No letting up in the Premier League this year! Champions League spots nearly settled, Manchester United's goalkeeper credits learning to win ugly.

Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 away win over Chelsea on Saturday, and on Sunday Aston Villa and Liverpool both scored decisive goals in stoppage time, making the Premier League's Champions League qualification almost certain.

Arsenal and Manchester City have long secured top-five rankings; Manchester United, Villa, and Liverpool will claim the other three qualification spots, meaning England will still have at least five Champions League teams next season.

Liverpool scored in the 100th minute to break Everton's defense, winning the Merseyside derby 2-1; Villa scored in the 93rd minute, defeating Sunderland 4-3. Now, the top five teams all hold at least a 7-point lead over Chelsea, equivalent to more than two games' difference, leaving the Blues with little chance to recover.

Both Manchester United and Villa lead Chelsea by 10 points; over the remaining five matches, securing just 6 points would guarantee Champions League qualification.

Chelsea's last hope may largely depend on Manchester United. On May 3rd, the Red Devils will host Liverpool at Old Trafford; if they defeat Liverpool, and Chelsea themselves beat Slot's team at Anfield a week later, the gap could shrink to 1 point. However, Rosener's team has suffered four consecutive losses, with poor momentum, making such an outcome unlikely.

Rather than chasing Champions League spots, Chelsea might need to focus on securing their Europa League qualification! Typically, the sixth-placed Premier League team, currently Chelsea's position, earns a Europa League spot, while seventh place enters the Europa Conference League.

Another Europa League place is awarded to the FA Cup winner. If the FA Cup champion already qualifies for Champions League or Europa League via other means, then the seventh-placed Premier League team enters the Europa League, and eighth place goes to the Europa Conference League. Chelsea, along with Manchester City, Leeds United, and Championship side Southampton, have reached this year's FA Cup semifinals.

Since Premier League clubs Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace remain in European competitions and could win trophies, their success could bring additional qualification spots. In extreme scenarios, even ninth place might have a chance to play in the Europa Conference League. Thus, Chelsea's Champions League hopes are slim, but their chances for European qualification are relatively high.

However, the mid-table competition in the Premier League this season is fierce, with only a 6-point gap between sixth-placed Chelsea and 14th-placed Newcastle United. Chelsea have lost five of their last six matches, sitting on 48 points alongside Brentford and Bournemouth. Statistics show this is indeed the most intense mid-table battle in recent years!

Last year at this time, there was a 19-point gap between sixth and 14th place in the Premier League; in the three seasons prior, it was 17 points. Over the 34 seasons since the Premier League's inception, the average point difference between the sixth-placed team and the 12th-placed team on April 19th is 13.3 points; the average difference between sixth and 14th place is 16.5 points.

Manchester United fans can now relax for the remaining matches; goalkeeper Sene Ramens particularly enjoyed the victory at Chelsea. Despite lower possession, only 10 touches in the opponent's penalty area, far fewer shots, just one shot on target, and an expected goals figure of only 0.29 compared to Chelsea's 1.55, United secured their third win at Stamford Bridge since 2002 thanks to Cunha's goal.

This delighted the 3,000 traveling fans, who celebrated enthusiastically at the final whistle, contrasting sharply with the disappointment of former United winger Alejandro Garnacho.

Ramens believes winning ugly is a beautiful thing. "It feels very special," Ramens said. "You can feel the fans' support, especially in the first half when we played in front of them. We worked hard for it, it wasn't easy. But sometimes, the most beautiful thing is exactly this: winning a hard-fought victory and celebrating with the supporters."

Ramens doesn't think securing Champions League qualification means it's over. He stated: "We've done well, but it's not finished. Even if we make the Champions League, we still want to win the remaining matches. Of course, that's the primary goal, but we must stay positive and look upward, because no one knows what might happen."