Spurs’ surprise loss at relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion on Saturday opened the door for Chelsea to close the gap on the top four.

It was a good outing for the London side as they capitalised on that lifeline with an assured performance over the UEFA Champions League finalists.

Frenchman Giroud headed what proved to be the winning goal in the 32nd minute, meaning the striker has now scored 17 league goals with his head since the start of 2015-16.

The record is more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.

Liverpool pressed but Chelsea held on to move within three points of the visitors who are third.

On Wednesday, Chelsea have a game in hand over the Merseysiders at home to Huddersfield Town as they bid to set up a thrilling final day next Sunday.

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They succumbed to a deserved 1-2 defeat for 30 points from 37 games.
The Potters had to win to give themselves the faintest hope of maintaining their 10-year stay in the top tier of the English game.

But Paul Lambert’s ailing side, who have not won in 13 league matches, went down to a late Patrick van Aanholt goal.

Xherdan Shaqiri had given Stoke City hope with a deflected 43rd- minute free kick, only for James McArthur to equalise midway through the second half after a slick counter-attack.

Then, as Crystal Palace piled on the pressure, Van Aanholt struck four minutes from time as Stoke City’s worst run in the top flight for 34 years sealed their fate.

The loss meant Roy Hodgson’s resurgent Crystal Palace could celebrate another year of English Premier League football.

A crestfallen Ryan Shawcross, Stoke’s captain whose late mistake led to Van Aanholt’s goal, admitted his team had not been good enough all season.

“We’ve had a right go every single game (under Lambert) but for whatever reason, we haven’t got the goals we needed and ultimately it’s cost us,” he said.

“It’s difficult to take but it’s a great club this and we’ll be back.”

With Crystal Palace not at their sharpest in a nervy opening half, it took the quality of Shaqiri to break the deadlock as he began a promising move with a fine cross-field ball.

He then tempted Ruben Loftus-Cheek into a clumsy challenge 23 metres out.

The Swiss international’s curled free kick took a slight diversion off Loftus-Cheek in the Crystal Palace wall to give Stoke a lifeline.

Yet the home side increasingly retreated as Crystal Palace began to swarm over them after the interval.

McArthur, overlapping on the left, slotted home an excellent left-footed finish after the visitors broke from deep in their own half.

A draw would not realistically have been enough to save Stoke City but their fate was sealed with Shawcross’ mistake.

Trying to clear his lines, he diverted the ball straight into the path of the charging full back Van Aanholt.

“The goal was my fault. Sometimes you make mistakes and they cost you,” said Shawcross.

The win sealed Crystal Palace’s safety, a remarkable achievement for former England manager Hodgson.

He had to pull off a considerable feat of escapology after the Eagles’ desperate start to the season under Frank de Boer.

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United had to at least draw to keep the title race mathematically alive but were stunned at Old Trafford when Jay Rodriguez headed home after the break.

With five games to go City, who beat Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, have 87 points to the 71 of second-placed United.

It is their first league title since 2014 and their first under former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola.

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Alexandre Lacazette’s stretching volley gave Arsenal the lead in the 14th minute but Ayoze Perez clipped in Newcastle’s equaliser on the half hour mark.

Newcastle were the better side after the break and took the lead in the 68th minute when Matt Ritchie fired home after a neat flick from Perez.

Newcastle have 41 points in 10th place with sixth-placed Arsenal on 54 — 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

“40 points was the target at the start of the season and hopefully we’ve done enough now to secure our Premier League status,” Matt Ritchie told Sky Sports.

“Now we want to keep going and try to finish as high as we can in the table,” he added.

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A win for City at the Etihad Stadium would have clinched the title.

But, instead, their first home defeat in the league this season leaves Pep Guardiola’s side with a 13 point lead with six games remaining.

City left several regular starters on the bench ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool.

Nonetheless, they were 2-0 up within half an hour, thanks to a Vincent Kompany header from a corner and a clever finish from Ilkay Guendogan.

But two goals from Paul Pogba in the 53rd and 55th minutes brought United level before Chris Smalling, left unmarked in the box, grabbed the winner in the 69th minute.

He side-footed home a floated free kick from Alexis Sanchez.

City felt they should have had a penalty kick when substitute Sergio Aguero went down under a challenge from Ashley Young.

They also came close to an equaliser when David de Gea made a brilliant save to keep out a header from Aguero and Raheem Sterling hit the post.

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