Chelsea boost European chances

LONDON, May 5

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Chelsea’s first back-to-back Premier League wins in four months suggest Mauricio Pochettino’s young side are finally finding their feet as they chase what until recently had looked like an unlikely target of European competition next season.

The 5-0 hammering of West Ham United — with Nicolas Jackson scoring twice — represented the second London derby victory in four days for the high-spending but inconsistent Blues, after a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. It was the first time that Chelsea won two league games in a row since a run of three wins spanning December and January, and it was the first time all season that they kept two consecutive clean sheets.

Liverpool back on track

Liverpool finally found some form in a 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in much-loved manager Juergen Klopp’s penultimate game at Anfield.

Strikes from Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott secured a much needed victory for Klopp’s men, who had won one of their previous five league games and seen their title challenge crumble.

Brighton & Hove Albion snapped a six-match winless run when they beat Aston Villa 1-0 at home after Joao Pedro scored an 87th-minute winner in a scrappy affair. — Reuters