EPL Roundup: Title race Chelsea’s to lose but Champions League spot up for grabs

Seven clubs vie for a place in Europe’s elite competition with only eight points separating them

KARACHI: With the conclusion of week 29 of the Premier League, the race for the prestigious title seems to be going in Chelsea’s favour. The Londoners were held to a 1-1 draw against Southampton but still command a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand as defending champions City slumped to a 1-0 loss against Burnley at Turf Moor.

The question about who will win the league seems to have been answered, but there is still all to play for in the top-four battle as six clubs — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham — vie for the three remaining spots in the Champions League next season.

Arsenal closed in on City with a tremendous display against London rivals West Ham United. Goals from Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini ensured that Arsene Wenger’s side get the three points to push their credentials for a top-four finish and, looking at the poor form of City, the Gunners can now even hope for a second-place finish as they trail the defending champions by just one point.

Manchester United, in what has been a rare occasion this season, looked like the team that its fans had been used to in the times of Sir Alex Ferguson with a terrific 3-0 win over Tottenham — after failing to win against Spurs in their last five meetings.

Louis van Gaal’s men had been subject to much criticism as a large faction of the supporters wanted their team to display the quality of football that has been associated with them for the last two decades, but the Dutchman was spot on with his squad selection and tactical prowess over Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Manchester City received the biggest shock of the week as they lost 1-0 to Burnley after a spectacular effort from George Boyd gave the relegation-threatened side much-needed three points. The defending champions squandered a number of opportunities with David Silva and Sergio Aguero both missing clear opportunities, while Pablo Zabaleta was denied an injury-time penalty after seemingly being caught by Ben Mee inside the penalty box.

Liverpool were somewhat lucky after a brilliant, almost perfect display by the Swans in the first half caught the Reds’ off guard, but they somehow managed to bag the three points required to assert their top-four credentials.

Swansea dominated possession in the first half but Brendan Rodgers switched the formation to a 3-4-3 midfield diamond in the second half and introduced captain Steven Gerrard in the 64^th minute at its base. The skipper’s impact was felt instantly when after four minutes, Jordan Henderson opened the scoring with a highly fortunate goal which ricocheted off him as Jordi Amat looked to clear.

Aston Villa went above Sunderland after a cracking display by the Villans saw them score four goals in the first half and skip above the Black Cats to get further away from the relegation zone and provide much-needed solace to manager Tim Sherwood.

Everton displayed signs of a resurgence as they defeated Newcastle 3-0 to win their first home league game in three months, while Crystal Palace and West Brom overcame their opponents — Queen’s Park Rangers and Stoke City — to finish the round 12^th and 13^th respectively.

The Premier League now enters into the final nine games with all to play for at both ends of the table and although the title seems most likely to end up at Stamford Bridge, it will be interesting to see which clubs qualify for the Champions League and which ones leave the league.

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.