Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi scored his ninth English Premier League goal of the season but it was not enough for Fulham as they lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
Late goals from teenager Tyrique George and Pedro Neto gave Chelsea the dramatic derby win to boost the Blues’ hopes of UEFA Champions League football next season.
Having failed to win in their previous eight Premier League away trips, Chelsea’s travel woes seemed set to continue when Iwobi fired Fulham into a first-half lead.
The hosts held that advantage for more than an hour but 19-year-old George came off the bench to score his first league goal with a fine first-time strike from the edge of the area.
And, in virtually a carbon copy of December’s thrilling finale at Stamford Bridge, when Fulham scored twice late on to snatch a 2-1 win, it was the Blues’ turn to complete a stirring comeback in stoppage time.
Neto hit an unstoppable half-volley that flew past Cottagers keeper Bernd Leno and sparked wild celebrations among the travelling support.
The win lifts Chelsea back into the Champions League qualification places in fifth on goal difference from Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, while Fulham remain ninth as their own dreams of securing European football suffered a shattering blow.
Also on Sunday, Arsenal denied Liverpool the chance to win the title this weekend as they comfortably beat 10-man Ipswich 4-0 at Portman Road.
The victory moved Arsenal, I’m second place, to within nine points of Liverpool, who face Leicester City later in the evening.
In their first match since seeing off Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals, the Gunners produced another excellent display against an Ipswich side on the verge of relegation.
Arsenal dominated from kick-off and took the lead in the 14th minute when Bukayo Saka’s cross into the box was helped on by a slight touch from Martin Odegaard and turned into the net by Leandro Trossard.
They doubled their lead after more good work by Saka, whose cross into the area was cleverly flicked on by Mikel Merino for Gabriel Martinelli to tap into an empty net.
Ipswich’s task was then made even harder when Leif Davis was shown a red card in the 32nd minute for a horrible tackle on Saka.
Trossard added his second of the game in the 69th minute when he finished smartly from inside the area after a well-worked Arsenal short corner, and Ethan Nwaneri scored a fourth for Arsenal with a deflected shot two minutes from time.
This was Ipswich’s seventh home defeat of 2025, which leaves them clinging on to their Premier League status for one more week.
At Old Trafford, struggling Manchester United returned to familiar terrain as Pablo Sarabia curled home a brilliant 77th-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 victory and fifth straight top-flight win for Wolves for the first time since 1970 and end any lingering fears of relegation.
United’s performance could not have been in greater contrast to their thrilling efforts in midweek against Lyon, when they scored thrice in extra-time to beat Lyon 5-4 in the UEFA Europa League.
They have now lost 15 games this season, more than last term and their worst since 1989-1990, when they lost on 16 occasions.
Ruben Amorim’s team can now add Wolves to Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest as teams that have come to Old Trafford since the Portuguese took charge in November and left with maximum points.
United have now taken nine points from their past 10 Premier League games. The only teams they have beaten in that period are Leicester and Ipswich, who are both in the bottom three.
Rasmus Hojlund was inches away from turning home Alejandro Garnacho’s low cross at the far post for the hosts but he has now scored once in his last 28 games.
While Amorim has not made United’s results better since replacing Erik ten Hag, Vitor Pereira has transformed Wolves.
From being in a relegation dogfight for much of the campaign, they are now safe with five games to spare and are behind Sunday’s opponents only on goal difference.
RESULTS
Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
Ipswich 0-4 Arsenal
Manchester United 0-1 Wolves
