Newcastle and Chelsea win to boost top-five hopes in Premier League as Ipswich relegated

Newcastle and Chelsea picked up victories in the Premier League to move into the Champions League qualification positions as Ipswich became the third and final team to be relegated on Saturday.

On the day Newcastle manager Eddie Howe returned to the dugout after recovering from pneumonia, his team's 3-0 win over Ipswich at St. James' Park was significant at both ends of the standings.

Newcastle jumped into third place in the congested race to finish in the top five and secure a spot in next season's Champions League. Meanwhile, Ipswich's return to the Championship was confirmed, with the team partly owned by pop star Ed Sheeran joining Southampton and Leicester back in the second tier.

It's the second straight season that the three promoted clubs have gone straight back down.

“It’s been a massive challenge,” said Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who led the team into the Premier League and back-to-back promotions from the third tier. "Many things we have done positively that will set us up well for the years ahead (and) there’s been some things we could have done better and things we will learn from.”

Howe has already guided Newcastle to the English League Cup title this season for the club's first major trophy in 70 years. He said his team's remaining four league matches feel like cup finals, too.

“You’re ticking down,” he said. “We have put ourselves back into a strong position but we know it can change quickly.”

Chelsea climbed into fifth place, two points behind Newcastle and one behind Manchester City, by beating Everton 1-0 thanks to Nicolas Jackson’s first-half goal. That sealed back-to-back wins for Chelsea.

Just five points separate Newcastle and seventh-placed Aston Villa, which wasn't in action in the Premier League on Saturday.

Instead, Villa was losing to Crystal Palace 3-0 at Wembley Stadium in the first FA Cup semifinal.

Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr (two) were the scorers for Palace, which reached the final for a third time in its bid for the first major trophy in the south London club's history. It lost to Manchester United on both previous occasions, in 1990 and 2016.

Jamie Vardy began his long goodbye to Leicester, after confirming on Thursday he'd be leaving at the end of the season, by having a penalty saved in a 3-0 loss at Wolverhampton.

“That was so unfortunate," Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said. “I really wanted him to score to get us back in the game but also for himself.”

Brazil striker Matheus Cunha, linked heavily with a summer move to Manchester United, scored one and set up two in Wolves' sixth straight win that has seen the team power clear of relegation danger.

“It shows he is committed with us, with his teammates, with everyone,” Wolves manager Vitor Pereira said of Cunha.

Van Nistelrooy said he was unaware about his own future after falling to keep Leicester up.

“It is a matter of being patient and waiting," the Dutchman said.

Last-placed Southampton conceded in stoppage time to lose at home to Fulham 2-1 and stay on 11 points — tied for the lowest ever tally for a single season in the Premier League, set by Derby County in the 2007-08 season.

Brighton scored in the 89th minute and again in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 win over West Ham, whose winless run extended to seven games under recently hired manager Graham Potter — formerly of Brighton.

West Ham's Premier League status was guaranteed because of Ipswich's relegation but Potter accepted that being one place above the bottom three was not good enough.

“We have to acknowledge the season we are having is a bad one," he said. “The fact we have stayed clear is good but not good enough.”

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer