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RUDIGER, JORGINHO ON TARGET AS CHELSEA EDGE LEICESTER CITY TO CLIMB UP TO THIRD POSITION

Second-half goals from Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho earned Chelsea a crucial victory over Leicester City that took them above their visitors into third place.

Chelsea had the better of the first-half chances at Stamford Bridge, with Ben Chilwell firing across goal early on and Timo Werner having one goal disallowed for handball and another for offside.

Rudiger eventually broke the deadlock two minutes after the break, tucking the ball home after Chilwell’s corner was deflected into his path.

The hosts were then awarded a penalty after a Video Assistant Referee review for a Wesley Fofana foul on Werner, which had originally been awarded as a free-kick. Jorginho sent Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way from 12 yards.

Leicester substitute Kelechi Iheanacho benefited from Wilfred Ndidi’s pressing to reduce the arrears 14 minutes from time and Ayoze Perez had a presentable late chance to grab an equaliser, but he fired over.

Chelsea held on to claim a victory that takes their points tally to 67, one more than Leicester’s 66.

The Foxes slip to fourth with one match remaining, and will drop to fifth if Liverpool beat Burnley on Wednesday.

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EDERSON MAKES HISTORY AFTER WINNING SECOND SUCCESSIVE PREMIER LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE

Ederson has retained the Golden Glove, winning the 2020/21 award after moving out of reach of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Manchester City’s No 1 has 18 clean sheets, two more than Mendy, and now cannot be caught on the final day.

While the Brazilian was beaten three times in a 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, Mendy was unable to capitalise and close the gap, conceding in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City.

Ederson becomes only the third goalkeeper to win the prize in successive campaigns, after Liverpool’s Pepe Reina and former Man City player Joe Hart.

The bulk of Ederson’s shutouts came in a phenomenal 10-week spell between late November and early February, when he conceded just one goals in 12 Premier League matches.

He has beaten his winning total from last season, when he managed 16 shutouts.

Indeed, with a match still to play against Everton on Sunday, his tally of 18 clean sheets is the joint second-highest recorded in the last 13 seasons, only being eclipsed by the 21 of his countryman Alisson in 2018/19.

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EMOTIONAL ALISSON BECKER DEDICATES DRAMATIC GOAL TO HIS LATE FATHER

An emotional Alisson Becker fought back tears after the goalkeeper’s stoppage-time header clinched Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 win at West Brom.

The Brazil international glanced Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner past Sam Johnstone at the death to score a shock goal that moved the Reds to within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea with two Premier League games left.

Alisson dedicated his goal to his father, Jose Agostinho Becker, who drowned near his home in Brazil in February.

“I’m too emotional,” Alisson told Sky Sports. “This last month for everything that happened with me, with my family, but football is my life, the places, everything I remember as a human being.

“With my father, I hope he was here to see it, but I’m sure he was seeing, with God at his side, celebrating.”

Alisson, unable to return to Brazil following his father’s death due to the coronavirus pandemic, also said his goal was for his family and team-mates.

“What a fight,” Alisson said. “Sometimes we are fighting and fighting and things are just not happening like this afternoon here and just scoring this goal, I’m really happy to help them because we fight a lot together.

“We have a goal to achieve the Champions League because we won it once and everything started with the qualification, so I can’t be more happy than I am now.”

He joked it was the best goal he had scored, adding: “It was the perfect time. The cross was brilliant again. I just tried to put my head on the ball and I think it was one of the best goals I’ve scored!

“I’m really happy. I don’t have too many words, I just have to say thank you to the players because they fight a lot. We fight a lot.”

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BUNDESLIGA: DORTMUND SEALS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT WITH SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the Champions League for next season as Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt scored in a 3-1 win at Mainz on Sunday.

Three days after routing Leipzig 4-1 to win the German Cup final, Dortmund swept aside Mainz in the league.

Guerreiro and captain Reus hit first-half goals before Germany winger Brandt made sure of the three points with a late effort.

Mainz striker Robin Quaison claimed his 30th Bundesliga goal by netting a 90th-minute penalty.

Qualifying for Europe caps a remarkable turnaround by Dortmund in the last six weeks.

They were fifth and seven points from the Champions League places after losing 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in early April.

Dortmund have since won all six league games to guarantee a place next season in the group stages of the Champions League.

Dortmund’s purple patch has extended to the German Cup, winning Thursday’s final after Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland both scored twice in Berlin. Qualifying for Europe also reduces the chance of star striker Haaland leaving at the end of the season. The 20-year-old has made no secret of the fact he wants Champions League football and his agent Mino Raiola has recently fuelled speculation the Norwegian could leave.

Haaland has a contract until 2024, but there is reportedly a release clause which becomes active in 2022.

Dortmund are adamant he is staying, with sports director Michael Zorc insisting Haaland “will play for us next season” before kick-off Sunday.

In their previous home game, Mainz pulled off a shock 2-1 win over Bayern Munich but Dortmund allowed no such repeat.

Dortmund took the lead when Guerreiro unleashed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area on 23 minutes.

The visitors kept up the pressure and Dortmund had appeals for a handball turned down when a Reus flick caught the hand of Mainz defender Alexander Hack.

Reus got on the scoresheet when Sancho ghosted past defenders and squared the ball for his captain to tap home three minutes from the break.

There was a ten-minute delay to the second-half after a storm drenched the Mainz pitch, but Dortmund picked up where they left off.

Just after coming on, Brandt fired home having combined with Haaland after the pair opened up the Mainz defence ten minutes from the whistle.

There was still time for Quaison to put away his 30th Bundesliga goal from the penalty spot to become his club’s all-time top scorer in Germany’s top flight.

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REAL MADRID KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITH WIN AT ATHLETICO BILBAO

Real Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The win gives Zinedine Zidane’s men 81 points with one game to play — two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid who rallied to a late victory against Osasuna to stay atop the standings heading into the final matchday.

The result ensures the neck-and-neck title race will be decided next Sunday, when Real host Villarreal and Atletico travel to Valladolid.

It took some time, but Real finally got their critical goal in the 68th minute. After some fine work from Casemiro — who’d hit the crossbar with a header minutes earlier — Nacho bundled home with his knee at the far post after the Brazilian dragged a cross past two defenders and found the unsuspecting goal scorer unmarked.

The win comes after sources told ESPN that the Bernabeu club are expecting Zidane to leave his post at season’s end, with Massimiliano Allegri and club legend Raul leading the shortlist to replace the Frenchman.

“Obviously we wanted to win, and for Atleti to drop points, but there’s a long way to go still,” Nacho said.

“They came back to win at the death and that shows things aren’t easy. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and see how it goes next time out [against Villarreal next Sunday].

“You can see how tough it was for them to win. In the game of football anything can happen, we need to fight until the last, that’s our job.

“It’s a tough place to come and win. Bilbao give up few chances, but we were great in defence. It was more difficult up top, but we were compact and we got the three points which is all that matters.”

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SUAREZ SCORES LATE WINNER AS ATLETICO BEAT OSASUNA TO MOVE CLOSER TO LA LIGA TITLE

Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards the La Liga title in dramatic circumstances by fighting their way back to beat Osasuna 2-1 at home on Sunday thanks to a late strike from Luis Suarez.

Atletico dominated the game and hit the woodwork twice in the first half before having two goals ruled out for offside but fell behind in the 76th minute when a bullet header from Ante Budimir crossed the line before Jan Oblak could punch it away.

Atletico hit back with an emphatic finish from substitute Renan Lodi in the 82nd minute while top scorer Suarez completed the comeback by firing home from inside the area in the 88th.

Diego Simeone’s side nearly conceded an equaliser deep into added time though when Chimy Avila caught sight of goal but Oblak got across to parry before grabbing the ball with both hands.

The victory took Atletico on to 83 points after 37 games, two ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico visit Real Valladolid on the final day of the season next Sunday while Real host Villarreal.

As they had done in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, Atletico came flying out of the blocks in search of a goal to put their minds at ease.

Defender Mario Hermoso even tried his luck from his own half in the opening minutes but failed to catch out Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera, who comfortably saved from Yannick Carrasco moments later.

Atletico’s first clear chance fell to Suarez but the Uruguayan scuffed his shot inside the area and Herrera saved well. Suarez then wasted an even more glaring effort, hitting the post from only a few metres out with Herrera beaten.

The visiting keeper made his fourth save in the first half to keep out a shot from Angel Correa while he was beaten by a long range strike from Saul Niguez but the shot kissed the outside of the post.

Atletico continued to search hungrily for an opening in the second half but the nerves seemed to be setting in and they could not keep their composure in front of goal.

They did manage to find the net when Stefan Savic knocked in a free kick but the goal was ruled out for offside while Carrasco also netted a few minutes later only to have his effort chalked off.

The title looked to be slipping from Atletico’s fingers when Croatian forward Budimir beat Oblak, just as Real took the lead in Bilbao.

But Simeone’s side responded perfectly with two goals in the space of six minutes.

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BARCELONA TITLE CHASE ENDS IN SHOCK DEFEAT TO CELTA VIGO

Barcelona’s hopes of winning La Liga ended as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Celta Vigo on Sunday.

That result, coupled with Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win over Osasuna, means Barca fall seven points off top with a game to play.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a well-placed header from Sergio Busquets’ pinpoint pass. That strike means Messi has scored more than 30 league goals in a season for the ninth time in his career.

But Celta were level 10 minutes later through Santi Mina, who scored from the visitors’ first effort on goal.

Barca were reduced to 10 men late on when Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card but the real drama was still to come as Mina scored in the 89th minute to secure an unlikely victory for Celta.

“We hope that won’t be his last game here at the Camp Nou, but it’s a decision he needs to make,” defender Jordi Alba said.

“We were really good in the first half, they didn’t really create much and took their one chance when they got it.

“We had the game under control but in the second half just lost our heads a bit. They play really good football, they made it difficult for us and their second goal is unlucky for us.”

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GOALKEEPER ALISSON BECKER HEADS IN LATE WINNER AT WESTBROM AS LIVERPOOL STAY IN TOP FOUR HUNT

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker headed a dramatic stoppage-time winner at West Brom to keep Liverpool’s Champions League hopes alive.

Just as the Reds’ top-four chances looked virtually over, the Brazil international glanced in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner to clinch a 2-1 win.

He was mobbed by his team-mates after his shock goal moved Liverpool to within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea with two Premier League games left.

Mohamed Salah had earlier cancelled out Hal Robson-Kanu’s first top-flight goal for almost four years.

Roberto Firmino hit the post and Sadio Mane had a goal disallowed for offside as relegated Albion gave as good as they got.

Kyle Bartley saw his goal ruled out as the Baggies nearly caused an upset before Alisson’s late heroics.

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TOTTENHAM TOPPLE WOLVES TO BOOST EUROPA LEAGUE HOPES

Tottenham strengthened their European qualification hopes with a 2-0 win over Wolves which moved them into the top six.

Harry Kane opened the scoring with a goal that advanced his chances of winning the Premier League Golden Boot and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg doubled the lead after the break.

It was Kane’s 22nd goal of the season, taking him back in front of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the race for a prize he has won twice before, while he also hit the post twice.

Spurs can still mathematically make the top four, but Europa League qualification is looking much more likely and a sixth-placed finish is in their own hands with two games to go.

Wolves’ campaign is petering out and this loss condemned them to a bottom-half finish for the first time since their return to the top flight.

Surprisingly, Kane had yet to score since one of his best mates Ryan Mason had taken temporary charge but he was on a mission to put that right from the off.

In the fifth minute he was cursing his luck again as he struck the post with an effort from distance. It was the eighth time he had been denied by the woodwork in the Premier League this term – more than any other player.

Still with something to play for, Spurs were the better side and Wolves’ goal was under regular threat.

Gareth Bale tested Rui Patricio with a wobbling free-kick from distance while Son Heung-min stung the Portugal goalkeeper’s palms with an attempt at the far post.

Kane then had a header cleared off the line by Conor Coady, who seconds later produced another heroic block from Giovani Lo Celso.

But Kane can only be kept at bay for so long and he struck in the 45th minute.

Hojbjerg’s pass set him clear and there was little doubt about the outcome – bar a VAR check for offside – as he expertly delayed his finish to fox Coady and Patricio before rolling into an empty net.

With Gareth Southgate watching, Dele Alli seemed determined to remind the England manager of his talents and it was a good piece of play that almost saw Spurs double their advantage.

He won back possession and then fed in Kane, who hit the woodwork for the ninth time as Patricio superbly tipped onto the upright.

That gave Alli the chance to get on the scoresheet as the rebound fell perfectly for him, but his first-time shot struck the other post.

Tottenham deserved their second goal, and it arrived in the 62nd minute.

Left-back Sergio Reguilon’s determination saw him win the ball high up the pitch, Son teed up Bale, whose first-time shot was parried by Patricio but Hojbjerg made no mistake from the rebound.

Wolves should have reduced their deficit soon after but the disappointing Fabio Silva dragged a shot wide from an inviting position while Adama Traore also shot wide after dancing into the area.

Spurs saw the game out safely as they prepare to welcome their fans back into their game with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

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MITCHELL’S FIRST GOAL HANDS PALACE DRAMATIC COME BACK WIN AGAINST ASTON VILLA

Tyrick Mitchell both scored and assisted for the first time in the Premier League to earn Crystal Palace a comeback 3-2 victory over Aston Villa.

Villa had twice taken a first-half lead at Selhurst Park as John McGinn and Anwar El Ghazi each beat Jack Butland, who was making his first PL appearance for Palace in goal.

Palace’s first equaliser came on 32 minutes when Christian Benteke headed in his third goal in as many matches from a Mitchell cross, before Wilfried Zaha’s deflected effort made it 2-2 with 15 minutes remaining.

Benteke and Eberechi Eze both hit the crossbar in the second half before the latter’s centre was chested in my Mitchell from close range on 84 minutes.

Palace move back above Southampton into 13th position with 44 points, five behind 11th-placed Villa.