Craig Dawson says it was a special feeling to score a birthday goal for West Brom at Burnley.

Dawson’s header put the Baggies 2-1 up with just 12 minutes remaining before Sam Vokes scored an equilizer for Burnely to deny West Brom all three points.

But the defender was delighted to be able to enjoy a double celebration at the weekend.

He said: “I was really happy to score on my birthday.

“Scoring at any time in the Premier League is always good but to grab one on my birthday was special.

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“It’s a shame that it didn’t turn out to be the winning goal but that’s how it goes sometimes.

“I’m happy to have found the net a few times over the last few months.

“Scoring goals is a great feeling and hopefully I can add another one or two before the end of the campaign.

Dawson also praised the belief within the group after a run of five Premier League games without a goal prior to the trip to Turf Moor.

He added: “It’s a tough place to come.

“Burnley have done really well at home this season so in that sense it’s a good point for us.

“Obviously though we were disappointed with the two goals that we conceded.

“We have always believed that we would score, I just don’t think that we have had the luck in front of goal in recent weeks.

“We got two today so hopefully we can kick on and get a few more before the end of the season.”

Southampton boss Claude Puel is urging his players to build on their draw at Anfield with a positive result against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

The Saints produced a stubborn 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Sunday with keeper Fraser Forster denying James Milner from the penalty spot.

And the matches don’t get any easier for Puel’s men as they face Arsenal at St Mary’s on Wednesday evening.

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“We know Arsenal. It’s always a great team with fantastic offensive players,” he said.

“But I think we can do a good game against this team – to keep, of course, a good structure, to defend together and to prevent chances.

“But also to have the ball and the possibility in the final third to find the clinical edge and to produce good football. It’s important also in front of our fans to show our qualities.”

Southampton’s form had stuttered after a frustrating draw at home to Hull City and the Reds boss believes it was imperative his side bounced back at Anfield.

The Frenchman added: “It was a good result for the confidence.

“It was important after our game against Hull City to show something, with all this good work and with intensity.

“It was a strong game, with a strong defensive unit, and in the spirit it was very interesting, because all the players did fantastic work together.

“For the spirit and the solidarity it was a strong game. Now it’s another game, and another game at home, against another team and it will be important to have good possession, good possibilities to attack.”

Burnley have punched well above their weight this season and manager Sean Dyche believes his side deserve everything they get.

The Clarets could be in line for a top-half finish in their first season back at the top table, but the fact they have already secured their Premier League status with two games to go means their mission has already been achieved.

Dyche’s side were relegated from the top flight two seasons ago and, with a similar squad this year, they were many experts’ tips for the drop.

But the Englishman insists that now they need to push on and become a recognised Premier League force, starting in the transfer market.

“It’s the wages that are the hardest challenge and adapting a club towards those wages, especially a club like this,” explained the Burnley boss.

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“There are teams in this league who get players on free transfers and pay astronomical wages.

“Fees are not relevant really. We’re good on both. And that’s because we have to be. It’s the way this club has to work.

“We get on with it and we work hard to get what we can. We take some knocks along the way. There are some question marks about what we do and how we are trying to play etc.

“But 40 points, for a team that was given absolutely zero chance of being in the Premier League?

“I think that’s a fair marker and we have two games left. And we will be going hard in those two games, because that’s what we do.”

Jack Butland may have several Premier League giants chasing his signature, but Stoke City boss Mark Hughes is confident he will not follow his predecessor and force an exit just yet.

Asmir Begovic, like Butland, became one of the most sought after goalkeepers in England during his stint in the Potteries – and eventually joined Chelsea in 2015.

But he has been stuck on the Blues bench ever since, struggling for game time behind number one Thibaut Courtois.

Butland’s stock is arguably even higher than Begovic’s was, and the Englishman will command a far greater fee than the £7m Chelsea paid two years ago.

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But Hughes insists the 24-year-old will only improve if he stays with Stoke, and has urged the England international to knock back any offers from the likes of Manchester City.

“I’m sure when he (Begovic) went to Chelsea, knowing Asmir, he’d back his ability against anybody to be number one there and I think that was the motivation to go,” he said.

“As it is, it just hasn’t worked out because he’s a number one keeper and number one keepers want to play week-in, week-out.

“I’m sure he still feels he’s benefited going to a top-line club and he’s been exposed to how they operate, so from that point of view he’s still developed as a keeper.

“Jack knows what he’s got here. He’s an established keeper at a good Premier League club. It’s sometimes said that at Stoke you can’t get international recognition, that’s not the case with Jack.

“He’s made the full England squad and is well thought of within that group, so it shows what you can attain here.

“He’s got a good goalkeeping coach here that he’s got the utmost respect for, Andy Quy, and that’s significant for him as well because he knows what type of work he needs and that helps his development.”

The Hornets were undone at the King Power Stadium by last season’s champions, a result which consigned the London side to their third defeat in four matches.

Since reaching the all important 40-point mark, the yellows have slumped to defeats against Hull, Liverpool and the Foxes, prompting Mazzarri to apologise to the fans for their dip in form.

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“We are disappointed and I’m sorry for our fans. I am very sorry to lose 3-0 against this team,” the Italian said.

“They punished us for stupid individual mistakes.

“You wouldn’t commit these mistakes if you had more experience. We have a very young squad.”

Speculation has surrounded the future Watford boss beyond the end of the season with Hull manager Marco Silva tipped to replace the 55-year-old at Vicarage Road.

But Mazzarri insisted he was not concerned by the rumours and only focussed on keeping the Hornets in the top flight.

He said: “I am not thinking about my future. We managed to get to 40 points with six matches left, that was our objective, maybe the players were a bit tired.”

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe insists striker Lys Mousset has a bright future ahead of him at the Vitality Stadium – despite marking his first Premier League start for the Cherries with an own goal.

The 21-year-old Frenchman, signed from Le Havre last summer for £5.5million, had come off the bench eight times already this season and started Bournemouth’s FA Cup loss to Millwall.

And after Howe finally named him to start up front against Stoke on Saturday, Mousset’s full debut was one to forget after he inadvertently turned Marko Arnautović’s corner into his own net.

But despite that setback, Howe is confident that Mousset has come on leaps and bounds in his first season in English football.

“It was a shame because I thought he performed well,” he said. “The goal was just one of those things that happens.

“When you consider his age and limited experience in England, I thought he performed well in a difficult team performance.

“His time will come and I think he will get many goals for us in the future. The big thing is he will be used to our expectations of him.

“When you first come in, everything is new. You don’t know your team-mates, how the training is going to be and what’s required of you physically.

“He now knows all those things and he knows how we play. A lot of his development has been done away from the pitch, away from the glare of the supporters.

“He has been able to develop nicely and we are happy with where he is in line with our expectations and believe he has a really good future.”

With Chelsea now just one win away from their second Premier League title in three years, midfielder Cesc Fabregas admits he is relieved he did not throw in the towel at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues comfortably beat Middlesbrough – relegating the North-East side to the Championship next season – 3-0 on Monday evening, with Fabregas scooping the man-of-the-match honours after replacing N’Golo Kante in the side.

The PFA and Football Writers’ Association player of the year was ruled out of the clash with a minor muscle problem, but Fabregas orchestrated the win in his absence – the Spanish international got assists for the first and third goals, and he created five other goalscoring opportunities to boot.

He is now the only player to notch up ten or more assists in the Premier League in six different seasons, but has found consistent minutes hard to come by at times under Antonio Conte this year.

Fabregas has been used off the bench in more than half of his 25 appearances in the league this term, and was considering his future back in January.

But as he looks to help Chelsea close out the title with a win over West Brom on Friday evening, Fabregas insists he is thrilled with his contribution to the Blues’ campaign.

“It’s been a different year for me,” he said. “I’m used to playing week in week out at every club I’ve been, but I feel I’ve matured a lot.

“Many people told me I’m not the type of player for Antonio and I should leave, but I like a challenge.

“I haven’t played every game but I think the last 20-plus games I’ve played in every one, obviously not all from the start but I feel the quality of my minutes whenever I’ve been on the pitch has been fantastic this season.

“My contribution has maybe been even bigger than sometimes when I’ve played a full season every game.

“I’ve had to have patience and accept that sometimes these things happen, play for the team, play for the club and hopefully we can go on and win another title.

“It’s been a different season for me but I’m proud of what I’ve done and proud of the team.”

Hull City defender Andy Robertson knows his side are going to have to dig deep in the final two matches of the season if they are to stave off relegation back to the Championship.

Last weekend’s defeat to already relegated Sunderland, coupled with Swansea’s victory over Everton, means the Tigers are now one point from safety.

Robertson is keen to prove those that wrote Hull off from the start of the season wrong, as they prepare to visit Selhurst Park on Sunday.

And the Scot has called on his side for a response in their final two games, as it looks increasingly likely it will be either Hull or Swansea to face the drop.

(Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

“People have been writing us off since day one and I have no doubt that they will be doubting us again after the results at the weekend,” said Robertson.

“We know we have to dig deep now to prove them wrong.

“We need to tap into the people that have been successful in these situations before, lift the performances of those that need them lifting, and if we can do that it can see us to positive results in the next two games to hopefully get us above that line at the end of the season.”

Middlesbrough skipper Ben Gibson believes his side must take ownership of their poor record this season after a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge confirmed their relegation on Monday.

Home-grown talent Gibson – who was born in Middlesbrough – reflected on a tough season for Boro who managed just one league victory since beating Swansea in mid-December.

And the defender has urged his side to get back to the top flight quicker than last time, after a seven-year wait to earn promotion.

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

“It’s definitely the lowest point in my career, possibly the lowest point in my life,” said Gibson.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world to play football – you play against the best players, the best clubs and it’s the most-watched by fans.

“We’ve wasted an opportunity. Seven hard years it took us to get here, and we’ve gone down with a whimper.

“Our season and us being relegated isn’t about tonight; it’s about a season of us not being good enough as a football club from top to bottom. Every player, including myself, have not been good enough. It has to be better.

“It’s a difficult time for the club. We’ve got to learn from it, move on and make sure we get back quicker than we did last time and make sure when we do we’re better and stronger.”