Archive May 3, 2025

To put pressure on the teams above them before the weekend’s final games, Youri Tielemans scored the only goal in the opening half to give Villa their seventh win in nine league games.

Manchester City is currently third and Villa are seventh, but Newcastle, Chelsea, and sixth-placed Nottingham Forest are all still in the lead.

The top five players in the Premier League will each be guaranteed a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming season.

Emery told BBC Match of the Day, “We are so excited to play in the Champions League once more.”

“Europe is very important for our development and the club.” The most challenging accomplishment we can achieve is the Champions League.

The Champions League is our dream, they said, “and it was a very significant win.”

In their next two games, Villa travel to Manchester United in their final game of the campaign, before hosting Bournemouth away and Tottenham Hotspur at home.

Despite a rousing second-leg fightback at Villa Park, they managed to reach the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition this year, falling 5-4 on aggregate to Paris St-Germain.

We’re desperate to get back, said Villa captain John McGinn. You want more once you’ve tasted it.

“Hopefully, today will prompt us to knock on the door.” We have the best interests in mind and will give it everything.

By defeating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the final game of the season, Bournemouth increased their chances of capsizing a fantastic season with European qualification.

Things may change in the final weeks of the campaign, but there will be at least eight Premier League teams competing in Europe next season, an increase from the usual seven.

Crystal Palace, who finished second in the FA Cup final against Villa last weekend, may still qualify for Europe via the league or by defeating City in the FA Cup final later this month.

Liverpool (A), Newcastle (H), and Southampton (A) are at Arsenal.

Newcastle: Chelsea (H), Arsenal (H), Everton (H), and Brighton (A).

Nottingham Forest: Chelsea (H), West Ham (A), and Crystal Palace (H), respectively.

Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), and Fulham (A) are Manchester City.

Chelsea: Manchester United (H), Newcastle (A), and Liverpool (H).

Aston Villa: Tottenham (H), Manchester United (A), and Bournemouth (A).

Aston Villa (H), Manchester City (A), and Leicester (H) are Bournemouth.

Everton (H), Brentford (A), and Manchester City (H) are Fulham’s (H).

Brighton: Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), Tottenham (A), and Newcastle (H).

Manchester United (H), Ipswich (A), Fulham (H), and Wolves (A) are at Brentford.

Eight to eleven Premier League teams will travel to Europe next season, depending on how things turn out this year.

Because of England’s better performance in Uefa’s coefficient rankings, at least five of those will play in the Champions League.

If Arsenal wins the Champions League and finishes outside the top five, which is a remote possibility, or even seven if that happens and Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League, that number could rise.

Next year, there are a maximum of three Premier League teams that could compete in the Europa League.

The FA Cup winners and the team that finished sixth are likely to take second place.

However, if the cup winners have already secured a place in Europe, they will face the next highest-placed team that has not yet qualified for Europe.

If Chelsea loses the Conference League and does not advance to the Champions League, a third place might be awarded.

A Premier League team will receive one Conference League spot.

Newcastle, the current host of the Carabao Cup, will win, but that could change if Eddie Howe’s side earns a place in the Champions League or the Europa League.

That appears likely given that Newcastle currently belongs to the top four.

Although this is highly unlikely, it might still occur.

Arsenal, Manchester United, or Tottenham would need to win the Champions League, and Chelsea would need to take the Conference League title, with all three winners having to finish outside the top six.

Bengaluru, the Indian Premier League

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 213-5 (20 overs): Kohli 62 (33), Bethell 55 (33), Shepherd 53 (14), Pathirana 3-36

Chennai Super Kings 211-5 (20 overs): Ayush 94 (48), Jadeja 77* (45), Ngidi 3-30

Bengaluru defeated Bengaluru by two runs to win.

With just two runs to go, Bengaluru defeated Chennai Super Kings to claim the lead in Indian Premier League history.

At the end of the 18th over, the West Indian batter had a lead before scoring a superb 53 not out of 14 balls for RCB, who went 213-5.

However, bottom-placed Chennai almost managed to pull off a remarkable chase thanks to 114 runs for the third wicket from Ayush Mhatre (94) and Ravindra Jadeja (77 not out).

Ayush and Dewald Brevis were taken out by Lungi Ngidi and left the visitors 1762-4, but Jadeja and another veteran, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, both of whom had dug in, left their side with 15 minutes before the final whistle.

Yash Dayal conceded two singles before taking Dhoni lbw for 12, but Shivam Dube’s six-ball was a waist-high no-ball.

However, Dayal made it six of the final three balls and made his final six deliveries for one each to seal the victory that gave RCB two points clear of the IPL standings.

Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli (62) put on a strong opening stand of 97, which was a strong start for the competition’s new leaders.

At 21 and 192 days, England’s Aaron Bethell became the third-youngest player to reach the milestone with his maiden IPL half-century.

Just before the halfway point, Chennai put on a strong bowling display that put their opponents’ innings on hold before being caught by Brevis off Matheesha Pathirana for 55.

With 12 balls left, RCB were 97-1, but Shepherd was able to hold on to go 159-5.

He set records for four fours and six sixes, with Pathirana’s final six deliveries costing 21 and Khaleel Ahmed’s final one coming in at 33.

Ayush, age 17, nearly took the lead when he hit 14 boundaries before Krunal Pandya attempted to make his first IPL century debut with a six.

After catching Brevis lbw and dismissing Sam Curran earlier in the innings, Ngidi finished with 3-30 overall, but Dayal took the bowling hats as he clinched the victory with some steely death bowling.

Investec Champions Cup semi-final

Leinster: (15) 34

O’Brien, Van der Flier 2, Doris, Lowe, and Prendergast 3 Pens: Prendergast

Northampton Saints: (27) 37

Northampton Saints won the Investec Champions Cup final 37-34 in an unforgetable classic thanks to Tommy Freeman’s hat-trick.

Ten tries and three Saints yellow cards were used in the incredible semi-final, which came to an end with the visitors turning Leinster over a metre from their own line in the final moments.

The hosts in Dublin, tournament favorites prior to this match, only managed seven tries, but Northampton scored five in the semi-finals, with Henry Pollock and James Ramm also scoring.

Despite those scores and a 12-point lead at half-time, there was no drama in the final minute.

Leinster initially thought they had the ball in the corner at 79 minutes, but after a protracted delay, referee Pierre Brousset sent Saints’ Alex Coles to the sin-bin and gave the Irish side a penalty.

Leinster had a chance to hold off Leinster, but with the tap penalty Saints produced one last stirring defensive stand with 14 men to seal one of their biggest victories in history.

The difference in this year’s Leinster’s team was their dominant defense, which was their fourth successive title and their first title since 2018.

After failing to win any of their two previous knockout games, Glasgow Warriors and Harlequins were caught on their heels by Saints’ quick start.

No one else’s front-liners looked more sharp for the hosts’ United Rugby Championship game against Scarlets last time out than Freeman, despite the hosts’ heavily rotated lineup.

The England international scored a hat-trick in the first half, just as his opposite wing James Lowe did a year ago.

After the visitors’ superb maul defense prevented Leinster’s opening attack, Freeman was the one who delivered Fin Smith’s delicate nudge to put the game away after seven minutes.

Tommy O’Brien scored the first of Leinster’s five tires with a superb pass that Sam Prendergast scored with a penalty to reduce the arrears.

Leinster scored their second just before the break when Josh van der Flier put the ball on the charge after Max Deegan hit it and crashed over.

The final 15 minutes of the half were all Northampton, if it appeared like the result would settle Leo Cullen’s side.

After taking a flat pass across the gain-line and showing an impressive turn of pace, Pollock crossed for a try just three minutes later and ran 45 meters round Prendergast.

Freeman’s team took a 27-15 lead at the turn after two more tries in just two minutes.

Leinster’s response to the first half of the second half was slow and inconsistent.

However, a 50: 22 lowe’s turn of events did some good. Saints once more held their ground against the maul, but Leinster were able to capitalize on Caelan Doris’ tap penalty to score after an illegal defense.

The Leinster and Ireland skipper made a 50: 22 of his own shortly after, but his team once more struggled to execute the line-out maul.

Smith’s second penalty gave his team a 30-22 lead before Van der Flier’s second score was awarded with substitute Ryan Baird winning the penalty and line-out with 20 minutes left.

Saints, however, waded in a strong direction once more. Full-back James Ramm was over in the corner just two minutes later with a brilliant line.

When blind-side flanker Josh Kemeny was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Rabah Slimani, Northampton’s efforts to secure the victory were hindered.

With 10 minutes left, Lowe cut the deficit by scoring Leinster’s second goal of the day with a deft tap penalty, and Prendergast added the extras to bring his side within three.

Replacements: Barrett, Porter, Kelleher, Porter, Slimani, Baird, Conan, McGrath, R Byrne, and Barrett.

Ramm, Freeman, Dingwall (capt), Hutchinson, Litchfield, Smith, Mitchell, Iyogun, Langdon, Davison, Mayanavanua, Coles, Kemeny, Pollock, Augustus, Northampton Saints.

Walker, West, Millar Mills, Lockett, Munga, Scott-Young, James, Seabrook, and others.

Langdon, Kemeny, Coles, and Coles are the yellow cards.

Headingley, Day Two of the Rothesay County Championship Division One

Yorkshire 205 &amp, 232: Root 90, Bamber 4-60, Barnard 3-52

Warwickshire 253 &amp, 15-0: Davies 9*

To defeat Yorkshire (3 points), Warwickshire (4 points) needs another 170 runs.

In their County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley, Warwickshire rallied from England’s Joe Root to score a superb 90 and earn a target of 185.

Ethan Bamber, a visiting new-ball seamer, took four wickets to his five in the first innings to finish with impressive match numbers of 9-107, as Yorkshire were bowled out for 232 in their second innings late on day two.

From their final three overs, Warwickshire came up with a score of 15-0.

The Bears responded to a first-innings 205 and went on to win 253 all-out, with Australian Test all-rounder Beau Webster putting together a superb 85 off 86 balls on debut.

He was the last visiting wicket to fall when he attempted to attack against New Zealand quick Ben Sears, who finished with four wickets, to take the lead by 48 runs.

When Warwickshire’s bowlers resumed their dominance 35 minutes before lunch, they threw away at the wickets.

They created early pressure. In the third over, Amber bowled locum opener Dom Bess.

The first of seven straight maidens was bowled by him and his Halifax-born new-ball partner Olly Hannon-Dalby, who both hail from down the road, either side of lunch.

Following a collision with opener Adam Lyth, who went on to share a third-wicket 71 with Root, James Wharton was left at the non-striker’s end in the early stages of the afternoon.

Both appear assured, but Lyth’s effort was halted by 10 runs short of a fifty when he slammed behind to Ed Barnard’s seam, leaving the hosts 90-3.

Harry Brook lost his 20-game lead to 104 before the hosts reached 152-4 on the play around a full ball from seamer Michael Booth shortly before tea.

After George Hill edged Barnard to second slip, Jonny Bairstow top-edged a pull at Bamber behind six with wicketkeeper Kai Smith making a smart running catch. Yorkshire were 190-7, in a 142-point lead, when Jordan Thompson miscued as Barnard struck for a third time.

In his 100th start-class appearance for the county, Root, who hit 13 fours with 131 balls, looked commanding at the crease.

One shot boundary straight off Webster’s mid-off was particularly memorable as he hit his fifty with 64 balls.

He squandered a century by top-edged a pull to backward point off Bamber at 219-8.

Before Ben Coad was bowled for 28 by Booth for 28, giving Warwickshire a quick period of batting to navigate before the end, Dan Mousley was the catcher and the same combination did for Sears soon after.