Chelsea bolstered their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a 3-1 win as Liverpool suffered a Premier League title hangover at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Premier League having an extra spot in next season's Champions League might ordinarily have given the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea a little more leeway, but the reality is five clubs are chasing three places.
Chelsea climbed back into contention for next season's Champions League with a 1-0 home win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday thanks to a fine first-half strike by Nicolas Jackson.
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer's 16-game goal drought is due to a mental issue rather than a tactical or technical one, manager Enzo Maresca has said.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he would bet on Kai Havertz returning before the end of the season as his recovery from a hamstring injury is ahead of schedule.
Chelsea climbed to fourth place in the Premier League as Enzo Fernandez sealed a 1-0 win that piled pressure on beleaguered Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou on Thursday.
Merino scored in the 20th minute when he stooped to flick his looping header over Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal after a Martin Odegaard corner.
Chelsea returned to the top four of the Premier League on Sunday but made heavy weather of their 1-0 victory over struggling Leicester City, squeezing through with a 60th-minute goal from Spain defender Marc Cucurella.
Maresca's side got back on track after three successive defeats with a dominant display at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City's new signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov will be in the squad for Saturday's league game against Chelsea, boss Pep Guardiola said ahead of the battle between two teams chasing a Champions League spot.
Enzo Maresca's team were just two points behind leaders Liverpool in mid-December, raising hopes of an unlikely title challenge before losing their way.
Ipswich Town put a dent in Chelsea's Premier League title hopes with a 2-0 win at Portman Road on Monday, but the west London side's head coach Enzo Maresca said no one expected his young team to be in their current position this season.
Chelsea's second successive defeat after their Boxing Day loss against Fulham left them without a win in their last three matches.
Fulham scored twice in the final 10 minutes to end Chelsea's 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions with a stunning 2-1 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez struggled to live up to his hefty price tag following his arrival at the club in January last year but the Argentine says his recent upturn in form is down to developing a good understanding with coach Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.
The Blues are third in the English top flight, level on 25 points with Arsenal and nine points behind runaway leaders Liverpool.
Enzo Maresca does not believe his Chelsea side are in the Premier League title race despite an impressive start to the season in his first campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard was appointed manager of Championship side Coventry City on Thursday as the former England midfielder aims to rebuild his coaching career.
