Aston Villa missed the chance to strengthen their grip on a top-five finish after being held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by relegated Burnley on Sunday, while Everton and Newcastle United also dropped points in entertaining Premier League clashes.
The latest round of results delivered major implications at both ends of the table as the race for Europe and the battle for survival continued to tighten heading into the final weeks of the season.
At Turf Moor, Aston Villa twice came from behind before settling for a point against Burnley. The hosts stunned Unai Emery’s side early when Jaidon Anthony converted after Emiliano Martinez parried Lesley Ugochukwu’s effort into danger.
Villa thought they had equalised through Ollie Watkins, but VAR ruled the striker narrowly offside. Ross Barkley eventually restored parity with a header from John McGinn’s corner before Watkins fired Villa ahead early in the second half after latching onto a long ball from Martinez.
However, Burnley refused to fold. Zian Flemming punished sloppy defending from Matty Cash to make it 2-2 and deny Villa a potentially decisive victory in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.
The result leaves Villa still inside the top-five places, but their advantage is now under pressure with two matches remaining.
At Selhurst Park, Everton’s hopes of sneaking into Europe suffered another setback after Crystal Palace rescued a late 2-2 draw.
The Toffees made the perfect start when James Tarkowski tapped home after Michael Keane flicked on a corner from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Palace responded strongly and eventually levelled through Ismaila Sarr after a deflected move involving Daniel Munoz.
Everton regained the lead shortly after halftime thanks to Beto, who produced a composed finish after racing through on goal. But Jean-Philippe Mateta struck late for Palace, converting Tyrick Mitchell’s cross to extend the Eagles’ unbeaten home run.
The draw means Everton have now dropped points late in four consecutive league matches, leaving their European ambitions hanging by a thread.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest edged closer to Premier League safety after earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Newcastle United at the City Ground.
After a quiet first half, Newcastle finally broke through when substitute Harvey Barnes finished confidently from Jacob Ramsey’s pass. Forest responded late through Elliot Anderson, who scored against his former club after a quick exchange with James McAtee.
The point stretched Forest’s unbeaten league run to eight matches and moved them closer to securing survival. Newcastle, meanwhile, remain stuck in mid-table after another frustrating away result.
Premier League table after these results
Following Sunday’s results, Aston Villa remain in the hunt for Champions League football, Everton continue chasing an unlikely European spot, and Nottingham Forest took another important step away from relegation trouble as the Premier League table tightened with only two rounds left.
Changes are expected on the table as Arsenal face West Ham later on Sunday.