Cole Palmer's form in focus for Chelsea as Newcastle boost top-five chances - Premier League hits and misses

Palmer's struggles continue as Sanchez, Jackson impress

Cole Palmer may have looked on with envious eyes as he watched match-winners Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez take in the applause after Chelsea's nervy win over Everton.

The trio have all come under fire during the Blues' patchy run of form in 2025 but two at least managed to claim joint responsibility for a win which edged their side closer to Champions League qualification.

A first goal since December for Jackson, a player-of-the match clean sheet from Sanchez. But another afternoon of treading water for Palmer.

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No shots, as many passes in the final third as Levi Colwill, and another game without a goal contribution, mirroring 14 of his previous 16 matches.

The England star could do no wrong for his first 18 months at Stamford Bridge and still has 22 goals and assists combined this season, but looks devoid of confidence or ideas at the moment.

He ran down blind alleys and rarely looked dangerous against Everton, but Enzo Maresca still attempted to gee him up by praising his performance after the game.

"Hopefully Cole will score soon but his performance today was very good, he sacrificed a lot, he was pressing very well," he said. The fact Palmer's praise is limited to his work without the ball says it all.

But how to solve it? Even Maresca doesn't have the answer. Given there is little end product to lose with his current return, it might even be time to give him a spell out of the spotlight.
Ron Walker

Newcastle back in a strong position - but run-in is not straightforward

After Ben Johnson's red card and Alexander Isak's penalty on the stroke of half-time, this turned into one of Newcastle's most comfortable wins of the season. But it is also one of their most important.

• Newcastle 3-0 Ipswich - Match report and highlights
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After that heavy loss at Aston Villa last weekend halted their progress, this was an immediate return to the head of the Champions League race. While some of their rivals for a top-five finish focused on FA Cup matches at Wembley, Newcastle moved themselves into a commanding position. It's in their hands.

Eddie Howe warned that advantage can quickly turn - and with Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton to come, Newcastle's run-in isn't straightforward. But this response to the Villa loss has rejuvenated their prospects.
Peter Smith

Ipswich take pride from Premier League campaign despite relegation

Ipswich join Southampton and Leicester in being relegated back to the Championship, but perhaps unlike those other sides, Kieran McKenna's players go down with their heads held high. 'Pride' is a word the head coach used in his post-match interviews after defeat at Newcastle confirmed their fate.

After back-to-back promotions took his side from League One to the top flight, this first season back in the Premier League was always going to be a huge step. And so it has proved.

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There were avoidable issues here - Ben Johnson's second yellow after his harsh first and Julio Enciso's foul on Jacob Murphy. But McKenna said he could have no complaints about the commitment of his players across the course of the season. They just ultimately haven't had the quality to compete week-in, week-out at this level.

The aim will be to swiftly return and use this campaign - and the considerable funds from it, perhaps from the sale of Liam Delap in the summer - as a springboard. Ipswich are a club still heading in the right direction, even if they have to take a backwards step for now.
Peter Smith

Pointless positives as West Ham implode again

"It is a mindset problem" claimed Niclas Fullkrug in his scathing post-match interview last weekend and the same could be applied to West Ham's late defeat at Brighton.

Just how did they conspire to lose a game when leading with five minutes left? Boss Graham Potter raged afterwards and this time he was the one taking a swipe at the players.

"There's always things we can do," he said. "But in the end the players are there as well. I'm having to answer these questions but there's players on the pitch."

• Brighton 3-2 West Ham - Match report and highlights
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Their late collapse sums up their messy season and it has done Potter no favours. Just three wins in his 14 games in charge has only lowered hopes around a European push next season.

Potter's great frustration was compounded by the fact that West Ham had actually played well in the second half. Booed off at the break, Potter answered the fans' chants to bring on Fullkrug, but it was Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen either side of him that benefitted most from the change.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka continued to shine on his raids down the right flank. Lucas Paqueta had shown maturity playing in a deeper midfield role. All of it was rendered pointless.

"I'm sick of talking about positives," said Potter. And he will surely be sick of this season too.
David Richardson

Leicester go from bad to worse at Wolves

Leicester were outplayed by Wolves as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Molineux that underlined why they are heading out of the Premier League. Jamie Vardy, the departing hero, even managed to see a penalty saved as the malaise continues for the Foxes.

If there had been a sliver of optimism to take from their draw at Brighton followed by that narrow reverse against Liverpool, this was another sound beating for Ruud van Nistelrooy's side that stresses the need for a complete overhaul in the summer.

• Wolves 3-0 Leicester - Match report and highlights
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Loose in possession and looser in their pressing without the ball, they made it far too easy for a Wolves side that achieved only their second win by three or more goals without conceding this season - and the other of those was in the reverse fixture.

The Foxes could have gone eight points clear of Wolves after 17 games that day in December. Now, they are 23 points behind them after 34. It is a remarkable contrast that highlights Wolves' spectacular turnaround but reflects awfully on Leicester.

It is just one point from 11 games now, with Van Nistelrooy cutting an increasingly forlorn figure. He has had to shift from talk of staying up to finishing with pride, but even the call to ensure Vardy's career at the club ends positively looks set to come to nothing.

Perhaps the most damning verdict came from his counterpart Vitor Pereira, who has spoken regularly of how emotionally draining he finds it to be on the touchline. "Today, I didn't lose a lot of energy," he said afterwards. "The game was controlled."
Adam Bate

Silva's subs keep Fulham dreaming of European qualification

Fulham boss Marco Silva has got the Midas touch when it comes to substitutions.

A hugely underwhelming first half in their 2-1 win at Southampton saw Fulham fail to have a shot on target.

• Southampton 1-2 Fulham - Match report and highlights
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Silva hooked his two central midfielders, Andreas Pereira and Sander Berge, at the interval, and replaced them with Sasa Lukic and Adama Traore.

Fulham then dominated the second half, with Traore in particular a game-changer as he played in the cross for Ryan Sessegnon's stoppage-time headed winner.

Before that goal, it was Silva's 66th-minute substitute who levelled it up as Emile Smith scored a deflected equaliser just six minutes after coming on.

Smith Rowe's leveller was the 15th goal scored by a Fulham substitute in the Premier League this season, the joint most of any side in a single season in the competition's history (also 15 for Arsenal in 2009/10, Man City in 2011/12 and Liverpool in 2015/16).

There is also a never-say-die attitude about this European-chasing Fulham side.

Sessegnon's 92nd-minute header was their third 90th-minute winner in the Premier League this season, the joint-most of any side (level with Brighton).

This belief, combined with Silva's impactful substitutions, has Fulham dreaming of European football for the first time since 2011.
Declan Olley

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Cole Palmer's form in focus for Chelsea as Newcastle boost top-five chances - Premier League hits and misses