The race for European places in the Premier League intensified with Tuesday night's triumphs for two teams in the chasing pack.
After their respective 2-1 victories over AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham both moved up the table, which now shows just a five-point difference between Nottingham Forest in third place and Aston Villa in 10th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
30 | +15 | 57 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
30 | +17 | 51 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
29 | +10 | 50 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
29 | +16 | 49 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
30 | -1 | 48 |
| 8 |
Brighton
BHA
|
30 | +3 | 47 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
30 | +4 | 45 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
30 | +11 | 44 |
How Tuesday's results changed the table
Villa slipped to 10th after losing 4-1 at Crystal Palace, but they began the evening with a chance of going into fifth spot, which could gain entry into the UEFA Champions League in 2025/26.
English clubs are on course to be granted an extra place in the elite competition, in addition to the usual top four, as a reward for their collective progress in Europe this season.
The night drew to a close with Manchester City in fifth, two points and one place behind Chelsea, who climbed back into the top four after beating bottom club Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Brighton went up to eighth, which could become a qualifying position for the UEFA Conference League, just one point ahead of Fulham in ninth.
Ryan Sessegnon, whose 58-second opener for Fulham was his first goal since rejoining the club from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, said: "It was obviously very important to get three points to keep pushing in the league.
"To bring that performance and the confidence into the FA Cup game [against Manchester United] is very important for us too."
How clubs qualify for the other UEFA competitions
The winners of the FA Cup qualify for the league phase of the UEFA Europa League but if they finish in the top five of the Premier League, their place will instead go to the next-highest ranked team that have not qualified for Europe via their league position.
The EFL Cup winners qualify for the playoff stages of the UEFA Conference League but if they finish in the top five of the Premier League - or top six in the event of the FA Cup winners scenario above - their place will go to the next-highest ranked team that have not qualified for Europe via their league position.
Next up in the race for Europe
The composition of the Premier League's European places could change again of course when Wednesday's five matches are completed.
Five teams in the top eight will be in action, with sixth-placed Newcastle United visiting the leaders Liverpool, and Arsenal, in second, travelling to third-placed Nottingham Forest.
Reigning champions Man City, in fifth spot, visit a rejuvenated Tottenham Hotspur side victorious in their last three Premier League matches.
Meanwhile, Brentford, themselves harbouring European ambitions, could move to within three points of eighth place by beating Everton at home.
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