Crystal Palace came out best in the so-called M23 derby, one which lived up to its moniker with three red cards as the home side won 2-1.
Palace were already 2-1 up when Eddie Nketiah saw red and they were down to nine men when Marc Guehi was sent off on 90 minutes, before Jan Paul van Hecke was dismissed for the visitors in stoppage time.
Brighton had been unable to take advantage of their brief two-man advantage and rivals Palace are now within four points of them, with a game in hand.
Crystal Palace are down to NINE players 🤯
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 5, 2025
Marc Guehi sees red after receiving a second yellow card 🟥 pic.twitter.com/AHSLx02qQG
In the battle for Champions League places, Nottingham Forest suffered a blow with a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa.
Villa were 2-0 up early on through Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen, and while Forest halved the deficit after the break, they weren't able to complete the fightback.
The result means Forest fall five points behind second-placed Arsenal but, perhaps more importantly, sixth ahead of sixth-placed Villa, with both Chelsea (fourth) and Manchester City (fifth) having a game in hand.
Ipswich down and out?
Wolves may well have struck the final blow in a relegation battle which never really materialised with a 2-1 win over Ipswich.
When Liam Delap put the home side in front early on there might have been some hope among home fans, and indeed neutrals, that what has seemed inevitable might yet prove anything but.
Wolves though had other ideas and turned the game around after half-time, Pablo Sarabia equalising before turning provider for in-form Jorgen Strand Larsen to earn the visitors a deserved three points.
Had Ipswich held onto their lead the gap between the two sides would have been six points with seven games to go, but instead it's 12 and the Tractor Boys' slim hopes of survival have surely now gone.
Jorgen Strand Larsen scores for @Wolves and the away side now lead 2-1 against @IpswichTown! 😱#IPSWOL pic.twitter.com/Gdf9DKt6uR
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 5, 2025
West Ham couldn't hold onto their 2-1 lead over Bournemouth in a game which ended 2-2, but a point for them combined with defeat for Ipswich means the Hammers are now 15 points clear of the drop zone.
Bournemouth, for whom striker Evanilson scored both goals, moved ahead of Fulham ahead of their game against Liverpool at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Earlier, Everton came from behind to draw 1-1 with Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard gave the visitors a deserved lead at half-time but Miles Lewis-Skelly conceded a controversial penalty shortly after the restart, which Iliman Ndiaye cooly converted.
Arsenal dominated possession thereafter and Mikel Merino and sub Martin Odegaard both had chances to earn them maximum points, but their title hopes are long gone with Liverpool potentially 14 points clear by the end of the weekend.
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