Here’s something no one saw coming a month ago: With one week left in the Prem💮ier League season, there’s still plenty to play for.
The title is already Manchester City’s and Manchester United have all but clinched second place, but third and fourth place and the🥃 Champions League spots that come with them, are somehow still up for grabs. They looked locked up in April, ♏but since then a Chelsea side that appeared to have given up on the season has ripped off four straight victories, while Liverpool and Tottenham have stumbled.
The most important of Chelsea’s victories came on Sunday against, wouldn’t you know it, Liverpool. Even though the Reds’ focus is clearly on the upcoming Champions League final with Real Madrid, manager Jurgen Kloppbasically threw out a full-strength squad for the match knowing that a point would basically clinch a top-four finish. Klopp’s plan didn’t work as a strong and disciplined Chelsea looked the better side, shutting down Liverpool’s vaunted attack with relative ease. The Blues only scored one goal, via Olivier Giroud in the 32nd minute, yet it was more than enough against a Liverpool team that at times looked completely exhausted.
Chelsea’s victory combined with Spurs’ shock last-minute loss to West Bromwich Albion means that just three points separate third and fifth place. Liverpool have one game left, but, because of a massive goal differential of +42, they’ll lock up their spot in the top four with a win over Brighton next Sunday. Spurs, meanwhile, are guaranteed to finish above Chelsea if they can earn four points from their last two games. Finally, Chelsea needs to win their final two games and hope that either Liverpool or Spurs lose at least once to finish in the top four.
The big boys aren’t the only ones fighting for honors as the season comes to a close. The relegation fight is also going down to the wire. Stoke are definitely down — their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace sealed their fate. That’s really all we know as four teams — Huddersfield, Southampton, Swansea and West Brom — are left fighting for 16th and 17th spot in the table, with just five points separating them.
A scoreless draw with City leaves 16th place Huddersfield in decent shape with two games to go. If they can grab at least two points from those games they’d stay up, something no one expected of them coming into the season. Southampton and Swansea, separated only by the former’s superior goal difference, are three points behind with two games to play as well. They play each other on Tuesday, with the winner all but sewing up safety.
If Southampton and Swansea draw, however, that would open things up for 19th place West Brom. Under caretaker manager Darren Moore, the Baggies have earned 11 points 💖from a possible 15 yet they still need a miracle. Not only do they need Southampton and Swansea to draw at midweek, West Brom then need both to lose next in their final matches of the season. On top of that, Moore’s side has an inferior goal difference to Southampton so they somehow have to make up four goals. That is, without a doubt, a huge ask, especially for a side that’s never been known for its offensive firepower, but weirder things — like their two wins against top four sides since mid-April — have happened this season
Sure, the title has been decided ꦐofficially for two weeks, and unofficially for months, but some l෴ate season drama reminds us why people love the Premier League so much. The soccer may not always be the best, but when it comes to competitiveness, none of Europe’s other leagues are even close.
Tough Luck of the Week
Everton 1-1 Southampton
As slim as it may be, West Brom still have a chance because of the cruel final act in Southampton’s 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday. Up one late, Southampton went down a man in the 84th minute after defender Maya Yoshida drew his second yellow card of the day. Still, it looked like the team would manage to escape Goodison Park with a victory when keeper Alex McCarthy pulled off a miraculous save in the 93rd minute to deny Leighton Baines an equalizer from a freekick. Then, three minutes later, on what was basically the last play of the game, a shot from Everton’s Tom Davies took a wild deflection off defꦆender Wesley Hoedt, wrong-footing McCarthy and denying Southampton two points that could be vital to their chances of survival.
Sad News of the Week
After Saturday’s game finished, distressing news came out of Manchester United when the club announced that former 🎃manager Sir Alex Ferguson was in serious condition after suffering a brain hemorrhage that morning. There’s stillꦯ no update on the 76-year-old’s condition, but an outpouring of sympathy from the rest of the soccer world show’s just how important the Scot, generally considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time, has been to the game. Even longtime rival Arsene Wenger, in an incredibly classy gesture, took a moment to offer his best wishes to Ferguson at the beginning of his farewell address to Arsenal fans following his final home game in charge of the club.