Chelsea beat Forest to retain hope of European football

Two quickfire goals saw Chelsea come from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2, earning their first win from the four head-to-heads since the Reds were promoted to the Premier League.

There was a party atmosphere at the City Ground with defeats for Luton Town and Burnley during the three o’clock kick-offs leaving Forest all but safe. Chris Wood almost added to that when he was released behind early on, but Đorđe Petrović stood tall enough to stop the striker’s lofted effort.

Chelsea weren’t in the mood to enjoy that party as they chase European football, and having been so important to the Blues’ ambitions, Cole Palmer slid through a perfectly-weighted pass for Mykhailo Mudryk to run onto and calmly finish to end his 10-game goalless run across all competitions.

It took just eight minutes for the hosts to respond, as Murillo made a lung bursting run and was fouled for a free-kick that Morgan Gibbs-White clipped towards Willy Boly, whose header went in off Conor Gallagher.

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The game’s pace eventually slowed following that blistering start but there were still opportunities, with Wood heading off-target after Petrović failed to convincingly deal with Danilo’s corner before Palmer played Nicolas Jackson through, only for the striker to be denied by Matz Sels.

Both sides pushed to go ahead and Palmer was uncharacteristically wasteful when Moisés Caicedo found him shortly after. Even so, Forest were on top and Gibbs-White was left furious after heading onto the post, especially with Wood sending his follow-up off-target, and Thiago Silva suffered a similar fate with his flicked header also hitting the woodwork.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was equally unfortunate when his curling effort cannoned off the crossbar. Undeterred on his 100th PL appearance against his former club, the winger picked out the bottom corner with a similar finish shortly after.

However, Raheem Sterling swiftly responded in a similar fashion for his fourth goal in as many appearances against Forest.

A special moment followed as Reece James marked his first appearance since December by picking out Jackson for the striker to head in the winner for a breathtaking turnaround as Chelsea earned their third consecutive victory to go level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle United in the PL table.

While Forest are tantalisingly close to safety, they must wait for survival to be mathematically confirmed.

Chelsea beat Forest to retain hope of European football

Accident: After brother’s death, Tijani Babangida’s son dies, wife loses eye

Former Nigerian international footballer, Tijjani Babangida, is facing immense sorrow as his family grapples with tragedy.

Following a fatal road accident on the Zaria-Kaduna road, which claimed the life of Tijjani’s brother, Ibrahim Babangida, his one-year-old son has succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.

The accident occurred on Thursday, April 10, 2024, involving Tijjani, his wife, brother, son, and maid.

While Ibrahim tragically passed away at the scene, Tijjani and the other occupants were rushed to the hospital for urgent medical attention.

Sadly, Tijjani’s son lost his battle for life, succumbing to injuries sustained in the accident.

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Additionally, Tijjani’s wife suffered severe facial injuries, resulting in the loss of one of her eyes.

Both Tijjani and his wife’s injuries necessitated medical attention, with Tijjani undergoing surgery for a damaged knee and other injuries.

A close family friend expressed the profound difficulty of the situation, highlighting the emotional toll on Tijjani and his family.

He said “This is a difficult moment for our friend Tijanni and his entire family. After the death of Ibrahim, his little son, who was battling for life in the hospital with him, also passed away yesterday (Friday).

“Right now, he is traumatised by the death of his younger brother and his son, who was always with him. His wife has lost one of her eyes because a part of her face was damaged.

“The maid also suffered a fracture in her leg, the same as a young man who was hit by the ill-fated car.

“Well, Tijanni has since been transferred to a hospital in Abuja where he is to undergo surgery on his damaged knee and other injuries.

“All we can do is to pray for God to strengthen him to overcome the tragic situation,” he said.

Accident: After brother’s death, Tijani Babangida’s son dies, wife loses eye

EPL: Man City go top after thrashing Fulham

Manchester City on Saturday climbed to the top of the Premier League table after an emphatic 4-0 win at Fulham.

The victory came just one week left for the season to end.

Two goals by Josko Gvardiol and one each from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez sealed the victory for the City, which displaced Arsenal that previously topped the table.

This is City’s seventh successive league win and 16th consecutive victory over Fulham in all competitions, moving them two points clear of Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s relentless side, closing in on an unprecedented fourth English title in a row, have 85 points from 36 matches, with Arsenal on 83 having also played 36.

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Arsenal can regain top spot by beating Manchester United on Sunday but City, who play their game in hand at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, are two wins away from making history.

Croatian defender Gvardiol slotted them ahead in the 13th minute after a neat one-two with Kevin De Bruyne and City doubled their advantage when Foden swept home a shot after 59 minutes.

Gvardiol slid in to touch home Bernardo Silva’s cross at the back post and Alvarez converted a penalty deep into stoppage-time to complete the rout.

The spot-kick was awarded for a foul by Fulham’s Issa Diop who was sent off.

EPL: Man City go top after thrashing Fulham