Although already known who the winner since mid-April, Premier League 201718 is still very competitive. The scramble for the top four positions, for example, presents a hot and thrilling competition.
Given the points and the rest of the match, the top two teams - Manchester City and Manchester United - are definitely sealing this Champions League zone. However, the three teams below - Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea - are vying to get the remaining two slots.
Liverpool should have been able to secure the last four since two weeks ago, but they just wasted it with only a draw against two red zone teams, West Bromwich Albion (2-2) and Stoke City (0-0).
As a result, Jurgen Klopp's fleet could still be thrown to fifth if lost in the final two games while Chelsea and Tottenham continued to win. A scenario that would be a big irony in the midst of the Reds success through the Champions League final.
Interestingly, Chelsea and Liverpool will fight each other on Sunday (6/5) night local time, so the bigmatch at Stamford Bridge was like a game of life and death, especially for the host who is still entrenched in the fifth rank.
Meet Chelsea-Liverpool was supposed to be used Tottenham to occupy the third rank against West Brom on Saturday (5/5) yesterday. But unexpectedly, Spurs actually lost 1-0 from a team that was struggling out of the bondage degradation.
However, Tottenham need not panic. In the two remaining matches, Mauricio Pochettino's troops will divide two home parties against a team that has no interest whatsoever in the rest of the season, Leicester City and Newcastle United. That is, The Lilywhites do not need to hang up the results of other teams to secure the big four.
Practically, Chelsea became a team that was in the most critical condition. The Blues are not only required to wipe the last three parties, but also hope Spurs and Liverpool to slip. Without these two conditions, the defending champion will be staring at the end of a nahas season and Antonio Conte's fate is also increasingly unclear.