The Premier League is nearing its conclusion and happily there is still plenty to play for, with the title, top four and final relegation place undecided.
After Liverpool ’s dramatic win over Chelsea on penalties in the FA Cup final on Saturday, attention turned to the Premier League on Sunday. The biggest winners were Tottenham, who beat Burnley 1-0 to move ahead of Arsenal into fourth, and Leeds, who grabbed a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Brighton to move out of the relegation zone.
Manchester City had a real scare, coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with West Ham. Riyad Mahrez’s late missed penalty meant it could have been better but their title fate is still in their hands. Elsewhere there were good wins for Brentford and Leicester, who will both finish the season comfortably in mid-table.
Here are Mirror Football’s talking points from Sunday’s matches.
Still in Man City’s hands
Lukasz Fabianski’s brilliant penalty save from Mahrez in the 86th minute gave Man City a bitter-sweet end to their game at the London Stadium. On the one hand, it could have been much worse: two goals from Jarrod Bowen after ropey defending had them 2-0 down after 45 minutes, while Michail Antonio had a one-on-one chance with Ederson too.
On the other, it could have been better: if Mahrez had scored they would have gone six points clear of Liverpool and needed just a point from their final game to claim the league title. As it is, Pep Guardiola’s side will need to beat Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to confirm a fourth title in the last five years. “I can assure you something – that we will give them all of our lives to do it,” Guardiola said.
Bowen’s World Cup push
Liverpool fans were cheering Bowen’s efforts in the first half. The West Ham forward twice got in behind City’s back line thanks to slack defending from Oleksandr Zinchenko and twice took the chances with confident left-footed finishes. He now has 18 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances this season. That outstanding tally has now included 10 strikes at home in the Premier League – a feat only Tony Cottee (1994/95), John Hartson (1997/98) and Paolo Di Canio (1999-00) have achieved before for West Ham. His form means a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad is surely on the cards.
Spurs pile pressure on Arsenal
Tottenham got the better of Burnley in a battle of nerves in north London on Sunday. Both teams needed a win but for completely different reasons, with Spurs going for fourth place and Burnley bidding to avoid the drop. Harry Kane’s penalty settled it after a handball by Ashley Barnes, who later hit the post as the Clarets pushed for an equaliser. Antonio Conte’s side are now two points ahead of Arsenal, who they beat 3-0 last week. The Gunners travel to Newcastle on Monday night knowing they have to beat Eddie Howe’s side to reclaim their Champions League place.
Burnley back in trouble
Defeat was a real sickener for Burnley, who were plunged back into 18th place following Leeds’ draw against Brighton. The decision to sack Sean Dyche initially appeared an inspired one, with the Clarets taking 10 points from Michael Jackson’s first four games in charge as caretaker boss, but they have now lost two games on the bounce. Burnley have 34 points – one fewer than Leeds and two less than Everton – but they do have a game in-hand on the former. They travel to Aston Villa on Thursday before hosting Newcastle on Sunday; Leeds travel to Brentford.
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Last-gasp Leeds
Leeds have failed to win any of their last five Premier League matches. They had players sent off in the defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea and appeared to be going in one direction only. Jesse Marsch has taken 12 points from a possible 33 since taking over from Marcelo Bielsa. And yet, as things stand, they are safe with one game to go. Pascal Struijk's injury-time equaliser against Brighton was absolutely vital for Marsch and his players, who believe they can avoid the drop now. “It is a fight,” he said. “Nothing comes easy for us. We seem to dig holes and then have to find a way to dig out. We are ready. We are going to invest everything we have in this last match and see if we can do this."
Unhappy Hornets
Watford have already been relegated – and yet it somehow keeps getting worse for Roy Hodgson’s side. They were thrashed 5-1 by Leicester at home on Sunday, with the Foxes’ front line running riot. The Hornets have now conceded 46 goals at Vicarage Road in the Premier League this season, which, unsurprisingly, is the most at home by any side in the competition, and the most by any top-flight side overall since 1960/61. They will need a re-think, as well as a re-build, if they are to come back up.
Free-flowing Foxes
As poor as Watford’s defence was on Sunday – and has been throughout the season – Leicester’s attack looked back to its best. Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes both scored twice, while James Maddison netted and picked up two assists. The Premier League season has been a bit of a slog at times for the Foxes, due in part to their Europa Conference League campaign, but they are finishing strongly with successive wins. Maddison now has 16 goals and 10 assists this season, making him the first Leicester player to reach 10 in each category in a season since Riyad Mahrez in 2017/18.
Brentford's success story
Brentford’s 3-2 win over Everton at Goodison Park had lots of talking points: the Toffees’ brittle defence, the ill-discipline of the hosts and the disgusting racist abuse aimed at the families of the travelling team. It is therefore reiterating an obvious, but perhaps overlooked point: Brentford have been exceptional on their first campaign in the Premier League. Thomas Frank’s side are now 11th, with 46 points from 37 games. They have 13 wins – the same as established top-flight sides Leicester and Aston Villa and have shown remarkable determination to produce results like the one on Merseyside on Sunday.
Pukki pulling his weight
Norwich will say farewell to the Premier League once again when they host Tottenham at Carrow Road on Sunday. They will do so with only one target in mind: overtaking Watford to finish in 19th instead of 20th place. Their relegation has been down to a number of factors. One of them is a weak attack, which has managed to score just 23 goals in 37 games. That is nine fewer than the next worst attack of Burnley and is down to there being no support for striker Teemu Pukki. The Finnish striker has bagged a respectable 11 – the same as Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount – but has simply not been backed up. Josh Sargent has two goals in 26 appearances, both of which came in the same game. Remarkably that makes him the team’s second top-scorer in the league with no other player managing more than one goal.
Villa’s glimpse at the future
Aston Villa may be mid-table and with relatively little to play for themselves, but their final two games of the season mean a lot for others, with fixtures against Burnley and Manchester City set to define what happens at the top and the bottom of the Premier League. Steven Gerrard’s side drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Watkins, Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings starting as the front three. Coutinho has now signed for Villa permanently following an initial loan from Barcelona and the line-up shows how the side has evolved throughout the campaign.
