Week 26 is in the books. 12 Games left and we now have a battle at all stages. A huge battle for the League Champion is now official. Manchester City is now officially in first in the Premier League. Liverpool seemed a shoo in at the midway point but that has all changed. Liverpool cooled off and Manchester City has gotten hot. Most feel Manchester City is the best team in Europe but Liverpool got out of the gates so fast. But now….its all square and Man City actually has the tie breaker on Goal Differential. It should be close the rest of the way. One note to consider: Manchester City have a game in hand, having already played 27 games….so all you Liverpool fans….win your next game and you are right back in first. I needed to create some drama, so kept that info for the end of the paragraph ! Bloggers prerogative!
As well, the race for the Top 4 and qualification for Champions League is going to be a real battle. Tottenham have positioned themselves in good shape, sitting at third and 9 points clear of 4th. The real battle is for the 4th spot. Three teams within 1 point. Surging Manchester United sit at 51 points. They have been hot but show signs they may have lost some form in the last few games. Injuries also are hitting them hard. Can they keep it going. Arsenal and Chelsea have both had some poor form recently and now sit at 50 points. Chelsea hit rock bottom this past weekend, suffering their biggest defeat in over 20 years in the Premier League losing 6-0 to Manchester City last weekend. It felt like 3-1 loss watching it live, but sometimes things can just unravel on you quickly. Manchester City had 5 shots in the first half, Chelsea had 8. The score at halftime Man City 4 Chelsea 0. Ouch. Two horrendous defensive mistakes, 1 amazing shot and 1 unfortunate tackle that ended up becoming a great layoff pass all turned into Goals. It was just that kind of day for Chelsea. Two great scoring chances were also snuffed out. As a Chelsea fan, hope they recover quickly, as it can’t get worse….I hope!
I hate doing it, but I guess I have to take my lumps. I had to show the amazing strike from Sergio Aguerro against Chelsea. It is his 11th hat trick in the Premier League, tying him for the career lead in hat tricks and a really, really good shot. Enjoy…I didn’t at the time but certainly appreciate the quality in this shot. wow!
As a treat, thought I would drop in the Top Goals of the year thru Week 26. Some pretty impressive strikes….which is your favorite. Enjoy!!
Winners over the past week include:
Manchester United 3-0 over Fulham.
Watford 1-0 over Everton.
Arsenal 2-1 win over Huddersfield Township.
Liverpool 3-0 over Bournemouth.
Cardiff City 2-1 win over Southampton.
Burnley 3-1 over Brighton
Tottenham 3-1 over Leicester City
Race for the Title & Champions League Top 4
Win-Loss-Tie
1- Manchester City 21-4-2. 65 Points. Have played an extra game!
2- Liverpool 20-1-5 65 Points.
3- Tottenham 20-6-0 60 Points.
4-Manchester United 15-5-6 51 Points.
5-Arsenal 15-6-5 50 Points. 5th on Goals Scored Advantage
4-Chelsea 15-6-5 50 Points
Wolves, Watford, Everton and West Ham United round out the Top 10.
Relegation Zone
There are now 8 teams within 3 points of the 18th position and fighting to stay up. Crystal Palace (27), Brighton (27), Burnley (27), Newcastle (25) and Cardiff City (25) sit just outside the 18th spot and are hanging on to the Premier League. The new bottom three:
18. Southampton 5-12-9. 24 Points
19. Fulham 4-17-5. 17 Points.
20. Huddersfield 2-19-5 11 Points.
Unless something changes quickly, Huddersfield is toast! Fulham is about to be toast, but that 18th and last spot, man, that will be interesting.
Match Week 27 Preview
Game of the Week. #4 Manchester United vs. #1 Liverpool. A really big game for both clubs. Manchester United has surged but hope they take a loss….Chelsea needs some help. Liverpool need the win to take back control of 1st. Let’s go Liverpool!!
Get ready for an exciting finish to the season. 12 games to go.