How Arsenal should kick himself to leave Liverpool off the hook in a title race that could have been oh so different if they had not picked their lines in January.
Instead, Liverpool, who were in the defeat in Fulham on Sunday, can stumble itself with little to no danger to resolve control of the top position.
It is the battle for European football that is the most intriguing in a competition where Southampton was officially relegated as the worst side in the history of top flight.
Aston Villa is driving while the aging group of Manchester City stumbles to the finish that seemed inexplicable before a ball was kicked this season.
In the latest episode of this weekly column, Mail Sports Five of the most interesting points from the last matches of the Premier League.
Chelsea's Away Day Blues
If Chelsea would miss a Champions League spot for next season, they have themselves – and specifically their way – the guilty party.
Snoozefest from Sunday 0-0 in neighboring Chelsea annoyed the traveling fans and it was difficult to blame them.
The stalemate means that the side of Enzo Maresca still has to get an enforcement of the competition in 2025, who moved to Crystal Palace and Brentford, while losing from Manchester City, Brighton, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Tuesday has been four months since their last way has victory in the competition – a 4-3 victory in Tottenham – and Maresca finds a team that is Travelsick as soon as they pass Fulham Broadway.
Since that victory at Tottenham, Chelsea has collected only three goals on the road. That is a shot to shot the conversion rate of only 2.75 percent. One goal every 36.3 shots.
Maresca has also shaken things. Against Brentford he went with Christopher Nunku, Jadon Sancho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Noni Madueke as his front four.
In the previous match against Arsenal it was Pedro Neto as the No. 9, with Sancho, Enzo Fernandez and Nunku as the three behind.
Cole Palmer and Madueke started with Neto and Nunku in the gloomy defeat in Brighton – where they do not manage a shot on goal – while Nicolas Jackson started the top in the draw in Crystal Palace.
It is a miracle that Chelsea is not extinguished from the Champions League race that has constantly stumbled on the road, but that is perhaps an indication of the up and down character of this European race.
With Fulham, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest the only remaining league matches on the calendar for Chelsea, there is the very real opportunity that they will enter the low season without a weighing in 2025 and still Land Champions League football for next season.
It is a funny old competition …
Bournemouth touches without steam
After 26 games played, the Bournemouth of Andoni Iraola were sixth in the table and only four points behind Nottingham Forest in third place. Unbelievable, a top-four finish was firm in their sights.
But now by 31 games and in the light of a 2-2 draw to the 16th-placed West Ham, Bournemouth is confronted with the prospect of concluding this season as a bottom half of the team.
That was unthinkable a few weeks ago, but it seems that the charges of Iraola simply no longer have steam.
They rank 18th and in the relegation zone for form over the last six games, manage two draws and four defeats in that period. Only Southampton, who were officially relegated this weekend as the worst team of top flight ever, and Leicester City, who will not be far behind them, has been worse.
In that Run Bournemouth – and we will add the defeat of the Penalty Shootout by Wolves in the FA Cup to crystallize the point further – have come home five times as the loser, and lost to Wolves, Brentford, Manchester City and Ipswich Town, as well as the FA Cup exit.
Antoine Semenyo has not scored since January, while Ryan Christie Vechte due to injury to play that has hindered his performances.
Ilya Zabarnyi has struggled for shape since they returned from the suspension, while Justin Kluisert has now taken place on the sidelines after having stopped an injury.
The European Hope of Bournemouth now seem to be on a thread and keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is well aware that another mistake – it is the eighth placed Fulham then – could do their season.
“This is the most difficult part of the season because every point is very difficult to take,” he told the Daily Echo after the draw at West Ham.
'So we are in a good position. We have missed some opportunities in recent weeks, but we want to be in Europe.
'Of course we have to start taking the points. We must start making three. Next game at home, we must be strong because otherwise the opportunities they go. '
It is now or never for Bournemouth, or else seems to end this season with a jammer that seemed so unlikely six weeks ago.
Frontunning Ippswich are only to blame for themselves
When Ipswich Town looks back on what a relegation mentioned now seems to be back to the championship, they will do this, so many opportunities that are missed.
Take last weekend when Liam Delap shot them ahead, to finally lose 2-1 to wolves who have to keep anything but wolves and send everything but ompswich down.
Where Southampton and Leicester City have stopped the division, the city of Ipswich has often brought a relief, although most weekends as the loser end up.
After the reversal against Wolves, this means that no more side has dropped more points from winning positions in the top this season than the charges of Kieran McKenna (25).
“I think it is certainly more than likely in terms of probably,” McKenna said about the prospect of relegation back to the second layer.
'Not that I don't think we can't finish the season strongly, but wolves are a strong side and the chance that they lose all their games is very low.
“The chance is that we fail our ultimate dream.”
When the dust covers, McKenna and his players will know more often than not, they had games in their grip … Only to let go.
Another enormous climb to return to the top of the Berg is probably on the guard on the tractor boys next season.
Main scent of Garnacho
Ruben Amorim has a lot to repair and train. That can be the understatement of the season.
Alejandro Garnacho is one of them. The Argentinian remains so dynamic and so frustrating to the same extent.
Amorim challenged the young Argentinian to improve in all areas after an Under-Par performance against Nottingham Forest and after the 0-0 draw to Manchester City means that Garnacho has zero goals and one assist to his last 19 games.
It is no lack of effort on Garnacho's training pitcho, far from. But more often than not, Garnacho does not quite click with what Amorim needs.
He has shown clear flashes in the right no. 10 roll, while on Sunday he played against City on the left.
Troy Deeney described him as a 'shiny light' on the match of the day 2 and there were certainly moments, especially early against the city.
But the mystery with Garnacho comes that he represents pure profit from the point of view of a profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and therefore sells him, if Amorim finds that he is not an important part of this team for the future, is perhaps attractive.
On the other hand, if Amorim believes that these goals and assists that slump is simply indicative of playing in a poor team and that summer signs can be placed to get Garnacho to get the best out of him, it might be the best way to act.
Internally at United there is a feeling that Garnacho could come back to bite them to have seen obvious potential – but he will not get it forever to realize it.
Now that the summer transfer window is approaching quickly, Garnacho has to show that he deserves to be part of this rebuilding and not to be one of the pieces that falls while Amorim tears up to start again.
Top-Five Race goes to the last day
Go ahead and try to predict who ends in the third, fourth and fifth. Success.
This struggle to get to the Champions League – fifth place should be given when England is approaching an extra place because of the UEFA -Coefficient – seems to run the distance until the last day with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Nieucastle United that they are all in the Mix.
A victory for Newcastle United against Leicester City on Monday evening – more than non – Manchester City will fall out of the top five for the first time since mid -January.
Chelsea, as already mentioned in this column, still has to play both Fulham and Nottingham Forest on the road, while Brighton is without a three win and stutter at the wrong time.
Aston Villa is the in-shape team, but must avoid a European hangover, regardless of whether they will stay in the Champions League outside their quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain or not.
After being given a correct title race and a relegation struggle with some danger, the top five race could be one for the centuries with so many twists and turns awaiting at least seven teams.
Sprint to the finish? Apply it.
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