Arsenal edge out Chelsea, Fulham beat Spurs
Chelsea's challenge for a place in next season's Champions League faltered in a toothless 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday as Fulham beat Tottenham 2-0.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal of a disappointing contest at the Emirates as Arsenal pulled clear in second place and to within 12 points of runaway leaders Liverpool.
Chelsea badly missed the presence of the absent Cole Palmer due to injury as they meekly surrendered to a damaging defeat for their hopes of a top-four finish.
The Blues remain in fourth for now but have five sides from Manchester City in fifth to Aston Villa in ninth within four points of Enzo Maresca's team.
Both managers are hoping to be stronger after the upcoming international break.
Bukayo Saka is nearing a return for Arsenal, while Maresca is confident of having Palmer, Nico Jackson and Noni Madueke back when they are next in action at home to Tottenham on April 3.
"We did enough to deserve to win the game," said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. "Now we have the international break so let's take a chance to breathe and bring some players back hopefully."
Arsenal have struggled badly for goals since the loss of Kai Havertz to a season-ending injury forced midfielder Merino into a makeshift centre-forward role.
The Spanish international proved the match winner from a corner as he looped a header from Martin Odegaard's delivery inside the far post on 20 minutes.
Chelsea barely threatened but were nearly gifted a route back into the game when David Raya fumbled Marc Cucurella's shot and the ball trickled wide.
At the other end, Chelsea's Robert Sanchez made a brilliant stop to prevent Merino doubling Arsenal's lead with the best effort of the second half.
But the game petered out with little goalmouth action as a limp performance will do little to quieten the critics of Maresca's style of play among the Chelsea support.
"There was not a big difference in the two games between us," said Maresca. "Given the injuries, we fought until the end."
- Spurs' European hangover -
Tottenham kept their season alive by reaching the Europa League quarter-finals with victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, but suffered the latest in a series of European hangovers at Craven Cottage.
Victory for Fulham propels Marco Silva's men into the race for Champions League places as they climb to eighth, four points off the top four and three outside the top five.
A top-five finish will almost certainly secure a place in Europe's top club competition next season thanks to the strong performance of English sides in European competitions.
Spurs, though, have struggled to handle the burden of Thursday nights when it comes to their Premier League form.
Ange Postecoglou's side have won just three times in the 10 league matches that have followed a midweek Europa League fixture.
"It's been a difficult campaign for sure," said Spurs captain Son Heung-min.
"But I feel we've lost too many games that we should have got stuff out of, and this was one of those games."
Fulham had to wait until 78 minutes to take the lead when Rodrigo Muniz steered home from Andreas Pereira's pass.
Ryan Sessegnon then curled in a brilliant second against his former club to secure victory late on.
Spurs remain down in 13th, now 10 points off the top half.
Manchester United are in action later on Sunday when Ruben Amorim's team visit lowly Leicester.
kca/lp/nr
-
🔴LIVE: Man United head to Leicester after Arsenal beat Chelsea
Leicester and Man United faced off at the King Power after two Premier League London derbies on Sunday afternoon, as Arsenal hosted Chelsea and Fulham took on Tottenham.Here's the action as it ...Yahoo Sports - 49m -
Arsenal closes the gap on Liverpool after 1-0 win against Chelsea in Premier League
Mikel Merino led Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. Merino's first-half header settled the London derby at the Emirates Stadium and saw second-placed Arsenal ...Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Analysis: Fulham 2-0 Tottenham
Ryan Sessegnon made his senior debut for Fulham in 2016-17 as a 16-year-old and started to attract widespread attention the following campaign when scoring 15 goals in 46 Championship appearances. ...Yahoo Sports - 2h -
🚨 Tottenham and Fulham name their starting XIs for Premier League Clash
Fulham host Tottenham in the Sunday lunchtime Premier League clash, with Spurs hoping to close the eight-point gap between the two sides in the table. Ange Postecoglu has rotated his side following ...Yahoo Sports - 7h -
Tottenham prepare for Fulham clash as Postecoglou considers changes
Tottenham Eye Fulham Clash with Squad Rotation on Postecoglou’s Mind Ange Postecoglou faces a selection conundrum as Tottenham prepare for a tough Premier League encounter against Fulham on Sunday. ...Yahoo Sports - 12h -
Tricky trip to Fulham awaits Tottenham before international break
Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Fulham on Sunday presents another tough test before the international break. Spurs are fresh from a Europa League win against AZ Alkmaar, but this London derby is far ...Yahoo Sports - 21h -
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea: Gunners cruise to victory against punchless Blues
Arsenal snapped their three-game winless skid with a narrow, but never threatened, 1-0 victory over Chelsea to move within 12 points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Fulham 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Cottagers win it late with Muniz, Sessegnon goals
Fulham frustrated Tottenham Hotspur for the better part of 90 minutes before hitting Ange Postecoglou's side with two goals in the final 15 minutes to win 2-0 at Craven Cottage.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Arsenal vs Chelsea – Predicted lineup and team news
Arsenal and Chelsea meet in a London derby of huge consequence in the Premier League this weekend.Arsenal’s title challenge has faltered after three without a win and the Gunners are in danger of ...Yahoo Sports - 12h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
2025 March Madness printable bracket for men's, women's NCAA Tournament
March is upon us, which means it's time to fill out our brackets. Here are printable brackets for the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments.Yahoo Sports - 9m -
Newcastle stun Liverpool in League Cup final to end 56-year trophy drought
Newcastle ended their 56-year trophy drought in stunning style as Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sealed a 2-1 win against Liverpool in the League Cup final on Sunday.But despite failing to win their ...Yahoo Sports - 1h -
Magic snap Cavaliers' franchise-best 16-game win streak with 108-103 win
The Cavs were on a 16-game run, which marked the best win streak in franchise history.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Roman Dolidze after UFC Fight Night 254 win?
(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Marvin Vettori after UFC Fight Night 254 loss?) Roman Dolidze avenged a key loss in his career Saturday when he defeated Marvin Vettori in their UFC ...Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Quentin Grimes scores 28 as Sixers beat Mavs 130-125 in matchup of injury-depleted teams
Quentin Grimes scored 28 points in his first game against his former team and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-125 in a matchup of injury-depleted clubs Sunday. Jalen ...Yahoo Sports - 15m
More in Sports
-
Men's Bracketology: Indiana, Xavier, Boise State must play the waiting game
With two final spots available, the fates of Indiana, Xavier and Boise State rest in the hands of the American and A-10 title games. Watch the men's bracket reveal starting at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.ESPN - 6m -
2025 March Madness printable bracket for men's, women's NCAA Tournament
March is upon us, which means it's time to fill out our brackets. Here are printable brackets for the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments.Yahoo Sports - 9m -
2025 March Madness: Conference tournament scores, automatic bids, tickets punched to Big Dance, brackets
With Selection Sunday here, check out the the teams who have earned AQ bids to the NCAA TournamentCBS Sports - 10m -
Magic snap Cavaliers' franchise-best 16-game win streak with 108-103 win
The Cavs were on a 16-game run, which marked the best win streak in franchise history.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
The wait is over: Newcastle beat Liverpool to end 70-year domestic trophy drought
Newcastle United have won the Carabao Cup, their first major trophy in over half a century, beating Liverpool at the end of a woeful week for the Reds.ESPN - 12m