Southampton 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Nathan Redmond’s first top-flight double in two years and Shane Long’s second strike in as many games drove Southampton to the brink of Premier League safety with a 3-1 win over Wolves.
The 25-year-old’s brace sent Saints eight points clear of relegation favourites Cardiff, with Long adding a third for the impressive hosts.
Willy Boly’s header had Wolves level at 1-1 but only for 118 seconds, as Redmond notched his second to stun the nonplussed Molineux men.
Former Birmingham forward Redmond twisted the knife on old Midlands rivals Wolves with a virtuoso performance to delight his manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The demanding St Mary’s boss recently admitted he had warned Redmond to adjust his attitude when he arrived as boss on the south coast in December.
The lively forward’s first league double since Saints’ 4-3 win at Watford in March 2017 has cemented a return to top form.
Redmond’s reversal of fortunes has mirrored that of Saints, who have built steadily under the taskmaster Austrian coach Hasenhuttl.
Saints had claimed just three wins in 22 Premier League games when Mark Hughes was dismissed in December — but now Hasenhuttl has presided over eight victories in just 18 league outings.
Long’s goal was well taken, as he killed the match with a smart flick from Maya Yochida’s effort.
Burnley 2 Cardiff City 0
Referee Mike Dean controversially reversed his decision to award Cardiff a penalty as the Bluebirds’ troubles deepened with a 2-0 loss against Burnley at Turf Moor.
Chris Wood deservedly gave the hosts a 31st-minute lead but Cardiff looked to have been presented with a great chance to equalise moments after the restart when Ben Mee was penalised for handball.
It was assistant Darren Cann who raised his flag but, after a discussion with Dean, the referee changed his mind, leaving Cardiff’s players and boss Neil Warnock furious.
Cardiff had two more strong penalty appeals turned down late in the second half and Wood made sure of the points with his 13th goal of the season in injury time.
Warnock is already facing a Football Association charge for three breaches of the rules after criticising the officials for failing to disallow a Chelsea goal for offside last month and perhaps wisely he chose not to confront Dean on the pitch at the end of the game.
The result leaves Burnley 11 points above their opponents and surely guaranteed another season of Premier League football, while Cardiff are five points behind Brighton, who they play on Tuesday.
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Bournemouth 5
Brighton crashed to their worst Premier League home defeat to leave themselves in serious relegation trouble as Bournemouth ended their recent slump in style.
Goals from Dan Gosling, Ryan Fraser, David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas secured a thumping 5-0 victory for the visitors.
It was only the Cherries’ second win their last 10 matches, but it took them past the 40-point mark to end any lingering fears they had of being dragged into trouble.
For Brighton, though, the problems are mounting, their run to the FA Cup semi-final masking dreadful form which has seen them collect just eight points since the turn of the year.
Their only saving grace was a defeat too for 18th-placed Cardiff, but Neil Warnock’s side will travel to the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night for a crucial match knowing victory will cut the gap to just two points.
Brighton will also be without mercurial winger Anthony Knockaert for that game, and the two that follow, after he was sent off for scything down Adam Smith.
Worryingly, Chris Hughton’s side simply do not look like scoring. They have drawn a blank in their last four matches and in that time have mustered only five efforts on target.
This was the first part of a crucial home double-header, and it went spectacularly wrong.
Fulham 2 Everton 0
Fulham secured just a fifth Premier League win of the season as Scott Parker’s already-relegated side outplayed Everton at Craven Cottage.
After their immediate relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last time out at Watford, the Whites ran out deserved 2-0 victors against a disappointing Everton.
Captain Tom Cairney opened the scoring with just the second Premier League goal of his career and his first since scoring against Everton for Hull in March 2010 and it was Ryan Babel who would wrap up a rare win for the home side.
Aleksandar Mitrovic passed up a number of first-half opportunities but Fulham struck twice in the second half to pick up their first victory since January and a maiden win for caretaker boss Parker.
It was also a rare successful day for the Whites’ defence, which could toast a first clean sheet of 2019 as Everton drew a blank, Dominic Calvert-Lewin hitting the post as their three-match unbeaten run came to an end.
