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LONDON. — Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said the fans changed everything as his men beat Leicester 2-1 on Tuesday night.
They will qualify for the UEFA Champions League if they beat Aston Villa on the final day of the season.
“The fans made a huge difference. The speed in our game, the hunger, the ambition. It was a very strong performance,” Tuchel said.
“The job is not done, but it’s still in our hands. We need another huge performance at Aston Villa.”
On the same night, Brighton staged a superb fightback to beat champions Manchester City 3-2 as fans returned to the English Premier League.
Supporters have been allowed back into English Premier League matches this week for the first time since December following the UK’s easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Around 8 000 fans were at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea moved into the third place at Leicester’s expense, while 7 900 saw Brighton’s dramatic 3-2 victory against City.
There were 10 000 United fans at Old Trafford for their 1-1 draw with relegated Fulham and 8 000 at Southampton for their 2-0 defeat against Leeds.
Chelsea avenged Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat against Leicester to steal a march on the Foxes in the race for the top four.
Tuchel’s side broke the deadlock in the 47th minute when Antonio Rudiger bundled home after a corner was unwittingly flicked on by Leicester’s Luke Thomas.
Jorginho doubled Chelsea’s lead with a 66th-minute penalty after VAR ruled Wesley Fofana fouled Timo Werner.
Kelechi Iheanacho set up a tense finale when the Leicester striker slotted home in the 76th minute.
But Chelsea held on and emotions ran high in stoppage-time after a brawl erupted featuring virtually every player and members of both teams’ coaching staffs.
Chelsea will be guaranteed to finish third if they win at Aston Villa in their last game of the season on Sunday.
Having won the FA Cup for the first time, fourth-placed Leicester could be denied a top-four finish on the last day for the second successive season.
Leicester’s final match is at home to Tottenham, while Liverpool host Crystal Palace.
“We’re obviously disappointed with the goals. We conceded a needless corner and didn’t pick up well enough. The penalty is very harsh,” Rodgers said.
“We’re still in that top four and we’ve got one more game to go. If we win it and it’s still not enough for us we have to accept that. It’s still been a great season.”— AFP.
Online Reporter