09 May 2023 , 07:30
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Everton were the big winners on a dramatic Bank Holiday Monday in the Premier League following a gigantic 5-1 victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
The Toffees scored five in a blitz on the South Coast to move two points clear of the relegation zone. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil struck a brace each, while Jason Steele also put through his own net to earn the points for Sean Dyche's side in a monumental result at the bottom of the table.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest edged a seven-goal thriller against Southampton to leave Ruben Selles' side all but set for a return to the Championship for the first time in a decade. Taiwo Awoniyi's brace and goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo earned Forest a 4-3 win at The City Ground.
Carlos Alcaraz, Lyanco and James Ward-Prowse found the net for Southampton but it wasn't enough for Selles' men as they slumped to their sixth defeat in seven matches. Saints, who are now eight points adrift of safety, will be relegated should they fail to beat Fulham - regardless of other results.
As for Forest, they joined Everton as the two winners from Monday's fixtures and have given themselves a major boost in their pursuit of safety. They sit three points above the drop zone, but face Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace in their final three matches of the campaign - arguably the trickiest run out of the sides in the relegation scrap.
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Nottingham Forest secured a vital win over Southampton (Getty Images)The day wasn't a successful one for Leicester, however. The Foxes suffered a crushing 5-3 defeat at mid-table Fulham to leave them bang in trouble and inside the dreaded drop zone. Goals from Willian, Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney's double put the Whites into a commanding four-nil lead.
Harvey Barnes pulled one back for Dean Smith's men, before Willian grabbed his second to put the result beyond any doubt. Barnes scored again and James Maddison netted from the penalty spot to give Leicester hope at the end but it was too little too late to rescue anything from the game.
Leicester were beaten 5-3 at Fulham (PA)The Foxes still haven't kept a top-flight clean sheet since November and are now two points from safety, with three difficult-looking fixtures to come before the end of the season. Leicester have to take on Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham in their remaining games.
Leeds were the only side in the bottom five not to play on Monday following their 2-1 defeat at Manchester City. Sam Allardyce marked his first game back in the dugout for two years but wasn't able to steer his side to any points at the Etihad Stadium despite Rodrigo's late strike. They will join Leicester and Southampton as the three losers from the weekend's matches.
Here are the remaining fixtures from the current bottom five...
16th - Nottingham Forest (33) WINNER
Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H), Crystal Palace (A)
17th - Everton (32) WINNER
Man City (H), Wolves (A), Bournemouth (H)
18th - Leicester (30) LOSER
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Liverpool (H), Newcastle (A), West Ham (H)
19th - Leeds (30) LOSER
Newcastle (H), West Ham (A), Tottenham (H)
20th - Southampton (24) LOSER
Fulham (H), Brighton (A), Liverpool (H)