Arsenal ended the weekend at the top of the table with another win on Sunday, but the accompanying win over Manchester City means the title race is still in the latter's hands with a game in hand.
Both Arsenal and City kept things tight in their victories on Sunday, with the Gunners almost relinquishing a 3-0 lead before winning 3-2 against Tottenham Hotspur, while City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 despite going with relegation-threatened team outsmarted them. The title race is now effectively a battle of two horses, following Liverpool's draw against West Ham on Saturday, as the Reds now have just a 0.1% chance of winning the title. per Opta. City remain in charge with a 67.4% chance, while Arsenal have a 32.5% chance.
Since it won't be long, here's a ranking of each team's remaining schedule, from easiest to hardest.
Standings of the Eredivisie
|
Arsenal |
35 | 25 | 5 | 5 |
85 |
28 |
+57 |
80 |
|
Manchester city |
34 | 24 | 7 | 3 |
82 |
32 |
+50 |
79 |
|
Liverpool |
35 | 22 | 9 | 4 |
77 |
36 |
+41 |
75 |
3. Manchester City, 79 points
Remaining schedule
Always East/US
- April 3: Manchester City 4, Aston Villa 1
- April 6: Crystal Palace 2, Manchester City 4
- April 13: Manchester City 5, Luton Town 1
- April 25: Brighton and Hove Albion 0, Manchester City 4
- April 28: Nottingham Forest 0, Manchester City 2
- May 4, 10am: Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
- May 11, 10am: Fulham (away)
- May 14, 3 p.m.: Tottenham Hotspur (away)
- May 19, 11am: West Ham (home)
All but one of City's matches are against teams ranked eighth or lower. Most of them are firmly in the mid-table and are ready to cause the defending champions few problems as they can easily do such matches in this last part of the season. They survived one of their toughest remaining games with a win over Forest, and Tottenham can still pose a challenge after making things difficult for Arsenal as they fight for a top-four spot. The North Londoners could still be in the thick of the battle for a Champions League place and have a surprising ability to keep City at bay, even if it feels unwise to face City at this time of year bet.
Don't miss CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, opinions, highlights and humor you need to follow The Beautiful Game in every corner of the world, every Monday to Friday, all year round.
2. Arsenal, 80 points
Remaining schedule
Always East/US
- April 3: Arsenal 2, Luton Town 0
- April 6: Brighton and Hove Albion 0, Arsenal 3
- April 13: Arsenal 0, Aston Villa 2
- April 20: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Arsenal 2
- April 23: Arsenal 5, Chelsea 0
- April 28: Tottenham Hotspur 2, Arsenal 3
- May 4, 10am: Bournemouth (home)
- May 11, 10am: Manchester United (away)
- May 19, 11am: Everton (home)
Arsenal may have escaped with three points against rivals Tottenham, but the fact is for them that their most difficult remaining match is officially behind them. They now look set to score big wins over a Bournemouth team that is competitive but little to play for, a Manchester United side that can't get out of their own way, and an Everton team that is safe from relegation barring points deductions .
1. Liverpool, 75 points
Remaining schedule
Always East/US
- April 4: Liverpool 3, Sheffield United 1
- April 7: Manchester United 2, Liverpool 2
- April 14: Liverpool 0, Crystal Palace 1
- April 21: Fulham 1, Liverpool 3
- April 24: Everton 2, Liverpool 0
- April 27: West Ham 2, Liverpool 2
- May 4, 10am: Tottenham Hotspur (home)
- May 11, 10am: Aston Villa (away)
- May 19, 11am: Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
They have the two most difficult teams not in the title race – Aston Villa and Tottenham – still on the calendar, but no one is currently lower than 12th. Given the run of poor results behind them, there is a big question as to how much petrol Liverpool have left in the tank against anyone, not just the teams that need points the most.
