Premiership title race feels over after Chelsea win
Those hoping for a real climax to the English Premier League title race had the door shut almost as quickly as it opened ever so slightly.
That’s what it felt like on Thursday when Chelsea edged Manchester City 2-1 to keep their seven point lead over Spurs.
Things had looked differently at the weekend when they beaten by the same score by Crystal Palace but Chelsea bounced back with a really strong performance against a City side who must be worried about not qualifying for the Champions League.
Given City’s resources and the record Pep Guardiola has in Europe, it seems almost hard to believe they would not make the top four.
Looking through Chelsea’s remaining fixture list, they do
have a couple of testing games away to Manchester United and Everton but they finish with matches against Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland who will surely be relegated by then.
Undoubtedly Chelsea have been aided by not having the distraction of Europe after their poor season last year but they have answered just about every challenge thrown at them this term and show no signs of really slipping up.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been through a few managers since investing his billions in the club but he has come up with a good one in Antonio Conte. How long the players support him will no doubt determine how long he stays at Stamford Bridge.
Conte said after the win over City they need six more wins from their last eight game to be crowned champions which also showed he was good at maths.
‘‘Tottenham could win eight games. For this reason to win the title we need 18 points.’’.
Meanwhile, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said his side are capable of winning all their remaining game and will fight to the end.
*One man who knows all about the good and bad times of being in charge Chelsea is of course Jose Mourinho.
He has cut a totally frustrated figure on the sidelines as Manchester United have squandered a host of chances recently and has not been afraid to show how disappointed he has been with some of the players.
I don’t know how often the players look at their manager during a match but it must be distrac- ting for them at times when he’s kicking over water bottles or throwing his arms up every few minutes.
One player who must be confused with him is Luke Shaw.
BBC pundit Phil Neville scouted Shaw for United when he was at Southampton, believing the full-back, 21, would would become a star at Old Trafford.
But the $48m buy has only played only three times since the end of November.
The reason? Mourinho thinks he lacks ‘‘a football brain’’, adding: ‘‘I was making every decision for him.’’
*Liverpool have been fined $179,000 by the Premier League and handed a two-year ban on signing academy players from other clubs for a rule breach.
It relates to the club’s approach to a 12-year-old academy player at Stoke City in September last year.
Liverpool will be banned from signing any academy players who have been registered with a Premier League or EFL club in the previous 18 months.
This second year of the ban will be suspended for a three-year period.