Chelsea ran riot at St Mary's, putting six past Southampton, while wins for Leeds and Brighton had huge repercussions in the battle for survival and the top four.
Southampton 0-6 Chelsea
Timo Werner hit the woodwork three times but still scored twice as Chelsea arrested their mini slump by hammering sorry Southampton 6-0 at St Mary’s.
FT: Southampton 0-6 Chelsea
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) April 9, 2022
‣ xG: 0.63-4.29
Chelsea record their biggest xGF tally since Thomas Tuchel was appointed manager.
Big response to back-to-back defeats from the Blues. pic.twitter.com/jiqQ6HVmj8
Germany forward Werner produced a perfect hat-trick of sorts by striking the left post, right post and crossbar – but shrugged off those misses with a morale-boosting brace.
Mason Mount helped himself to a double too, with Marcos Alonso and Kai Havertz also on target to hand Chelsea a much-needed winning tonic.
Chelsea’s fourth win in their last five Premier League matches inched the Blues ever closer to a third-place finish, with London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham starting to lag behind in the table.
Watford 0-3 Leeds
Raphinha underlined his value to Leeds as Jesse Marsch’s men took a significant step towards Premier League survival with a 3-0 win which pushed Watford closer to relegation.
FT: Watford 0-3 Leeds
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) April 9, 2022
‣ xG: 0.90-0.94
Jesse Marsch's men put three past a woeful Hornets team to all but secure safety.
Roy Hodgson has an almost impossible task on his hands now. pic.twitter.com/NqTMTCHGDB
The Brazilian – who has been heavily linked with a summer switch to Barcelona – stylishly ended a six-game goal drought to set his side on course for a vital three points at Vicarage Road.
In-form duo Rodrigo and Jack Harrison capitalised on some calamitous Hornets defending to seal victory as the West Yorkshire club moved nine points clear of the drop zone.
The beleaguered Hornets had little answer as they slipped to a ninth successive home loss for the first time since the 1971-72 campaign.
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton
Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four Premier League finish took another blow as they were deservedly beaten by Brighton following a lacklustre display.
FT: Arsenal 1-2 Brighton
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) April 9, 2022
‣ xG: 2.68-0.71
Arsenal miss out on the chance to return to the top four after slumping to their second successive defeat.
Brighton uncharacteristically clinical at the Emirates. pic.twitter.com/19bWN4rBnI
Enock Mwepu was the star of the show for the visitors, creating Leandro Trossard’s opener before his own fine strike doubled the lead. Martin Odegaard’s late consolation meant Brighton left with a deserved 2-1 win.
Arsenal were already reeling from a 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace on Monday night and, with Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey missing through injury, their small squad was exposed once more.
Gabriel Martinelli had a goal ruled out for offside but other than that the Gunners rarely threatened and lost more ground in their hopes of returning to Champions League action.
