By Andrew Cawthorne BIRMINGHAM (Reuters) -High-flying Aston Villa comfortably dispatched Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League on Friday to keep up their quest for more Champions League football and leave their wounded visitors focused on next week's Europa League final.

Aston Villa beat an under-strength Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 and moved into the Premier League top four on Friday. Villa started the day in sixth, one of six teams battling for the four remaining Champions League places along with league winner Liverpool.

Aston Villa moved closer to a Champions League return after a 2-0 victory over Tottenham, who had more than one eye on Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa’s memorable run to the quarter-finals of this season’s competition gave them the taste for more and they boosted their hopes with an eighth win from their last nine Premier League games.

Manchester United's starting lineup for Friday's Premier League match at Chelsea will not be influenced by the upcoming Europa League final, but players susceptible to injuries will not be risked, manager Ruben Amorim said.

All the latest from Premier League news conferences as Enzo Maresca, Ange Postecoglou, Ruben Amorim and Unai Emery speak before Friday's matches.

Ruben Amorim says there is still time for players to secure their place in his Europa League final line-up as Manchester United look to head to Bilbao buoyed by a morale-boosting win at Chelsea. Next Wednesday’s San Mames showpiece against fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham is crucial for the misfiring Red Devils as it offers silverware and Champions League football at the end of a wretched campaign.

With barely a week of the season remaining, nothing is decided in the gripping race to finish in the Premier League’s top five. Well, that’s not quite true, Liverpool are champions and will definitely represent the Premier League in next season’s Champions League.

Six Premier League teams separated by six points are battling it out for the four remaining Champions League spots with two rounds of matches left and no team can rest easy, although they have all secured European football for next season.

Arsenal will welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates on Sunday 18th May in their final home game of the 2024/25 Premier League season, with both clubs still battling for a place in next season’s Champions League.