This weekend’s football games in the Premier League and La Liga brought intense action, with Chelsea and Real Madrid earning important wins that boosted their push for Champions League spots and league titles. As the season nears its end, the fight for top places is getting even tougher.

Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool: Blues Keep Champions League Hopes Alive

Chelsea boosted their chances of getting back into the Champions League with a strong 3-1 win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Fernández opened the scoring early, cutting through Liverpool’s defense and finishing smartly. Things got worse for Liverpool when Jarell Quansah accidentally scored an own goal.

Cole Palmer finished it off with a cool penalty in added time. Van Dijk scored late for Liverpool, but it wasn’t enough. The team looked tired after their big win over Tottenham the week before and couldn’t avoid their third league loss of the season.

Thanks to this win and smart tactics from manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea now sit fifth in the Premier League with 63 points—the same as fourth-placed Newcastle, who drew 1-1 with Brighton. Nottingham Forest, sitting just below, can also reach 63 points if they beat Crystal Palace. Chelsea have now won five home games in a row and are clearly pushing to rejoin Europe’s top competition.

Real Madrid 3-2 Celta Vigo: Madrid Hold On in Tight Title Race

In Spain, Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 3-2 in a tight match at the Santiago Bernabéu to stay in the title race. Kylian Mbappé was the star again, scoring twice—one with a sharp finish and the other using his speed. He now has 24 league goals, just one behind the top scorer.

Arda Güler, a young Turkish talent, scored the first goal with a great strike and later assisted Mbappé. Celta Vigo tried to fight back with two late goals, taking advantage of Madrid’s weakened defense, which was missing six injured players. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made key saves to protect the lead. Coach Carlo Ancelotti said, “We struggled a bit, but it was a good win.”

With this result, Real Madrid stay second in La Liga with 72 points, trailing Barcelona by four points. Barcelona had a comeback win over Valladolid. The upcoming El Clásico could decide the title, especially with Madrid already knocked out of the Champions League and losing the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona. Even though Celta lost, they remain seventh and still in the running for a Europa League spot.

Premier League Champions League Qualification Battle

With Liverpool already champions at 82 points, the focus shifts to the remaining Champions League places — and the competition is fierce. Arsenal hold second place with 67 points but have faltered lately, including a costly 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth. This stumble leaves them open to a late surge from Manchester City, who are just three points behind with a game in hand. City’s steady form and squad depth make them favorites to overtake Arsenal in the final stretch.

Newcastle United and Chelsea are tied at 63 points, with Newcastle edging ahead on goal difference. Both teams are in fine shape — Chelsea boosted by five straight home victories, and Newcastle consistently earning points. The heat is on for both to keep their momentum against tough opponents.

Nottingham Forest, with 60 points, are surprise contenders. A win in their next game could draw them level with Chelsea and Newcastle, making the race even tighter. Forest’s lively attacking play gives them a shot, but they’ll need perfect results and some luck with rivals’ slip-ups.

Further back, Fulham and Brighton have slim hopes, needing flawless runs and major errors from those above. They’re more likely to act as disruptors, potentially spoiling the plans of teams in the race.

In truth, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Forest are locked in a five-team fight for three spots. With goal difference, head-to-head results, and final matches all factoring in, this battle could go right to the season’s last day, where every goal and point will be crucial.

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has suggested he is ready to extend his time at Galatasaray, cooling down rumours of a move to the Premier League.

Osimhen, 26, has been linked with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United. But after a brilliant season in Turkey, he appears happy to stay with the Istanbul club.

Speaking about his time at Galatasaray, Osimhen said:
“It’s a great feeling. I will continue to make the fans proud. The team is winning, I am scoring goals – I want to keep going as they know me.”

He added that inspiring his teammates’ children makes him even happier.

Osimhen has been in top form, scoring 33 goals in all competitions this season – a new personal best. He scored 24 goals in the Super Lig, 6 in the Europa League, and 3 in the Turkish Cup. This breaks his previous record of 31 goals for Napoli in the 2022/23 season.

Reflecting on the achievement, he said:
“It was important to break my record in my first season here. I thank my family, friends, and the technical team for their support.”

Despite his personal success, Osimhen made it clear that the team’s success means more to him:
“The team comes first. When I take my chances and score, it makes me happy – but the important thing is not Victor Osimhen, it’s the team.”

His comments suggest he is enjoying life at Galatasaray and could soon commit to a longer stay, despite the growing interest from England.

For all his goals and personal awards, Harry Kane was often criticised for never winning a trophy — not with a club, and not with England.

“Many people talk about how I haven’t won anything yet,” the England captain said recently, as Bayern Munich looked set to win the Bundesliga title. “It would be nice to prove them wrong.”

Ironically, Kane had to watch from the stands as Bayern played RB Leipzig last Saturday. He was suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season.

“It’s typical of my story that I’ll miss the Leipzig game,” said the 31-year-old. “But don’t worry, I’ll celebrate harder than anyone.”

Kane even walked to the touchline, ready to celebrate, but a late goal from Leipzig delayed things. The title was confirmed a day later when Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at Freiburg on Sunday.

That result gave Bayern the title and finally ended the talk that Kane might finish his career without silverware.

He watched the Leverkusen game with England team-mate Eric Dier and other Bayern players. He later posted a video online of them singing “We are the champions”.

“I’m so happy for him – he really deserves it,” said former Bayern and Tottenham striker Jürgen Klinsmann.

“His stats over the last 10 years are incredible. He’s still fit, still hungry. I love watching him play.”

A long road to success

Kane’s career didn’t always look like that of England’s all-time top scorer. As a teenager at Tottenham, former youth coach Alex Inglethorpe said he wasn’t even one of the top players in his age group.

He was still in the youth team when Spurs last won a trophy — the League Cup in 2008. He got his first professional deal in 2010 and spent time on loan at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Leicester and Norwich before becoming a star at Spurs.

Kane became Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer with 280 goals in 435 games and is second in the Premier League’s all-time scoring list with 213 goals, behind only Alan Shearer’s 260.

But despite three Premier League Golden Boots, he never won a trophy with Spurs. He lost a Champions League final and two League Cup finals and missed out on the league title twice.

With England, he lost in the Euro 2020 final and the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. He won the Golden Boot in Russia and was joint top scorer at Euro 2024, but still no title.

“I always said if Harry left Spurs, he would win trophies,” said Klinsmann, who also won his only league title after leaving Tottenham for Bayern in 1995.

When Kane joined Bayern in August 2023 for €100m (£86.4m), trophies looked certain. Bayern had won 11 straight Bundesliga titles.

He made his debut in the German Super Cup against Leipzig, but Bayern lost 3-0. Later, they were knocked out of the German Cup by third-division side Saarbrücken, and finished third in the league – their worst in over a decade. They also lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.

“People joked about him,” said German football commentator Taufig Khalil. “Bayern had won everything, Kane joined, and suddenly they won nothing. It was a tough season for him.”

Settling into German life

Kane stayed focused and kept trying to improve. He also replaced club legend Robert Lewandowski, which came with big expectations.

“Bayern has a long tradition of great strikers,” said Klinsmann. “To follow in those footsteps is an honour.”

Khalil added: “Even rival fans are happy to have Kane in the Bundesliga. When the England captain plays in Germany — that’s huge.”

Despite his fame, Kane stayed humble. He’s known for being professional, respectful, and friendly — with both fans and the media.

“He’s polite and down to earth,” said Khalil. “He always greets people, and even when he doesn’t want to talk, he apologises. Most players just walk past with headphones on.”

Kane has embraced life in Munich. He’s gone to Oktoberfest, visited fan clubs, and taken German lessons (although he jokes his kids will learn faster than him).

“He’s fit in well,” said Klinsmann. “Munich is international, but you still need to adapt. He’s done it brilliantly.”

Kane became close friends with Thomas Müller and plays golf with teammates like Konrad Laimer. His strong bond with Eric Dier, who joined Bayern in January, has also helped him settle.

“The fans love him,” added Klinsmann. “He’s humble, he works hard, and he scores goals — that’s what matters to him.”

Well deserved

After six lost finals — three with Spurs, two with England and one with Bayern — Kane finally has a major title.

Kane has been vital to Bayern’s success. “He’s like a young player – always running, always fighting,” said manager Vincent Kompany.

Kane is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 24 goals and has 36 in all competitions, including 11 in the Champions League.

He missed a big chance in the Champions League quarter-final first leg but scored in the second leg. Still, Bayern were knocked out.

“When people criticised him, he accepted it,” said Khalil. “He always stops to talk after games – win or lose.”

Though Bayern had some stumbles, Kane stayed consistent. Only Gerd Müller and Lewandowski have scored more in a single Bundesliga season. In April, Kane became the fastest to reach 60 Bundesliga goals – beating Erling Haaland’s record.

He also had 15 assists, averaging a goal or assist every 72 minutes.

“He fights, he works, he scores,” said Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness. “No-one deserves it more.”

Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo has strongly denied reports that he turned down the chance to play for Nigeria. He says he has never rejected the Super Eagles and has never even had talks about joining the national team.

In a video shared by well-known photojournalist Pooja via Oma Akatugba, the 27-year-old, who recently joined Chelsea, spoke out about the ongoing rumours.

Adarabioyo, who can play for both England and Nigeria, was surprised by the claims that he refused Nigeria. He said clearly:

“I’ve never turned down Nigeria, and I’ve never had any conversations with them to say I’ll be going to Nigeria. So, both of those pieces of news are false.”

The centre-back, who helped Chelsea win the UEFA Europa Conference League, explained that no official discussions have ever taken place between him and the Nigerian Football Federation.

These comments come after years of speculation suggesting he had chosen England over Nigeria.

Adarabioyo’s clear message may now renew interest from Nigerian fans and officials who still hope to see him wear the green and white.

For now, the defender says his international future is still open — and he hasn’t closed the door on playing for Nigeria.

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria were held to a 0-0 draw by Morocco in their Group B match at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday night at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

Despite both teams featuring several foreign-based players, the game failed to live up to expectations. It was a scrappy contest with few clear chances and several interruptions from minor fouls.

Nigeria’s head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, made changes to his starting line-up ahead of the game, bringing in Israel Ayuma and Precious Benjamin for Caleb Ochedikwu and Kparobo Arierhi.

Morocco had the first real chance in the 15th minute, but Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt kept out Mouad Dahak’s effort, although the flag went up for offside.

Five minutes later, Nigeria got a free-kick just outside the box after Benjamin was fouled, but his attempt went just over the crossbar.

The Flying Eagles grew into the game late in the first half. Adamu Maigari’s header was comfortably saved, and Emmanuel Chukwu also missed with a header. Benjamin came closest when his low shot to the far post was tipped out for a corner.

The second half saw Nigeria dominate possession and defend well. They looked more likely to score, especially against a Moroccan side that had scored three goals in their first group match.

However, poor decision-making in the final third meant the Flying Eagles couldn’t find the breakthrough.

Nigeria remain second in Group B with four points, the same as Morocco, who top the group due to a better goal difference. The Flying Eagles will face Kenya in their final group game on Wednesday, May 7.