What had been a joyous week for Liverpool went flat on Saturday as they stumbled in the title race, dropping two crucial points in a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Watford were relegated from the top flight as they lost to Crystal Palace, while Manchester United’s season can hardly end soon enough after a 4-0 hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion.
Liverpool reached the Champions League final on Tuesday with victory over Villarreal but the mood was gloomy as they were unable to ratchet up the pressure on Manchester City at Anfield.
They had won their last 12 Premier League home games and were unbeaten at Anfield in the league for 14 months but trailed to Son Heung-min’s 56th-minute goal.
Son’s 20th league goal of the season looked like earning Tottenham the win they needed to move fourth but Luis Diaz equalised with a deflected shot in the 74th minute.
Liverpool moved top with 83 points from 35 games with City also on 83 from 34 games. Reigning champions City can go three points clear if they beat Newcastle United on Sunday.
The dressing room is not flying, come on, but there are other games to play. We just have to keep going,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said.
Watford’s 1-0 defeat by Palace soured former manager Roy Hodgson’s return to Selhurst Park.
Wilfried Zaha’s penalty earned Palace the points to send Watford down and inflict a first relegation from the Premier League in Hodgson’s long managerial career.
Manchester United’s soon-to-be ex interim manager Ralf Rangnick apologised after a display he described as “humiliating” on the south coast.
Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard were all on target for Brighton as United suffered a fifth successive away defeat in the league to end any remaining hope of a top-four finish.
“It was a terrible performance. From the first until the last minute it was not enough. We can only apologise for this performance and a humiliating defeat,” said Rangnick, who will hand over to Erik ten Hag at the end of the season.
Burnley’s resurgence, which had seen them escape the relegation zone, came to a halt as they lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa for whom Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins were all on the scoresheet.
Burnley are in 16th place with 34 points but 18th-placed Everton have 32 points with two games more to play.
Chelsea are not yet assured of a top-four place as they were held to a 2-2 home draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With potential new owner Ted Boehly watching at Stamford Bridge, Romelu Lukaku scored twice to put the hosts ahead.
But Francisco Trincao scored a spectacular goal 11 minutes from time before Conor Coady headed a dramatic 97th-minute equaliser to deny Chelsea victory on the day the sale of the club was agreed.
Chelsea are in third place with 67 points from 35 games with fourth-placed Arsenal, who host relegation-threatened Leeds United on Sunday, on 63 from 34. Tottenham have 62 from 35.
Of course the taste of the game is bad,” Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta said. “We are conceding too many goals in the last couple of games which is putting us in a difficult position in the race for the Champions League.”
Brentford are ending their maiden Premier League season on a high as they crushed Southampton 3-0 to virtually guarantee survival, barring an unlikely sequence of results.
Manchester City lifted the gloom of their Champions League exit to seize control of the Premier League title race with a 5-0 hammering of Newcastle United and Everton took a big leap towards safety on Sunday.
Arsenal also boosted their hopes of finishing in the top four with a 2-1 home victory against a Leeds United side who dropped into the bottom three.
Any hangover following their dramatic semi-final loss against Real Madrid was swept away as Raheem Sterling struck twice for Manchester City in the sunshine at The Etihad Stadium.
Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Phil Foden were also on the scoresheet as City reclaimed top spot and moved three points ahead of Liverpool who drew with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Both sides have three games left to play and City now also have a four-goal superior goal difference.
“The margin between us and Liverpool is so tight and goal difference can happen. It was important we win,” manager Pep Guardiola said.
Sterling headed City into the lead after 19 minutes Laporte tapped in after 38 minutes.
Rodri lost his marker to head in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner after 61 minutes and Foden got in on the act when Oleksandr Zinchenko’s shot arrived at his feet and he diverted it in.
City saved the best to last with a flowing move allowing an unmarked Sterling to fire home.
The title race continues in midweek with Liverpool up against Aston Villa on Tuesday and City facing Wolverhampton Wanderers the day after.
Everton’s 2-1 victory at Leicester City took them out of the relegation zone.
Defenders Vitalii Mykolenko and Mason Holgate both scored at the King Power Stadium to move Frank Lampard’s side up two spots to 16th on 35 points, one point above the drop zone.
“The lads are fighting and we are fighting together as a club,” Lampard said. “We have Watford in three days and everybody needs to reproduce those levels.”
Leeds are heading in the other direction after a self-inflicted defeat at fourth-placed Arsenal.
An early quickfire double from former Leeds loanee Eddie Nketiah put Arsenal in firm control before the visitors were reduced to 10 midway through the first half when Luke Ayling was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
Leeds did not have an attempt at goal until Diego Llorente’s header beat goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the 66th minute but Arsenal weathered a nervy finish to close out their fourth successive victory and solidify their hold on fourth place.
Arsenal are four points above fifth-placed Tottenham who they play on Thursday, and are only a point behind third-placed Chelsea.
West Ham United bounced back from their Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt to thrash already-relegated Norwich City 4-0 at Carrow Road
