Formicola's masterclass as Chelsea hit six

“We were never going to let this slip,” the manager said afterwards, and for once the words felt almost unnecessary. Chelsea are not in the business of slipping. They are in the business of turning straightforward afternoons into processions, and this was one of the more emphatic of a season that has long since stopped being a contest.

Six goals, none in reply, and a display from Marcelo Formicola that bordered on the insulting. The Brazilian scored twice, laid on the first with a header after eight minutes, and generally played as though the pitch belonged to him. By the time Ken Myers made it six with a low drive an hour in, the only question was how many more Chelsea cared to inflict.

Luton arrived at the foot of the table and left it there, 15 points from 27 games and a goal difference of minus 29. There was no shame in losing to this Chelsea side – 79 points from 28 games, 26 wins, a goal difference of plus 81 – but there was little dignity in the manner of it. The visitors were beaten inside 17 minutes, by which point Chelsea had scored three times.

Formicola opened the scoring with a header through the middle, then turned provider-in-chief as Lionel Messi drove low from his pass and Formicola himself struck again along the ground. Bruce Hilgers added a fourth before the interval, and the second half was an exhibition. Formicola's volley for his second, and Chelsea's fifth, was the pick of the afternoon's work: a striker in the kind of form that makes a mockery of expected goals, 13 in 20 league games when the numbers say he should have ten.

Arsenal 2-2 Newcastle United

At the Emirates, a match that looked to be slipping from Arsenal's grasp was rescued in the first minute of added time by Mattéo Blanc. Kilian Bautista had given the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time, but two penalties from Marcelinho – one in the 48th minute, one in the 55th – turned the game on its head. Newcastle left with a point that does little for either side's ambitions; Arsenal sit 11th, Newcastle 9th, and both remain stubbornly mid-table.

Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa

Old Trafford held its breath for 94 minutes before José Miguel finally broke Villa's resistance. The winner, struck at mid height, sent the home crowd into raptures and lifted United to 42 points, fifth in the table. Villa, for all their resilience, remain 16th and looking over their shoulders.

Liverpool 1-0 Sheffield United

Anfield has seen plenty of late winners, and Conall Beck's 91st-minute strike was another to add to the collection. Liverpool had laboured against a stubborn Sheffield United side, but the midfielder's intervention keeps them third, a point behind Rotherham and 28 adrift of Chelsea. Sheffield United stay 14th.

Everton 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

Goodison saw honours even after a tussle that swung both ways. Aureli put Plymouth ahead from the spot in the 69th minute, but Óscar Pérez volleyed Everton level five minutes later. The draw leaves Everton eighth, Plymouth sixth, both on 41 points in a congested mid-table scramble.

Middlesbrough 0-2 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest strengthened their grip on a top-half place with a composed win on Teesside. Leighton Baldy's penalty four minutes into the second half settled any nerves, and Murray Robertson's high drive from distance sealed it. Middlesbrough remain 17th, Forest seventh.

Elsewhere

Watford edged Rotherham United 1-0 at Vicarage Road, Carlos López scoring the only goal in a game the hosts largely controlled. Rotherham stay second despite the defeat, but the gap to Liverpool is now a single point, and their title challenge – such as it is against this Chelsea – looks increasingly fragile.

The table tells its usual story. Chelsea's lead is 27 points over Rotherham and 28 over Liverpool, a margin that has long since ceased to be a lead and become a coronation. The real business is at the bottom, where Luton's defeat leaves them 15 points from safety with 11 games to play, and West Ham and Wolves hover above them in the relegation places. Watford's win lifts them to 13th, but the gap from 10th to 18th is a mere seven points. The run-in promises little drama at the top and plenty below.