Chelsea's unwanted stat for 2025, the top-four hopefuls who are now in relegation form and Ruben Amorim's conundrum over one misfiring Manchester United star - PREMIER LEAGUE THINGS WE LEARNED

How Arsenal indispensable beryllium kicking themselves astatine letting Liverpool disconnected the hook successful a rubric contention that could person been ohio truthful antithetic had they not fluffed their lines successful January.

Instead Liverpool, who were abject successful decision astatine Fulham connected Sunday, are capable to travel themselves up with small to nary jeopardy of relinquishing power of apical spot.

It is the conflict for European shot that is the astir intriguing successful a league wherever Southampton were officially relegated arsenic the worst broadside successful top-flight history.

Aston Villa are motoring portion Manchester City’s ageing radical are stumbling towards the decorativeness enactment which seemed inexplicable earlier a shot was kicked this season.

In the newest instalment of this play column, Mail Sport picks retired 5 of the astir absorbing talking points to look from the Premier League’s latest circular of matches.

CHELSEA’S AWAY DAY BLUES

If Chelsea are to miss retired connected a Champions League spot for adjacent play they volition lone person themselves - and specifically their distant signifier - to blame.

Sunday’s snoozefest 0-0 astatine neighbouring Chelsea irked the travelling distant fans and it was hard to blasted them.

The stalemate means that Enzo Maresca’s broadside are inactive to prime up an distant league triumph successful 2025, drafting distant to Crystal Palace and Brentford, portion losing to Manchester City, Brighton, Aston Villa and Arsenal.

Tuesday volition people 4 months since their past distant triumph successful the league - a 4-3 triumph astatine Tottenham - and Maresca is uncovering a squad that is travelsick arsenic soon arsenic they walk Fulham Broadway.

Chelsea person mustered conscionable 3 goals connected the roadworthy from 109 shots since that triumph astatine Tottenham, too. That’s a changeable to extremity conversion complaint of conscionable 2.75 per cent. One extremity each 36.3 shots.

Maresca has shaken things up, too. Against Brentford helium went with Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Noni Madueke arsenic his beforehand four.

In the erstwhile crippled against Arsenal it was Pedro Neto arsenic the No 9, with Sancho, Enzo Fernandez and Nkunku arsenic the 3 behind.

Cole Palmer and Madueke started with Neto and Nkunku successful the dismal decision astatine Brighton - wherever they failed to negociate a changeable connected people - portion Nicolas Jackson started up apical successful the gully astatine Crystal Palace.

It is simply a occurrence Chelsea person not been extinguished from the Champions League contention having continually tripped themselves up connected the roadworthy - but that is possibly indicative of the up-and-down quality of this European race.

With Fulham, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest the lone remaining distant league games connected the calendar for Chelsea, determination is the precise existent anticipation that they caput into the off-season without an distant league triumph successful 2025 and yet inactive onshore Champions League shot for adjacent season.

It’s a comic aged league…

BOURNEMOUTH RUNNING OUT OF STEAM

After 26 games played, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth were sixth successful the array and conscionable 4 points down Nottingham Forest successful third. Incredibly, a top-four decorativeness was firmly successful their sights.

But present done 31 games and successful airy of a 2-2 gully distant to 16th-placed West Ham, Bournemouth are facing the imaginable of finishing this play arsenic a bottommost fractional team.

That was inconceivable conscionable a fewer weeks agone but it appears, much than anything, that Iraola’s charges person simply tally retired of steam.

They fertile 18th and successful the relegation portion for signifier crossed the past six matches, managing 2 draws and 4 defeats successful that span. Only Southampton, who were officially relegated arsenic the worst top-flight squad ever this weekend, and Leicester City, who won’t beryllium acold down them, person fared worse.

In that tally Bournemouth - and we’ll adhd successful the punishment shootout decision by Wolves successful the FA Cup to further crystallise the constituent - person travel retired arsenic the loser 5 times astatine home, losing to Wolves, Brentford, Manchester City and Ipswich Town, arsenic good arsenic the FA Cup exit.

Antoine Semenyo has tailed disconnected having not scored since January portion Ryan Christie is battling done wounded to play which has hampered his performances.

Ilya Zabarnyi has struggled for signifier since returning from suspension portion Justin Kluivert has present took his spot connected the sidelines having been halted by injury.

Bournemouth’s European hopes present look to beryllium hanging by a thread and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is good alert that 1 much mistake - it’s eighth-placed Fulham adjacent - could extinguish their season.

‘Now is the astir hard portion of the play due to the fact that each constituent is precise hard to take,’ helium told the Daily Echo aft the gully astatine West Ham.

‘So we are successful bully position. We missed immoderate opportunities successful the past weeks, but we privation to beryllium successful Europe.

‘Obviously, we person to commencement taking the points. We person to commencement making three. Next crippled astatine home, we person to beryllium beardown due to the fact that different the chances they are going.’

It truly is present oregon ne'er for Bournemouth, oregon other this play looks acceptable to extremity with a whimper that appeared truthful improbable conscionable six weeks ago.

FRONTRUNNING IPSWICH ONLY HAVE THEMSELVES TO BLAME

When Ipswich Town look backmost connected what present appears to beryllium a nailed-on relegation backmost to the Championship they volition bash truthful ruing truthful galore opportunities missed.

Take the past play erstwhile Liam Delap fired them ahead, lone to extremity up losing 2-1 to Wolves which should each but support Wolves up and each but nonstop Ipswich down.

Where Southampton and Leicester City person stunk the part up, Ipswich Town person often brought a enactment of caller air, albeit inactive going connected to decorativeness astir weekends arsenic the loser.

Following the turnaround against Wolves, it means that nary broadside has dropped much points from winning positions successful the top-flight this play than Kieran McKenna’s charges (25).

‘I deliberation it's surely much than apt connected the equilibrium of probabilities,’ McKenna said of the imaginable of relegation backmost to the 2nd tier.

‘Not that I don't deliberation we can't decorativeness the play strongly, but Wolves are a beardown broadside and the accidental of them losing each their games is truly low.

‘The likelihood is we'll autumn abbreviated of our eventual dream.’

When the particulate settles McKenna and his players volition cognize much often than not they had games successful their grip… lone to fto go.

Another tremendous ascent to get backmost to the apical of the upland apt lies successful hold for the Tractor Boys adjacent season.

HEAD-SCRATCHING GARNACHO

Ruben Amorim has a batch to hole and enactment out. That whitethorn beryllium the understatement of the season.

Alejandro Garnacho is 1 of them. The Argentine continues to beryllium truthful dynamic and truthful frustrating successful adjacent measure.

Amorim challenged the young Argentine to amended successful each areas aft a below-par show against Nottingham Forest and aft the 0-0 gully to Manchester City it means Garnacho has zero goals and 1 assistance from his past 19 games.

It is not a deficiency of effort connected the grooming transportation from Garnacho, acold from it. But much often than not Garnacho isn’t rather clicking with what Amorim is requiring.

He has shown agleam flashes successful the close No 10 role, portion helium was playing connected the near broadside connected Sunday against City.

Troy Deeney described him arsenic a ‘shining light’ connected Match of the Day 2 and determination were surely moments, peculiarly aboriginal connected against City.

But the conundrum with Garnacho comes that helium represents axenic nett from a Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) constituent of presumption and truthful selling him, should Amorim find helium is not a cardinal portion of this squad for the future, whitethorn good beryllium attractive.

On the different hand, if Amorim believes this goals and assists slump is simply indicative of playing successful a mediocre squad and that summertime signings tin beryllium enactment astir Garnacho to get the champion retired of him, sticking with him whitethorn beryllium the champion people of action.

Internally astatine United determination is simply a feeling that moving connected from Garnacho could travel backmost to wound them fixed his evident imaginable - but helium won’t get everlastingly to realise it.

With the summertime transportation model accelerated approaching, Garnacho needs to amusement helium deserves to beryllium portion of this rebuild and not beryllium 1 of the pieces to autumn arsenic Amorim rips it up to commencement each implicit again.

TOP-FIVE RACE WILL GO TO FINAL DAY

Go up and effort to foretell who finishes successful third, 4th and fifth. Good luck.

This conflict to get into the Champions League - 5th spot should get it arsenic England closes successful connected winning an other spot owed to UEFA coefficient - looks acceptable to tally the region close to the last time with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Fulham and Brighton each inactive firmly believing they are successful the mix.

A triumph for Newcastle United against Leicester City connected Monday nighttime - much apt than not - volition spot Manchester City driblet retired of the apical 5 for the archetypal clip since mid-January.

Chelsea, arsenic already mentioned successful this column, inactive request to play some Fulham and Nottingham Forest connected the road, portion Brighton are winless successful 3 and stuttering astatine the incorrect time.

Aston Villa are the in-form squad but request to debar a European hangover, careless of whether they stay successful the Champions League beyond their quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain oregon not.

Having been denied a due rubric contention and a relegation conflict with immoderate jeopardy, the top-five contention could beryllium 1 for the ages with truthful galore twists and turns pending for astatine slightest 7 teams.

Sprint to the finish? Bring it on.