Liverpool move into top four; Spurs lose to Aston Villa

LONDON: Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.

Roberto Firmino struck two minutes before halftime and a Nathaniel Phillips header made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute before a superb late strike from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain secured a fourth straight win.

The victory moves Liverpool onto 66 points, ahead of fifth-placed Leicester on goal difference while Chelsea are third on 67 points.

Juergen Klopp's side face Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday while Chelsea are at Aston Villa and Leicester are at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham Hotspur's European hopes were dealt a huge blow as their final Premier League home game of the season ended in a 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa and striker Harry Kane perhaps waving a farewell to the club's fans.

England captain Kane's uncertain future has left Spurs fans wearing a frown in the past week and their mood was hardly raised as a horrible own goal by Sergio Reguilon and an Ollie Watkins strike earned Villa the win.

Defeat left Tottenham in seventh place with 59 points, the same as Everton, after West Ham United moved to 62 by beating West Bromwich Albion later.

Tottenham now face the ignominious prospect of being in the inaugural version of UEFA's third-tier Europa Conference League next season at best, having reached the Champions League final in 2019.

Defeat at Leicester City in their final game on Sunday could even see them finish as low as ninth and facing the prospect of no European football at all next season.

Kane, who has scored 220 goals from 335 in all competitions for Tottenham, including 22 this season in the Premier League, was a subdued figure on Wednesday and forced only one save from Villa's Emiliano Martinez.

After the final whistle, a glum-looking Kane walked slowly around each side of the pitch on his own, receiving warm applause from fans, a few of whom waved goodbye.

Arsenal snatched a 3-1 win away to Crystal Palace thanks to stoppage-time goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe, keeping up their slim hopes of playing European football next season.

The late goals spoiled Roy Hodgson's final home game after four years in charge of hometown club Palace but delighted Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, who celebrated a fourth consecutive league win which gives his side a fighting chance of sneaking into the new UEFA Conference League next season.

Late goals by Angelo Ogbonna and Michail Antonio secured a 3-1 Premier League victory for West Ham United at relegated West Bromwich Albion to move them closer to securing a Europa League spot.

West Ham's Declan Rice struck the post with a penalty in the opening minute and the visitors fell behind after 27 minutes when Matheus Pereira's corner went in off Tomas Soucek.

Big Czech Soucek made amends, however, by equalising in first-half stoppage time. Ogbonna bundled West Ham in front in the 82nd minute before Antonio wrapped up the points six minutes later.

West Ham moved into sixth spot on 62 points, three ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, with one game left. Agencies

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