Arsenal laid down the gauntlet to Manchester City in the Premier League title race while north London rivals Tottenham’s plight at the other end of the table was boosted as West Ham lost to Brentford.
Ipswich returned to the Premier League, Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover was completed and Harrogate and Barrow dropped out of the Football League.
Arteta still dreaming
Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal’s Premier League dream as alive and kicking after his side reclaimed the title race “momentum” from Manchester City with a 3-0 win over Fulham.
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Viktor Gyokeres scored either side of a Bukayo Saka strike to fire the Gunners to a three-goal advantage before half-time at the Emirates Stadium.
Asked what message Saturday’s win sends to rivals City, who travel to Everton on Monday, Arteta said: “It says to us and to our dressing room that we keep the dream alive.
“Now we want to use that momentum, energy and belief towards Tuesday (in the Champions League), and we’re going to certainly need that. And when I look at the atmosphere in the dressing room, it is tracking in the right direction.
“It was a critical game. We knew the importance of the win, and the manner that we’ve done it, and the goal difference in the Premier League, and because this game was going to carry a lot of energy towards the next match.”
Hammer blow for Nuno’s men
Nuno Espirito Santo saw his side lose at West Ham
Nuno Espirito Santo saw his side lose at West Ham(Nick Potts/PA)
Nuno Espirito Santo admitted West Ham lost their heads as they slumped 3-0 at Brentford to leave them deep in relegation trouble.
The Hammers’ Premier League survival is no longer in their own hands and they will find themselves back in the bottom three if Tottenham beat Aston Villa on Sunday.
Brentford looked ripe for the taking having not won in six matches, but they have become West Ham’s bogey team since they were promoted and have now won eight of their 10 Premier League meetings.
A Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal, Igor Thiago’s penalty and Mikkel Damsgaard’s strike did the damage for the Bees, who are right back in the mix for European qualification for the first time in their history.
“We have to understand that we must react from a setback like today, a tough day,” Nuno said. “It’s up to us now to react, knowing that it’s three games to go, it’s going to the last one. So let’s prepare as much as we can so we can play better.”
Ipswich back in the big time
Ipswich won promotion to the Premier League
Ipswich won promotion to the Premier League(Nigel French/PA)
Kieran McKenna hailed his success at getting Ipswich back into the Premier League at the first time of asking as a “great achievement” following a 3-0 win over QPR.
Goals from George Hirst and Jaden Philogene in a devastating opening nine minutes put the home side in control, with Kasey McAteer scoring a third five minutes from time to start the promotion party.
McKenna said: “It’s hard to enjoy, to be honest. You just really want it for everyone else, the lads who haven’t had it in the group and for the supporters and your family, it means so much.
“It’s not been easy for that group of players but they’ve really stuck at it and you can’t ever understand how hard it is to get into the Premier League. It’s a great achievement.”
Millwall were condemned to the play-offs where they will meet Hull in the semi-final after the Tigers’ win over Norwich ensured Wrexham missed out on the top six, while Middlesbrough will face Southampton in the other semi-final.
Wednesday win on momentous day
WHAT A DAY 🦉 pic.twitter.com/P6MTGdPMbX
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) May 2, 2026
Sheffield Wednesday’s long takeover saga is finally over after US consortium Arise Capital Partners completed its purchase of the club and a 15-point deduction has been avoided.
The already-relegated Championship club announced the news on the pitch ahead of the last fixture of the campaign, which saw them beat West Brom 2-1 to record a first home win of the season and finish on 0 points after two hefty deductions.
David Storch, who led the consortium, was introduced to a rapturous welcome to officially bring a painful chapter to a conclusion after financial problems had impacted the Owls in recent years under former owner Dejphon Chansiri and looked set to roll into next season, but a 15-point deduction will no longer be issued.
A club statement read: “As part of this process, the EFL Board exercised its discretion, as provided by the Insolvency Policy, and concluded that it would not be appropriate to impose a 15-point deduction on the club following its exit from Administration.
“As such, the club will begin the upcoming season on 0 points. A position has also been agreed on wage and transfer parameters that is both acceptable and supportive of the club’s forward progress.”
What’s on tomorrow
Manchester United could seal Champions League qualification with a point against rivals Liverpool, while Aston Villa could also book a top-five spot if they beat Tottenham and results elsewhere go their way.
Spurs will be looking to enhance their safety prospects, while Bournemouth play Crystal Palace.