Chelsea thrashed by Everton, Liverpool's top 4 hopes dented as Brighton win 2-1

Liverpool and Chelsea stumble in the Premier League top 4 race after their losses to Brighton and Everton respectively. The Reds lost 1-2 at the Amex stadium, while Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 by Everton.

In Short

• Welbeck's brace helped Brighton down Liverpool
• Chelsea suffered their 4th straight loss in all competitions
• Fulham beat Burnley 3-1 to keep their european hopes alive

Liverpool's bid for a Champions League spot suffered a setback as Brighton and Hove Albion secured a 2-1 Premier League victory on Saturday. Danny Welbeck scored in each half, handing the reigning champions their 10th league defeat of the season.

Everton maintained their European ambitions with a 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea, inflicting a fourth consecutive defeat on the visitors across all competitions. Fulham also bounced back to beat Burnley 3-1 after falling behind. Brentford missed an opportunity to strengthen their European prospects, settling for a goalless draw against Leeds United.

PREMIER LEAGUE: FULL COVERAGE

At the Amex Stadium, Liverpool stayed fifth with 49 points, having earned only one point from their last three league games. Their performance was further hampered by an early injury to Hugo Ekitike.

Welbeck scored both goals for Brighton, who are 10th on 43 points. He opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a header assisted by Diego Gomez’s cross. Milos Kerkez equalised following a mistake from Lewis Dunk within the first half, to give some hope for Arne Slot's side.

Welbeck restored Brighton’s lead shortly after halftime with a VAR-confirmed tap-in, marking his 12th league goal of the season. This was Liverpool's 10th defeat of the campaign as they failed to capitalise on Manchester United's draw against Bournemouth on Friday.

CHELSEA'S WOES CONTINUE

At Goodison Park, Beto scored twice as Everton climbed to eighth with 46 points, while Chelsea remained sixth on 48. Beto’s first goal came in the 33rd minute from a pass by James Garner, and he doubled the lead shortly after the hour mark by slotting the ball past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Iliman Ndiaye sealed Everton’s victory 14 minutes from time with a curled finish, delivering their biggest win over Chelsea since 1987 and their first back-to-back home wins at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Fulham’s win at Craven Cottage lifted them to ninth place with 44 points. Burnley remain 19th, nine points from safety. Zian Flemming put Burnley ahead on the hour, but Fulham responded with two goals in six minutes. Teenager Josh King capitalised on a Martin Dubravka error before Harry Wilson scored his 10th league goal of the season. Raul Jimenez added a late penalty after Josh Laurent was sent off.

Brentford, placed seventh with 46 points, failed to close the gap on Liverpool and Chelsea in a match lacking attacking quality. Leeds United are 15th, four points above the relegation zone.

- Ends