Premier League 2018-19: The battle for Champions League places is as frenetic as ever

Mauricio Pochettino wasn't sitting comfortably on the bench when his side faced Chris Hughton's Brighton and Hove Albion. The Lily Whites had lost their previous game to Manchester City when Phil Foden scored a goal in the fifth minute off a lob from the Argentine maestro Sergio Aguero.

As expected, the Spurs were pressing high up the pitch, overwhelming Duffy and Dunk with their blistering pace. The Seagulls had a hard time in their defensive third in both the halves as the Spurs scrambled too many white shirts in the box to force errors in the back line.

Toby Alderweireld slipped before he took a shot which hit the post and went out of play. Time was running out and hopes of a Spurs victory started to fade away.

Luckily for them though, Christian Eriksen's volley pierced through the closely knit defensive installment to salvage a narrow victory. All important three points were gained to cement their third place behind Man City and Liverpool for direct qualification in the Champions League next season.

Unai Emery instructing his players at the Molinieux Stadium

The Spurs have played wonderful football over the course of the season and have defeated Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. Chances of the Lily Whites qualifying for the UCL next season are higher than their arch rivals Arsenal FC, who are in a transition phase under new boss Unai Emery.

The Gunners had a good spell of results when they went unbeaten in 22 games across all competitions. But since the turn of the year, things haven't gone in their favour.

The North Londoners have been terribly inconsistent in the league as well as in Europe. Sure, Emery and his team amazed a lot of football fans when they defeated an in-form Man United 2-0 at Emirates. Arsenal played like a shrewd team defensively and made up for the errors they had committed against the same opposition in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

But losses to Everton, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers have added to the scrutiny of whether the Gunners will make a comeback in the UCL next season. The North Londoners have been absent from the competition for the past two seasons.

Their cross-town rivals have made the most of their woes before and after the Wenger era and are the top dogs in London at the moment. But Arsenal still stand a chance to qualify for the play-offs of the prestigious European competition, provided they win all their remaining matches.

There is a different story unfolding on the other side of river Thames. Chelsea drew to Sean Dyche's Burnley FC in a tight game at Stamford Bridge last week.

The fans were being spoiled at Chelsea's home turf as four goals were scored in a span of 25 minutes. Chelsea sit fourth in the league with 67 points having played 35 games.

The Blues haven't had a great string of results in recent weeks. A loss to Liverpool the other week meant that Maurizio Sarri's men have to rely on results of other teams to secure a place in the top four.

Chelsea have a great opportunity to capitalize on Man United's weaknesses and scrape through a victory at Old Trafford this weekend - something they have not managed to do for the past two seasons.

Should Chelsea qualify for the UCL, the club will have to fight extremely hard to retain its star performers like Eden Hazard who has hinted at switching his allegiance to Real Madrid. With FC Barcelona hovering over Willian and experienced players like Cesc Fabregas gone in the winter, the Blues will have to invest heavily this summer.

They have already made move in that direction by getting in Christian Pulisic, who is due to arrive from Dortmund at the end of the season.

N'Golo Kante, Eden Hazard, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek celebrate Chelsea's equalizer against Burnley FC

Manchester United seemed to have gotten out of a crisis when the club sacked 'The Special One' Jose Mourinho following a loss to arch rivals Liverpool in December. The arrival of former Man United forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim manager brought a new ray of hope amongst the Old Trafford faithful.

The Red Devils won 11 away league games on the trot and did things 'the United way', pulling out last-minute winners against Southampton and Newcastle United, earning a draw against Burnley and a comeback victory in Paris against PSG.

But since Solskjaer was appointed as permanent manager in March, the snag seems to have returned to the red half of Manchester. The Red Devils lost to Arsenal 2-0, swallowed an agonising defeat at Molinieux against Wolverhampton Wanderers, got absolutely battered at Goodison Park versus Everton FC and most recently, lost a derby to crosstown rivals Manchester City.

The biggest club in England have leaked 50 goals so far, which is their worst record in the last 40 years. With three games still to play and 64 points in their kitty, the fans and pundits have lost all hope of seeing Man United sealing the deal and securing a place in the UCL next season.

If they lose to Chelsea this weekend, then it would be the final nail in the coffin of their top four aspirations.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes an apologetic gesture to the traveling Man United fans after a 4-0 loss to Everton FC

With the end of the season nearing, it will be one of these four teams who will finish in the top four. Many expect Spurs and Chelsea to occupy spots three and four. The Europa League place will likely have competition between Arsenal and Manchester United as both the teams have not been able to churn out results recently.

That said, it is not wise to write them off. It takes just one moment of inspiration to turn things around, as we have seen several times in the past.

Buckle up, lads. This is going to be as exciting as it gets. It is either Man City or Liverpool at the top, but the battle for third and fourth has already begun.

That's the beauty of Premier League. You just cannot take any match for granted. As Peter Drury once said: "When will this league make any sense!'