Much like the battle between the top two, the race to fill the fourth and final Champions League slot looks set to go down to the wire after some consequential results in the Premier League this weekend.
The fist-pumping celebrations that greeted Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime was a telltale sign of how crucial that game was to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
That victory, which consolidated Arsenal’s grip on fourth place, was a marker for the chasing pack, a group that includes London rivals Tottenham and West Ham as well as Manchester United. Wolves appear to be all but out of contention after a recent wobble.
There is always plenty on the line whenever Spurs and West Ham meet, but Sunday’s encounter between the two had an extra edge to it given the stakes. And just as was the case at Villa Park the day before, the relief both on the pitch and in the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was palpable when Son Heung-min’s 88th-minute strike finally took the game away from a leggy-looking West Ham.
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- Man City – Played 29, Points 70
- Liverpool – Played 29, Points 69
- Chelsea – Played 28, Points 59
- Arsenal – Played 28, Points 54
- Tottenham – Played 29, Points 51
- Man Utd – Played 29, Points 50
- West Ham – Played 29, Points 48
That 3-1 win for Antonio Conte’s side lifted to them within three points of their north London rivals albeit having played a game more – an “important advantage” for the Gunners, according to Conte – and increasingly, the match between Spurs and Arsenal, which is still yet to be rescheduled after being controversially postponed in January, looks as though it could be a decisive one. Premier League broadcasters are no doubt waiting for an opportune time to rearrange a potential winner-takes-all tie.
Momentum appears to be with Arsenal at this stage. As a club, ther resilience and mental fortitude has been questioned for the best part of two decades and while Arteta’s side have not taken any points from the top three clubs this campaign, they are skilfully avoiding banana skins tossed in their path. A thin squad looked in danger of being overstretched at the weekend with Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Martinelli absent but the Gunners were more dominant against a feeble Aston Villa than the eventual 1-0 scoreline suggested.
After losing five of their opening eight away league games, Arsenal have since recorded five consecutive victories on the road for the first time in seven years. Maintaining that form will be pivotal to Arsenal’s hopes of clinging on, given they still have to navigate trips to Selhurst Park, Stamford Bridge, the London Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Having secured back-to-back wins for the first time since December, perhaps the pendulum is starting to swing Tottenham’s way too. Even despite their recent inconsistency, Spurs do look like a team moulded in their manager’s image with each passing week. January signings Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski have made a huge impact since being chucked Spurs’ way by Juventus, while the return to fitness of Cristian Romero has been equally vital. Add a few more signings of that trio’s calibre in the summer and Spurs might just be on to something.
On a weekend in which they did not feature, it was easy to forget about Manchester United’s role in all of this. United have been anything but convincing during Ralf Rangnick’s interim spell in charge, but as evidenced during the recent win against Spurs, they possess individuals that are capable of winning a match on their own, even when the collective effort is somewhat lacking. They too have some big games to come with trips to Liverpool and Chelsea occurring either side of a home clash against Arsenal.
Key fixtures remaining
- Liverpool vs Man Utd (19 April)
- Chelsea vs Arsenal (20 April)
- Arsenal vs Man Utd (23 April)
- Chelsea vs West Ham (24 April)
- West Ham vs Arsenal (1 May)
- Liverpool vs Spurs (7/8 May)
- Man Utd vs Chelsea (15/16 May)
- West Ham vs Man City (15/16 May)
- Spurs vs Arsenal (TBC)
West Ham are not yet out of it, but having played a game more than each of the others and with a tricky schedule to navigate, they face an increasingly uphill battle. Sunday’s loss emphasised the lack of depth at David Moyes’ disposal and having already seen off Europa League specialists Sevilla, it would be no surprise if West Ham began prioritising that competition over the Premier League.
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