

"They just need to get to the end of the season, but it isn't going to be easy. Everybody's watching, it's Manchester United and there's no hiding place. It was so flat today."

The interim boss, however, defended his decision to bench Rashford, who did not take a shot after entering the fray as a substitute, and said his selection of Pogba in a more advanced role was a tactical choice.

"The only one [striker] we had was Marcus," Rangnick told Sky Sports. "We knew this morning Cristiano could not play and decided to start Paul Pogba.

"After 60 minutes we made the change and had a central striker on the pitch. It's no secret that he [Rashford] was not full of confidence in the last couple of weeks.

"He was training with us, and in training he is looking well. That was the question yesterday, between Paul and Marcus, and we decided to go with Paul."

United have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions, recording three draws and two defeats during that run, having won four and drawn three of their previous seven.

Ralf Rangnick labelled Harry Maguire's performance in Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Leicester City "flawless" after the defender was booed while playing for England, as Bruno Fernandes suggested the media were partly responsible.

Interim United manager Rangnick also praised the reception given to Maguire by the Old Trafford faithful, with the 29-year-old having been booed during England's friendly against Ivory Coast on Tuesday.

Maguire has attracted criticism for his displays in a United defence that has kept just seven Premier League clean sheets this season, a tally worse than nine other top-flight sides.

Rangnick, however, was impressed with Maguire's solid display against his former team on Saturday.

"The reaction of our supporters [to Maguire] was as it always is," Rangnick told Sky Sports.

"They are one of the best [fanbases], if not the best, in England. 

"Harry played well, he had a flawless game today both defensively and offensively. It was a solid performance from him."

Midfielder Fernandes came to his team-mate's defence, claiming the media's coverage of Maguire's displays could have contributed to the jeers heard at Wembley.

"It's tough that your own country boos you in a game for the national team," Fernandes told Sky Sports. "It's maybe because of the media. 

"It wasn't because of his performance, he played really well in that game. Sometimes the media should think a little bit more when they do things."

Maguire's display may have been perfect in the eyes of Rangnick, but it did not help United claim three much-needed points against Leicester.

Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring for the visitors before Fred equalised, though VAR spared United's blushes when James Maddison had a goal disallowed in a game that ultimately finished 1-1.

United have won just one of their last six games in all competitions and are three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played two games more.

Rangnick's team are also winless in their last four league meetings with Leicester, having won seven of the previous eight.

Though their chances of securing Champions League qualification look slim, with West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham all still to play, Rangnick has pledged to fight hard.

"The second half was the better one," he said. "I think for most of the first half we were struggling to find our rhythm, maybe because of the long [international] break.

"The second half was better, but giving a goal away on a transitional moment didn't make it easy.

"I think the reaction after the goal we conceded was good, we came back and scored a goal, then had two or three good moments where we could have scored the winning goal, but we didn't.

"In the end we are not happy with the result, but the second half was okay.

"As long as it [fourth place] is possible mathematically, it is possible. It is our job and duty to do our best to finish on the best possible note."

Thomas Tuchel denied Chelsea's upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid provided a distraction after watching his team fall to a 4-1 loss to Brentford on Saturday.

The Blues opened the scoring three minutes after half-time through Antonio Rudiger, but a stunning Brentford comeback condemned them to their first Premier League defeat since January 15, as Christian Eriksen and Yoane Wissa added to Vitaly Janelt's brace.

Chelsea's remarkable collapse saw them concede four or more goals at home to a newly promoted side for just the second time in Premier League history, with the previous occasion also coming under Tuchel's management in a 5-2 loss to West Bromwich Albion in April 2021.

With the European champions due to host Madrid in a huge quarter-final contest on Wednesday, Tuchel made four changes to his side, but was adamant that nobody at Stamford Bridge had looked any further ahead than their clash with the Bees.

"We selected the team because we thought it was the best team against Brentford," Tuchel insisted. "Not with half an eye, or one percent of one, on Real Madrid.

"It's more difficult for us than them to play as the underdog and be well prepared for this match. We are well prepared, but had one half of a training session [after the return of Chelsea's internationals].

"It is more difficult, but in the context of all this I am okay with the first half. The half-time speech was like this, a reminder to keep on going.

"We started very well [in the second half]. I did not see the distraction there, so why should we be distracted and think about Real Madrid when we are one goal ahead?

"Maybe it was the general feeling that now we are ahead and have it [which led to the turnaround], and we got punished for that."

Brentford's stunning triumph represents the joint-biggest away Premier League victory managed by a newly promoted team against a side starting the day in the top three of the table, alongside Leeds United's 3-0 win at Aston Villa in October 2020.

Despite accusing his team of having "stopped defending" in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Tuchel said he would not make a "drama" of the shock result, putting it down as a one-off.

"It seems like it [a blip]," he added. "After so many wins and so many good results, I will now refuse to make a drama out of it. 

"Why should we? Brentford made a lot of the ten minutes we gave them. After the third goal, we had a disallowed goal, a pressing situation against the goalkeeper, and another big chance from Kai Havertz. 

"We missed all three of them and there was a feeling that it wasn't our day, so it's a mixture of everything. 

"We will dig in and try to find out why it was like this. It's hard to take because it's very unusual for us, what happened today. [But] we will refocus on Monday."

Manchester United's hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four were further dented as they were held 1-1 by Leicester City, who were denied a winner by VAR.

United were without Cristiano Ronaldo due to illness and Ralf Rangnick's decision to go without a recognised striker did not pay off for large parts of Saturday's contest at Old Trafford.

The hosts found themselves behind when former Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho headed in from a James Maddison cross, but Fred levelled just three minutes later.

Maddison thought he had struck a winner 10 minutes from time, though it was ruled out for an Iheanacho foul on Raphael Varane in the build-up, following the intervention of VAR.

Harvey Barnes was wayward on a few occasions in an underwhelming first half that saw United go closest to scoring when Kasper Schmeichel stretched out a leg to deny Bruno Fernandes.

Rangnick held off from changing things too drastically until introducing Marcus Rashford for Scott McTominay with 55 minutes played, coinciding with the game sparking into life.

Leicester opened the scoring when Iheanacho got in front of substitute Alex Telles and guided in Maddison's delivery.

United's response was a quick one, with Fred lashing into the roof of the net after Schmeichel helped Fernandes' powerful drive into the midfielder's path.

Leicester thought they had won it when Maddison beat David de Gea at his front post, only for VAR to adjudge Iheanacho had kicked Varane's leg from under him.

United came close to making their good fortune count, but Jadon Sancho snatched at a chance before James Justin denied Rashford a stoppage-time tap-in.

Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City they must not expect Liverpool to drop any points before the end of the season – apart from when they visit the Etihad Stadium next weekend.

The City manager saw his side win 2-0 at Burnley on Saturday to return to the top of the Premier League, after being deposed for a couple of hours by Jurgen Klopp's Reds.

First-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan gave City the points at Turf Moor, with this their third successive 2-0 victory over Burnley.

"We got the points and there are eight games left... 24 [points]," said Guardiola.

"Hopefully Liverpool are going to lose against us, but apart from that I don't think they're going to drop points. We have to feel this pressure, live it and handle it. We have to win eight games, otherwise we will not be champions."

Guardiola's objective is to keep the minds of his players away from the prospects of winning trophies, and drilled to focus on the importance of the next game. For City, the next task now is a Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

"We have to feel the pressure," Guardiola said. "We have to concentrate on the Champions League, then we have five days to prepare for Liverpool."

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added: "To be honest, we don't speak much about being contenders to be champions this season."

City were always expected to come out on top at Turf Moor against a relegation-threatened side, given they had won their past nine meetings with Burnley in all competitions by an aggregate score of 32-1.

Guardiola lamented City not bolstering their goal difference even further as they failed to put away any of their 12 shots in the second half, while he said Burnley's grass was long and made his team's task a challenge.

Raheem Sterling provided assists for both goals, and his performance pleased Guardiola, as did the fact the forward got to captain England against Ivory Coast during the international break.

"Raheem came back from the national team, with the boost of a goal and being the captain for England," Guardiola said. "We saw today how decisive he was with all the decisions, and he played with the assists from the right side, and showed speed and everything.

“I have the feeling he is arriving in a really good moment.”

It was a win that contained several City landmarks, with De Bruyne becoming the 10th City player to reach 200 Premier League appearances, with only Fernandinho (140) picking up more victories in his first 200 Premier League games for the club than the Belgian (139).

Gundogan's goal was his 34th in the Premier League for City, making him the outright highest-scoring German in the competition's history, overtaking former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.

Thomas Tuchel said Chelsea "stopped defending" as Brentford ran riot in a sensational 4-1 derby victory at Stamford Bridge.

Brentford stunned the European champions on Saturday, emphatically securing a first win over their west London rivals since 1939.

Antonio Rudiger's long-range thunderbolt put the Blues in front early in the second half, but Thomas Frank's side hit back with three goals in the space of 10 minutes.

Vitaly Janelt struck twice either side of Christian Eriksen's first goal for Brentford and Yoane Wissa added a fourth in the closing stages just after coming on.

Chelsea had won five consecutive games since Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale, but they were picked off time and again as rampant Brentford moved 11 points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

Blues head coach Tuchel felt his side's performance was out of character ahead of a Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

He told BBC Sport: "Nobody saw it coming, especially after going 1-0 ahead. It was very untypical of us. But we stopped defending. We were not aware of enough of the danger, were sloppy with the defending and got punished.

"They made the most of it in those 10 minutes. Right after their third goal we had 10 minutes where we had big, big chances and we missed them.

"They were lucky and clinical enough to get three goals. We did not defend like it is needed to in the Premier League and got punished."

Tuchel had expected third-placed Chelsea to be vulnerable in their first game back after the international break.

He explained: "The start was not a surprise because we came from all over the world from national duty so I expected it to take time. The first 25 minutes we looked a bit leggy and needed to find rhythm.

"The opponent defended deep with 10 men behind the ball, so you need a shot or action to open the game, which we did. Then we gave the game away very cheaply."

Chelsea will now regroup before doing battle with LaLiga leaders Madrid at Stamford Bridge in midweek.

"It is not about Real Madrid. It is about us. It is one day off now and on Monday we start again," he said.

Jurgen Klopp knows his team must continue winning to keep the Premier League title race alive after recording a 10th consecutive league victory against Watford.

The Reds briefly went top of the Premier League after the 2-0 victory at Anfield thanks to a first-half header from Diogo Jota and a late penalty from Fabinho.

Klopp acknowledged that any question about moving ahead of Manchester City by two points would be null and void after discovering Pep Guardiola's men had already taken the lead at Burnley before he had even started his post-game media conference. The reigning champions, who host Liverpool nextwent on to win 2-0 at Turf Moor.

Klopp told reporters: "No, you can't give an inch, but it's nothing to do with being on top of the table, I didn't think about that in the moment, I was just happy to win the game and having now 72 points.

"To keep it a title race we have to win our football games, otherwise it will be really tricky. And the next Premier League game obviously is a big one [against City], we do not hide from that. It's all good. But now we have a Champions League game to play, which is as important, and three days' time to prepare that. Then we go from there."

Liverpool were not at their best against the Hornets but secured the three points and another clean sheet, meaning they have now kept five consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for a second time under Klopp, previously doing so in January 2020 (a run of seven).

Part of the backline today was Joe Gomez, making just his second league start of the season, and Klopp was pleased with the 24-year-old's efforts filling in at right back.

"He did really well and he could have set up a second goal in the second half, the cross was an incredible one as well.

"Defensively we don't have to talk, offensively some really good moments and some not-so-good moments because you see the positioning against a deep-sitting opponent, it is not so easy to find the right position in these moments and we are usually a bit more flexible, but it’s all fine.

"Joe is an outstanding football player and he will play a lot of games during his career, 100 per cent, he will play here a lot of games definitely. This season was tricky so far for him, but who knows how these things can change. He is obviously ready to use the opportunity when he gets it."

Gomez's accurate ball in the 22nd minute found the head of Jota, who grabbed his 20th goal of the campaign.

The Portugal international also had words of praise for Gomez, telling Liverpool's official website: "I spoke with Joey before the game, I said: 'You are going to get an assist today!' I remember against Nottingham [Forest] he had a few crosses that I couldn't get on the end of, but I was confident for today and fortunately for us it happened.

"It's the first time in my career that I reach 20 [goals], so just keep on going because we still have plenty to play for."

No player has scored the opening goal in more Premier League games this season than Jota, with Liverpool going on to win all six games in which he has opened the scoring for them.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not part of Manchester United's squad for Saturday's Premier League home game with Leicester City due to illness.

The 37-year-old played both World Cup qualifying play-off games for Portugal during the international break, but he was struck down by flu on Friday and was not ready to face City.

Ronaldo has scored 18 goals in all competitions since returning to United in August, with 12 of those in the Premier League, including a hat-trick against Tottenham in his most recent outing in the competition.

Confirming the reason behind Ronaldo's absence, Rangnick told MUTV pre-match: "He had some flu-like symptoms before training yesterday and didn't feel well enough to train.

"We sent our doctor to his home this morning to check if he felt any better, but he didn't, so he's not in the starting XI as he was supposed to be."

Prior to the visit of Leicester, United had failed to win any of the five top-flight matches they had started without Ronaldo since the five-time Ballon d'Or winner rejoined.

Despite the absence of Ronaldo, and with Edinson Cavani again being ruled out through injury, Marcus Rashford had to settle for a place among the substitutes.

Rangnick instead went with the same system and side that started last month's 4-1 loss to Manchester City when Ronaldo was last absent.

Captain Harry Maguire, jeered by a section of England supporters during a friendly in midweek, retained his place in defence.

As for Leicester, who had won their past three games against United in all competitions, they paired Wesley Fofana and former Red Devils man Jonny Evans together in defence for the first time this season.