🔬 The Debrief as Chelsea beat the champions, Man Utd lose, Newcastle draw | OneFootball

There were four Premier League games today, as the race for Champions League qualification once again was the only show in town.

Here is what we made of it all.

What happened? 📝

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On their first outing as champions, Liverpool were afforded a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge before falling to a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea. While the result was not important for the Reds, it was absolutely vital for the Blues in their push for Champions League football.

The win drew them level on points and goal difference with fourth-placed Newcastle, who needed a late Alexander Isak penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

Elsewhere, Brentford's push for European football continued with a thrilling 4-3 win over a heavily rotated Manchester United at the GTech Stadium. Mason Mount had given United the lead with just his second goal for the club - both have come away to the Bees - but Thomas Frank's side roared back with goals from Kevin Schade (2) and Yoane Wissa, as well as an own-goal from Luke Shaw.

Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo put some respect on the scoreline, but it was another league loss for Ruben Amorim, who undoubtedly is fully focused on winning the Europa League.

That's the same situation for Ange Postecoglou, who saw his Spurs side draw 1-1 at the only non-relegated side below them, West Ham, in a tepid London derby.

Wilson Odobert had given the visitors the lead but Jarrod Bowen's goal ensured it was honours even.

Player of the day 🔥

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110 days. That's how long Cole Palmer had to wait for a Chelsea goal after the first dry patch of his brilliant time with the Blues.

His moment of catharsis came right at the end of the 3-1 win over the champions and rounded off a fantastic display from the 22-year-old, who played a key role in everything good about his side.

It was his lovely bit of movement that led to Pedro Neto teeing up Enzo Fernández for the opener inside three minutes, and it was his weaving dribble that bamboozled Kostas Tsimikas and caused further chaos in the Liverpool box leading to a comical own goal from Virgil van Dijk.

After the game, Palmer showed a different side to his personality, outlining that while it was a difficult period for him it gave him more motivation. He also put the boot in on social media trolls, which will only endear him further to many football fans.

A player of his quality has to be playing Champions League football, and a performance like today suggests he is fully focused on making that a reality.

Stat of the Day 📊

He's undoubtedly the best striker the Magpies have had since their greatest ever, and now has the stats to prove it.

What this means 🤔

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As mentioned, Newcastle and Chelsea are now level on points and goal difference, and just so happen to be playing one another at St. James' Park next Sunday as the race for Champions League football goes to the wire.

Brentford's win sees them leapfrog both Fulham and Brighton into ninth, and they remain in with a great chance of securing European football for the first time in their history.

As for United, Spurs, and West Ham, they remain in 15th, 16th, and 17th respectively as their horrid league seasons wait to be put out of their misery.

What they said 🗣️

Arne Slot had no regrets about playing some of his squad players despite the loss, which was not too surprising given the likely days of title celebrations.

"They deserve to play these games because they have trained so hard this season. Every time they did so well so that's why I think they deserved to play this game."

We don't judge them only on this game, we judge them every day on the training ground and in the moments that they play for us."

Enzo Maresca was delighted with his side's performance, and their recent winning form.

"Very important three points, especially at this stage in the season. This team [Liverpool] showed why they are so good. They forced us to defend deep which we don't like," he said.

"I'm very impressed with the players since we started [working with them]. They are doing very good. They can understand that if we finish top five, everyone thinks they have been fantastic. I am very impressed with all of them."

Isak's late goal keeps Newcastle in pole position for a top-five finish, and Eddie Howe knows the point could be vital.

"When you're 1-0 down you have to be grateful for the point. We're certainly stronger with it than without it. I felt that months back (that the race would be tight). We've got top quality teams fighting for a massive prize. We just hope we're in there."

Thomas Frank was delighted with his side's win over Manchester United and feels European football is within their grasp.

"I think we definitely have momentum. The last 13 we've had a really good run of games, there's a flow of playing well. We need to keep that up. The next one is the most important game and that's Ipswich away."

What's next? 👀

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Monday sees a mammoth clash for Nottingham Forest away to FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace, before a full set of games next weekend.

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