Another impressive Premier League season is nearing its end as Manchester City and Liverpool fight for the crown.
The two most influential teams in football today have only one point apart and each has four games left.
These two teams have shared the last four Premier League trophies, according to FootballToday’s list. Pep Guardiola’s men are bidding to win the Premier League title for the second time in five seasons, with the Reds seeking their second home win in three years.
Despite a brief setback from the Etihad outfit, Jurgen Klopp’s high-flyers seem to be in a better position to win the league and maintain their historic quadruple dream.
Liverpool have not just made a mistake in the second half of the season and have a strong momentum after qualifying for their third Champions League final in five years.
Ahead of the much-anticipated Champions League final against Real Madrid, the Daily Mail reports that Mohamed Salah called the Reds the “best team in Europe”.
Here, we evaluate the runners and riders in the battle for supremacy in the top division of England.
# 1 Liverpool
If the Merseyside heavyweights want Man City to win the title, they can’t lose one point at the end of the season from now on.
The club’s men moved towards the end of the season with their confidence at a historic height after their overall 5-2 win over Villarreal in their Champions League semi-final tie.
Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming tour of Anfield will put Liverpool’s credentials to the test, but the Reds’ irresistible domestic form suggests it could be a mere formality.
Since losing 1-0 to Leicester City in late December, Liverpool have remained unbeaten in their next 15 Premier League matches (W13, D2), winning the last three in a row with an aggregate score of 7-0.
After meeting the Spurs over the weekend, the Reds will face the Aston Villa, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the remaining three league matches, not all of which deserve to be won.
# 2 Manchester City
Man City are on the verge of defending the Premier League trophy in 2021, but the title race has taken several major turns in the second half of the season.
A 3–2 home defeat to Tottenham in mid-February, with a pair of draws with Southampton and Crystal Palace, brought Liverpool back into the title race.
The incumbent English champions were knocked out of the Champions League last time by Real Madrid after losing a 2-0 aggregate lead in stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodrigo’s last-gasp brace took them to extra time in the blockbuster semifinal tie, where Karim Benzema stole the show to send Guardiola side-packing.
Newcastle United, Wolves, West Ham United and the rest of Man City’s opponents in the Villa Premier League.
While they should have no resemblance to the Citizens under normal circumstances, there is no doubt that another heartbreaking exit from the Champions League has taken the wind out of City’s sails.
# 3 Arsenal
Yes, Arsenal!
The Gunners have picked themselves up from the season with a terrific start to mount the most original top-four bid in the post-Arsene Wenger era.
Michael Arteta’s men have roared for Manchester United and Tottenham in the Premier League standings, and Chelsea could be the victims of Arsenal’s great form after a poor performance.
Inspired by three consecutive league wins against Chelsea, Man United and West Ham, the Londoners are now aiming for third place after beating the Blues.
Arsenal will face Leeds United in the bottom half at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, looking to get another win and reduce the potential three-point deficit for Thomas Tuchel.
With Chelsea feeling a rotten spell, we could see the Gunners return to third place and return to the Champions League for the first time in six years.
# 4 Chelsea
The club’s domestic form has been affected by off-field controversies surrounding Stamford Bridge outfits in an attempt to sell Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea to the highest bidder.
Not too long ago, the Blues were lucky enough to join Man City and Liverpool from the third in the group stage of next season’s Champions League, but now it has become even longer.
Chelsea’s lead over their closest rivals Arsenal has dropped to three points as a result of a win from their last four Premier League outings (D1, L2).
Fifth-placed Tottenham are now five points behind, and their efforts to secure a fourth-consecutive top-four Premier League finish are now in doubt.
On the bright side, Tuchel’s men have matches against Wolves, Leeds, Leicester and Watford who are waiting for the final expansion, none of their upcoming rivals have enjoyed the best of times.
The strategy of two wins in the remaining four rounds should be done and we hope Chelsea will make it happen.
# 5 Tottenham Hotspur
Despite Antonio Conte’s best efforts to get Tottenham’s stuttering domestic campaign back on track, the Spurs are likely to fall behind in this fiercely competitive top-four.
The Powerhouse of North London last played a light work of strength at Leicester Out, beating the 3-1 winner to end a run in a league game without a win (D1, L1).
Spurs were apparently on their way to fourth place after four Premier League wins for Arsenal, but by mid-April everything had gone south.
In the back-to-back league clash against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, Conte’s team failed to land a single shot on goal, leaving the Gunners on the ground.
Despite returning to winning ways against Leicester last weekend, a hell of a schedule awaits them in Tottenham’s final four rounds.
After a terrific trip to Anfield to meet Liverpool, Spurs will lock the horns with Arsenal in the top-four six-pointer at home, hoping to avenge a disappointing 3-1 defeat at the reverse fixture.
Burnley’s tour of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the day of the final could prove to be equally difficult given the recent rise of the Claretes.
The Spurs should have no problem overcoming the already devastated Norwich City in the final weekend, but it may be too late for them to return to the Champions League after a season-long absence.
# 6 Manchester United
It was another humiliating season for Man United, who will be finishing their fifth consecutive season without a trophy.
The club finds itself in a further dilemma as Ralph Rangnik’s men settle for an unsatisfactory sixth place and a berth in next season’s Europa League group stage.
The summer contracts of Jadon Sancho, Rafael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo sparked the Red Devils’ challenging hopes of winning their first Premier League title since the departure of six Alex Fergusons in 2013.
Having humbled himself in virtually every high-profile fixture this season, including multi-goal defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool in April, Man United are poised for another weak finish.
Possible wins against Brighton and Palace in the last two matches will hardly fix the fans’ nerves, but it will be a good way for Rangnik to say goodbye to the Old Trafford crowd.