Timo Werner ended his scoring fast at the right time, leading Chelsea to a precious 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the battle to end the season in the Premier League semi-finals on Saturday.
The German player played 14 matches without conceding the net with his club and country.
But he was decisive before the break, as Chelsea snatched full match points at the London Stadium.
With this victory, Thomas Tuchel's team, fourth-placed, extended the difference that separates it from fifth West Ham to 3 points.
West Ham suffered two consecutive defeats, dwindling his hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
That's 1⃣6⃣ clean sheets the boss has overseen with the Blues now!
👏 #WHUCHE pic.twitter.com/WsKrawAjLp
- Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 24, 2021
West Ham goalkeeper Okash Fabiansky faced many chances, while his team suffered a breakthrough in the defense of Chelsea, who kept a clean sheet for the 16th time in 21 games under Tuchel.
Fabian Balboina was sent off as a West Ham player near the end.
Klopp bemoans
On the other hand, Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp bemoaned the opportunities his team squandered after substitute Joe Willock scored a late goal;
Newcastle United imposed a 1-1 draw at their hosts, and denied them a much-needed victory as they sought to enter the golden box to play in the Champions League next season.
Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead after just 3 minutes;
But the defending champions squandered several chances to increase the yield, paying a heavy price in stoppage time after Willock scored the equalizer at Anfield.
Liverpool stated through their Twitter account that Salah became the first player to score 20 or more goals in 3 consecutive seasons in the English Premier League in the club's history.
To set a new record with the Reds.
2017/18 |
32
2018/19 |
22
2019/20 |
19
2020/21 |
20 so far
The Egyptian King @MoSalah is the first player in our history to score 20 goals or more for three seasons in the English Premier League 👏⚽️ pic.twitter.com/JCcScliPqc
Liverpool FC (@LFC_Arabic) April 24, 2021
"We kept them in the match, and they deserved to score the equalizer. They scored a goal before it by Callum Wilson, but the referee canceled it, and we did not benefit from all these things. It is a difficult result to accept," Klopp told BT Sport.
"We didn't fight as well as we should. We captured 70 percent of the ball, maybe 80 percent, and created a lot of chances, and we didn't take advantage of all of them, so we have to do more. We're not doing things right now."
The loss of two new points is a blow to Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season, after its officials decided to join the breakaway European Super League before plans collapsed last week.
Asked about Liverpool's chances of qualifying for the Champions League after this turbulent week, Klopp said, "If you deserve it, you deserve it. Today we did not deserve to play in the Champions League next season. In 5 more matches we will see what we can do."