With just a handful of matches remaining in what has certainly been an entertaining season, three clubs in the Barclays Premier League remain in contention for an English League title. Table-leading Liverpool dropped a crucial match to second place Chelsea this weekend but even with the 2-0 defeat, head coach Brendan Rogers and 2013-2014 PFA Player of the Year award winner Luis Suarez remain at the top of the table by two points with two matches to go. Manchester City – who hold a game in hand over Liverpool and Chelsea – moved to within three points of the top spot over the weekend with three matches remaining. Despite his club’s recent triumph, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho doesn’t believe his side will claim the BPL trophy this season, even with success against both Liverpool and City.
“Now we can say we won both matches against the champions,” Mourinho, who continues to focus on Chelsea’s upcoming UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg against Atletico Madrid, said after the victory. “If it’s Liverpool, we won both. If it’s City, we won both. With these three points we need one point to finish third. It was a good season for us and an evolution in many aspects of this team. The champions will be City or Liverpool so we have nothing to celebrate.”
Despite being out of contention for the 2013-2014 Barclays Premier League championship, the Arsenal Gunners remain in the hunt for a top 4 finish, something that would guarantee the club a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League field. Arsene Wenger’s club finished fourth in the league a season ago and with three matches remaining hold a one-point lead on Everton for the No. 4 slot, a situation that provides fans of the league and the game of football another interesting race in a field that never seems to lack drama.
2013-2014 Barclays Premier League Standings (As of April 28, 2014)
Liverpool 80 points 2 matches remaining
Chelsea 78 points 2 matches remaining
Manchester City 77 points 3 matches remaining
Liverpool Remaining Schedule
May 5 at Crystal Palace
May 11 vs. Newcastle United
Chelsea Remaining Schedule
May 4 vs. Norwich City
May 11 at Cardiff City
Manchester City Remaining Schedule
May 3 at Everton
May 7 vs. Aston Villa
May 11 vs. West Ham United
Barclays Premier League Championship Scenarios
- If Liverpool win their final two matches and Manchester City win their final three matches, the two clubs would finish tied with 86 points a piece, and the title would be decided by the goal difference tie-breaker. City currently owns a goal differential advantage of plus-8.
- Chelsea need both Liverpool and Man City to leave points on the board in their remaining matches in order to have a better chance at winning the title.
Liverpool wins before Championship Sunday (May 11) if:
A. Man City drop points in both of their next 2 matches AND
B. Chelsea drop points next Sunday (May 4) AND
C. Liverpool win next Monday (May 5)
- If Man City win at Everton on Saturday however, the title will not be decided until Championship Sunday.
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