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The Premier League has entered the month of March and after the culmination of the weekend’s set of games, only nine games remaining.
The matches on Saturday and Sunday had large scale implications at both ends of the table as Manchester City’s resilient 1-0 victory over Bournemouth coupled with Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Everton restored the Cityzens at the perch of the table.
The weekend’s flagship game featuring North London rivals, Arsenal and Tottenham too finished all square with the former missing a chance to get closer to their less illustrious neighbours.
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Towards the foot of the table, Huddersfield lost again whereas Fulham also look destined to join the Terriers in the Championship after a London Derby defeat to Chelsea.
As has been the norm, the games across Saturday and Sunday threw up its fair share of drama and talking points.
Thus, through the course of this article, we would delve a little deeper into what went down in game-week 29 and the implications it might have as the league enters its home stretch.
Here is a look at them:
#5. Tottenham enrol themselves for the Champions League qualification scrap
A few weeks ago, there was genuine optimism in the white half of North London as Tottenham looked primed for a title challenge. Yet, three listless performances later, they’ve contrived to do a ‘Spurs’ with the business end approaching.
On Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men clashed swords with Arsenal. Though Spurs were far from their best, their opponents’ tentativeness enabled the home side to notch their first league point since the 10th of February.
The sequence of two defeats and a draw left Spurs only three points ahead of Manchester United as match-week 29 drew to a close. Moreover, with the Lilywhites set to face off against Pep’s City and Klopp’s Liverpool, one can expect them to drop points between now and the end of the season. Thus, their status as 2nd runners-up is anything but a foregone conclusion right now.
At one point, Spurs were looked upon as potential party poopers in the title race. Yet, with them stumbling at another crucial juncture, they are in the thick of an almighty scrap.
While Pochettino would surely have wanted his side to refrain from the grind of securing Champions League qualification, it has certainly made the race for the top four a lot more interesting.
#4. Cardiff sink deeper into the relegation quicksand
Before a ball was kicked this season, many had earmarked Neil Warnock’s men to go down to the Championship. However, in the early part of the season, the Bluebirds showcased incredible determination to keep themselves out of the relegation zone.
Yet, as the season has progressed, the lack of attacking quality in their squad has come to the fore.
Though Cardiff was never expected to set the world ablaze with their attacking verve, the Welsh outfit’s defence was deemed reliable enough to keep them afloat.
But, a shoddy return of 57 goals conceded in 29 games has thrown that particular theory out of the window with the Bluebirds shipping 10 goals in their last three games alone.
All is not doom and gloom for Cardiff though as they are only a couple of points adrift of 17th spot. And while the Premier League has seen teams grab a safe passage from worse situations, the task on hand for the Welsh outfit just seems a step too far.
Though the Bluebirds would want to soar higher up the table, with each passing week, they are plunging deeper into trouble.
#3. Manchester United win under Solskjaer, again
The Red Devils went into the weekend in the fifth spot with only a point separating them and Arsenal. However, as the games transpired on Saturday, they found themselves on the right end of a one-point advantage over the Gunners.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Manchester United though. They went a goal down to Southampton and the Saints admirably kept the Red Devils at bay in the first half.
But in the second period, the hosts turned the screw and emerged victorious courtesy goals from Andreas Pereira and Romelu Lukaku.
So far, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lost a solitary game with the match against Paris Saint Germain being the only anomaly. Yet, in the nine league games to follow, the Red Devils are hardly going to face opposition of the calibre of PSG. (bar Man City)
Thus, the signs are promising and Manchester United appear to be front runners for the fourth spot.
Back in December, the Manchester skies looked grey with Jose Mourinho in charge. Yet, the introduction of a certain Norwegian has enabled the sun to shine brighter than ever this term.
At the moment, Manchester United is churning out results and seems to find new heroes every week. And unsurprisingly, the Solskjaer juggernaut has rolled on.
#2. Brighton earn a pivotal victory
After a half of the season had finished, Brighton sat pretty in 13th spot. The Seagulls had seemingly staved off the threat of relegation and positivity was high at the Amex Stadium.
However, they’ve endured a wretched 2019 and they arrived at the weekend without a league win to show for their efforts this year. Inevitably, they found themselves flirting dangerously with the relegation spots.
But, courtesy a 1-0 win over bottom dwellers, Huddersfield. The game on Saturday wasn’t pretty and was a war of attrition. Yet, when battling for one’s future, substance takes precedence over style.
With the favourable outcome, they succeeded in establishing a five-point gap between themselves and the drop zone.
Though the Seagulls could still get dragged down into the relegation dog-fight in the weeks to come, the victory at the weekend helped calm their nerves.
With the way this season has played out, the magic mark to escape relegation would probably be 35 or 36. Brighton, in light of their triumph are now on 30 and need only a couple of good results to avoid the dreaded drop.
Though funnier things have happened in the league before, the Seagulls can surely not go down from here.
#1. Liverpool spurn their chance to go top
Liverpool made the short trip to Goodison Park for the Merseyside Derby on Sunday. Though Klopp’s men drew at Everton, they lost the chance to close the gap on City.
With the stalemate, the Reds are now a point behind the Cityzens having played 29 games each. While the result was damning in itself, the quality of Liverpool’s display caused more than a furrowed brow or two.
The Reds again lacked creativity in midfield and struggled against a side willing to sit deep and pounce on the counter. Mohammed Salah, too, failed to inspire and produced arguably his worst display in a Liverpool shirt.
The patchy performances against stoic defences which seemed to be an aberration at the end of the year have turned into a worrying pattern since the turn of the year.
With similar games to come, Klopp would want to devise a method to counter such tactics. After all, if they indeed harbour hopes of winning the league, such matches simply need to be won.
The Reds’ stuttering form coupled with City’s ruthlessness in recent weeks has clearly titled the scales in the latter’s favour. And mere weeks after being installed as favourites for the title, the title isn’t even Liverpool’s to lose anymore.
