City seek a ton, Swansea hope for a miracle

win more,” he said. “But [this season] we’ve done better than the others, we cannot deny.”

Indeed, a win at Southampton would make City’s season, statistically at least, the finest in the English top flight.

Bob Paisley’s 1978-79 Liverpool side would have ended up with 98 if three points, rather than two, for a win had been employed then. Yet that season was over 42 games not 38 so, by any yardstick, Manchester City have been truly exceptional.

Swansea’s manager Carlos Carvalhal can only hope the champions have one more exceptional 90 minutes in them. “At this moment we’re not relegated,” he shrugged. “We can’t depend on ourselves and we don’t like that. We must win the game and hope for a miracle.”

The “miracle” would not be Man City running riot, it would be Swansea, without a league goal in over six and a quarter hours, actually rousing themselves to hammer Stoke.

The good news for Carvalhal is that the Potters certainly look the most accommodating opposition after a week in which their owners Peter and John Coates admitted the club needed a major overhaul after losing some of its “core values”.

In the battle to seal the final top-four spot alongside City, United and Spurs, it is advantage Liverpool, who need just a point at home to Brighton to foil Chelsea. The only way the Londoners can nick the fourth spot is by winning at Newcastle and hope Liverpool, perhaps distracted by the upcoming Champions League final, lose their first game at Anfield.

For the best final day party look no further than Huddersfield, where fans will be celebrating their great escape after back-to-back draws at City and Chelsea secured safety. Dave Wagner’s men will be looking to send Arsene Wenger off into the Premier League sunset without the farewell win his 22 years at Arsenal demands.