Chelsea move closer to title

Chelsea move closer to title

Chelsea are on the cusp of claiming the 2014/15 Premier League title, while the battle to stay in the division continues to hot up.

Chelsea moved another step closer to the Premier League title with a 0-0 draw at Arsenal that took Jose Mourinho’s side ten points clear at the top of the standings with five games left to play.

It was not a match to set the pulses racing, with Chelsea playing mostly in defensive mode (such that they didn’t even play a striker in the first half) against an Arsenal side that, as expected enjoyed most of the possession, but ultimately didn’t create enough chances to seriously test Chelsea’s resolute defence.

Chelsea could have claimed with some justification that they should have had a penalty early in the first half when Oscar was clattered by Arsenal keeper David Ospina when through on goal, before another penalty claim from Cesc Fabregas led to the former Gunner being booked for diving.

Ramires had Chelsea’s best chance of the match towards the end of the first half after a great run and pass from Willian, but the shot was weak and easily claimed by Ospina. Arsenal’s best chance came at the end of the second half when Danny Welbeck failed to connect properly with Nacho Monreal’s cross.

Overall, neither side really did enough to win the game, but that suited Chelsea, who maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League standings. They cannot win the title on Wednesday night at Leicester, but they could potentially secure the crown at Crystal Palace next Sunday. For Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, it is now 13 games without a win against Mourinho, but his side remain in a good position to take second spot come the end of the season.

Sunday also saw Manchester United’s bid for second place in the Premier League take an almighty hit as they were beaten 3-0 at Everton. Manager Louis Van Gaal later said he feared a defeat would happen after watching his side’s warm-up routine, and conceded his side lacked the motivation and aggression that was on show from Everton, who now find themselves in the top-half of the table after what has been a difficult season at Goodison Park.

Sky Sports
Sky Sports

On Saturday Manchester City picked up a much needed win with a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa that moves them up to second in the table ahead of Arsenal, though the Gunners do have a game in hand. City were slightly fortuitous in their win, with a goalkeeping howler helping to put City 1-0 up in three minutes, before Villa came back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2. The Villains were then unfortunate not to get a penalty as Christian Benteke was incorrectly flagged offside before being fouled in the box.

It was City however through Fernandinho’s late winner that took the three points, and the victory was made all the more important by the fact that their rivals for a place in the top four all failed to win. Southampton and Tottenham drew 2-2 at St Mary’s, while Liverpool could only manage a 0-0 draw at West Brom.

Despite the draw, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers called his side’s performance ‘Outstanding’. ‘Disjointed’, ‘Insipid’ ‘Uninspired’, and ‘possessing the cutting edge of a plastic spatula’, were just some of the other words used to describe Liverpool’s performance in the media world. These results mean Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Man United look almost certain to be the Premier League’s representatives in the Champions League next season.

ESPN
ESPN

At the other end of the table, Leicester hauled themselves out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Burnley, who had missed a penalty a minute before Leicester’s goal. It was Leicester’s fourth win in a row, and with four of their last five games this season being at home, they are odds on to stay up, while Burnley look increasingly resigned to heading back down to the Championship.

Leicester’s place in the relegation zone has been taken by Sunderland, despite the Black Cats earning a 1-1 draw at Stoke. With just five wins in the Premier League all season, Sunderland are running out of time to find some much needed form to take them to safety. QPR remain on course for the drop after a 0-0 draw against West Ham. A penalty miss from QPR’s Charlie Austin could well signal the death knell for QPR’s survival hopes.

Will things get better for Newcastle anytime soon?
Will things get better for Newcastle anytime soon?

Hull City secured a much needed 2-0 win at Crystal Palace, but they remain just a point above the relegation zone, while Aston Villa’s defeat at Man City means they are just two points above safety, despite their recent upturn in form. Newcastle’s collapse in form meanwhile continued as they lost 3-2 at home to Swansea. After last week’s boycott by fans, this result will have done nothing to raise spirits among the Newcastle faithful, and the club are now just five points above safety. One more win would probably be enough to seem them stay up, but having lost their last seven games, there are no guarantees that win is going to come.

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