After two heavy poor performances at Stamford Bridge against Brentford (1-4) and especially against Real Madrid (1-3) in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, the Blues consolidated their third place, with eight points ahead of their pursuers Arsenal and Tottenham, opposed Saturday to Aston Villa.

Thomas Tuchel's team was able to count on the doubles of Timo Werner, who had been silent in the league for six months, and Mason Mount, also a passer on Marcos Alonso's goal at the start of the match.

We have to go back to August 2010 to see Chelsea win an away victory by six goals.

It was at Wigan, under current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The joy of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, after scoring the 6th goal on the lawn of Southampton, during the 32nd day of the Premier League, April 9, 2022 Adrian DENNIS AFP

Another cold snap at Arsenal

The Gunners conceded another surprising defeat against Brighton (1-2), just five days after being off topic on the field of Crystal Palace (3-0).

Two unfortunate defeats, since they allow Tottenham to move into fourth position even before their late afternoon match on the Aston Villa pitch (6:30 p.m.).

Led in the 28th after a goal from Leandro Trossard, the Gunners reacted too weakly to be able to reverse the trend.

They thought they equalized just before the break, but the video assistance finally canceled a Martinelli goal for offside after four minutes of checking.

While the visitors had scored the break goal (Enock Mwepu, 0-2, 66th), the Gunners were only dangerous at the very end of the match, with a goal from Martin Odegaard (1-2, 89th), then a series of unsuccessful attempts (Saka, Nketiah, Gabriel).

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah after the 2-1 home loss to Brighton on the 32nd day of the Premier League on April 9, 2022 at the Emirates Stadium JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

Manchester United apathetic

Three weeks after their elimination from the Champions League by Atlético Madrid, nothing is going well for the Red Devils, beaten on the field of Everton (1-0), who are struggling to avoid the descent.

Led from the 27th minute of play after a goal from Anthony Gordon, the Mancunians almost never knew how to take the game on their own and build offensives around their center forward Cristiano Ronaldo, always lonely.

Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the pitch after the 1-0 loss to Everton on Matchday 31 of the Premier League on April 9, 2022 at Goodison Park in Liverpool Anthony Devlin AFP

They remain seventh in the league, three behind Tottenham and Arsenal and with one game more.

Red Devils interim coach Ralph Rangnick admits it will be "difficult" to secure fourth place in the Champions League.

"It's not just a question of creativity, it's also a question of vitality, of physical presence in the final third," he regretted.

© 2022 AFP