Chelsea edge back into Champions League spots | OneFootball

Chelsea climbed back into the Champions League spots with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Everton at Stamford Bridge.

The victory lifts the Blues into fourth place in the Premier League, level on points with Nottingham Forest and one ahead of Newcastle, who face Ipswich later on Saturday.

With Forest and Aston Villa involved in FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, Chelsea are guaranteed to stay in the top five at least until Thursday, when Forest take on Brentford.

The decisive goal came from forward Nicolas Jackson, who snapped a 13-game scoreless streak that dated back to December. He struck a sharp 20-yard shot past Jordan Pickford into the bottom corner in the 27th minute.

Though Chelsea dominated for much of the match, they couldn’t extend their lead, and with the battle for a Champions League spot so tight — and a challenging run-in ahead — there were nervy spells late on as Everton began to push forward.

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was alert, producing strong saves from both Beto and Dwight McNeil, diving low to his right.

Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea now prepare for a showdown with league leaders Liverpool at Stamford Bridge next Sunday. That’s followed by a trip to fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle, a home clash with Manchester United, and an away fixture at Forest to close out the season.

Everton, meanwhile, have managed just one win in their last nine games and sit in 13th place.