Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, it’s been a wonderful Premier League campaign for Brighton and a dismal one for Chelsea.
If ever a contest summed up their respective 2022/23, it came at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
That was when the Seagulls completed a league double over the west Londoners for the first ever time.
It left the lavish hosts – who have spent a record-breaking amount in the past two transfer windows – 17 points off the top four, closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League spots.
And mark my words, they have little to no chance of overturning a 2-0 first leg deficit to European champions Real Madrid this week.
The focus should be on Brighton, however, as goals from Danny Welbeck and teenage Paraguayan forward Enciso helped them continue their European qualification push.
Oh, a penny for the thoughts of Graham Potter.
Oh, a penny for the thoughts of Spurs fans.
After they defeated Brighton, with a big dose of good fortune on Easter Saturday, a home match against another team from the south coast was their chance to return to the top four.
Yet Bournemouth, after failing to win away from home since early September, made it back-to-back away triumphs and a potentially vital three points in their bid to beat the drop.
They had far from the ideal preparation when kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes after their coach got stuck in traffic following a crash.
The Saints did have chances, but they have now gone six games without victory, and have suffered 10 home defeats in the Premier League this season, equalling their most losses on home soil in a single campaign.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half before Uruguay left-back Matias Vine marked his first Premier League start with a deserved equaliser.
The Cherries looked set to clinch all three points after Dominic Solanke put them in front early in the second half, only for Arnaut Danjuma to come off the bench and equalise against his former club on 88 minutes.
However, again they fought back when substitute Dango Ouattara scored a stunning stoppage-time winner.
The Cherries have now secured back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since February 2020 – and successive top-flight away wins for the first time since October 2018.
As for the hosts, with fans repeating their chants of ‘we want Levy out’, Spurs did not look like a team competing for a place in the top tier of European football.
He has had fans calling for his exit before but never with this volume at matches. It is somewhat awkward that within the walls of the huge stadium that will likely be his legacy, there are now bigger crowds to voice their frustrations at him and better acoustics for those watching on around the world to hear them.
Meanwhile, Gary O’Neill’s men have pulled away further from the teams around them such as Leicester – who were always expected to be beaten at champions Manchester City – and Everton whose fine home form deserted them against impressive Fulham.
Marco Silva’s men had lost five in a row and seemed ideal opponents but the former Toffees boss had a point to prove.
Harrison Reed put the visitors ahead midway through the first half with a composed finish after Harry Wilson’s curling shot had come back off the post.
Everton responded well, levelling through Dwight McNeil’s low drive 13 minutes later and ending the half in the ascendancy but it was to be a false dawn.
Six minutes after the restart and, against the run of play, Fulham went ahead when Willian picked out Wilson who confidently found the corner.
Stunned by the goal, Everton lost their way and Daniel James extended the Cottagers’ lead after 68 minutes, racing onto Kenny Tete’s long ball and slotting past Jordan Pickford.
One team which do seem doomed is Southampton as they went down at home to Crystal Palace, rejuvenated under Roy Hodgson, as Eberechi Eze struck twice in 14 second half minutes.
He netted from a rebound after Jordan Ayew’s strike was palmed into his path by home keeper Gavin Bazunu before turning away from his marker and arrowing a precise finish into the bottom corner for number two.
At the top, leading City’s charge is irrepressible frontman Erling Haaland, who continues to wreak havoc with his goals coring, taking his tally to 47 in 40 games in all competitions.
He has enough Premier League highlights of his own to create a DVD.
The SBOTOP Premier League betting odds aren’t paying out on the champions just yet but after being pegged back for the second time in succession, this time at West Ham, Arsenal are losing their grip at the top at precisely the wrong moment.
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