\n<\/p>\n
Leeds 1-0 Burnley<\/strong><\/p>\n Does anyone else notice at this time of the year how many of those near the bottom of the table get results at the same time?<\/p>\n A home game against a team already relegated, whose manager has just left, is a golden opportunity to remove pressure before Leeds face Spurs and West Ham.<\/p>\n Leeds will feel they slightly let themselves down in their FA Cup semi-final. There is nothing worse than leaving Wembley with regret.<\/p>\n Brentford 2-2 West Ham<\/strong><\/p>\n It is remarkable how many chances the Bees created at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n Keith Andrews will feel that if his side can replicate Monday\u2019s performance, they will take all three points.<\/p>\n Yet while the home side hopes for a European place, that is not as strong an incentive as the Hammers\u2019.<\/p>\n The Irons know a win would send Spurs to Villa Park the next day, five points from safety.<\/p>\n Given that in stoppage time last weekend, West Ham were heading back into the bottom three, that would represent a significant turnaround.<\/p>\n Newcastle 1-3 Brighton<\/strong><\/p>\n The Toon Army might be relieved that only four fixtures remain this season.<\/p>\n Any more, and they could have been looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.<\/p>\n St James\u2019 Park may start to turn on Eddie Howe if they see Brighton arrive and take control.<\/p>\n The Seagulls will know that sixth place could be enough for Champions League qualification if Villa remain fifth and win the Europa League.<\/p>\n Some Newcastle supporters will argue that if the visitors can be part of that conversation in May, they should be as well.<\/p>\n Wolves 1-1 Sunderland<\/strong><\/p>\n Sunderland have conceded nine goals in their last two fixtures.<\/p>\n That is uncharacteristic considering how they have defended for most of the season.<\/p>\n Yet if the price for avoiding a relegation battle is a drop in intensity towards the end of the campaign, the Black Cats would have accepted that.<\/p>\n Arsenal 1-0 Fulham<\/strong><\/p>\n I was slightly surprised that so many Gooners, and those outside our fanbase, seemed shocked by how we approached the Newcastle match.<\/p>\n A young squad are close to achieving something not done in 22 years, so the run-in was always likely to be filled with anxiety.<\/p>\n Saturday will be no different.<\/p>\n The reward of going six points clear is huge, yet one mistake could prove costly.<\/p>\n When you consider it in those terms, it is no surprise the Emirates will feel tense.<\/p>\n Gooners must try to set that aside, forget about the style of play and simply help the team get over the line.<\/p>\n Cherries 3-0 Palace<\/strong><\/p>\n If you could choose an opponent at this moment, it would be Palace.<\/p>\n Even if Oliver Glasner insists he does not have the squad to rotate for Europe, it is understandable that the Eagles will focus their energy on the UEFA Conference competition.<\/p>\n If they reach the final, it could yet influence the title race.<\/p>\n United 2-1 Liverpool<\/strong><\/p>\n It has been a long time since this fixture carried so little consequence.<\/p>\n Michael Carrick made a smart tactical adjustment on Monday night to strengthen his case for the permanent role at Manchester United.<\/p>\n If he wants to convince more doubters at Old Trafford, this would be the ideal opponent to defeat.<\/p>\n Conversely, with some fans losing faith in Arne Slot, this is not a fixture Liverpool will want to lose.<\/p>\n Aston Villa 1-1 Spurs<\/strong><\/p>\n Like many, I have long believed Spurs have players capable of putting together a run of results once they secured a league win in 2026.<\/p>\n However, they may have left it too late.<\/p>\n What are the chances that when they finally earn three points, the two clubs above them also win on the same weekend?<\/p>\n Much will depend on what happens the day before.<\/p>\n A West Ham defeat could energise them, while a Hammers victory might have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n At any other stage of the season, a draw at Villa Park would be respectable, but not when matches are running out.<\/p>\n Chelsea 1-1 N. Forest<\/strong><\/p>\n Last Friday, Forest would have felt they had done enough to focus fully on their European semi-final.<\/p>\n However, the two clubs below them also secured wins.<\/p>\n What Spurs and West Ham do over the weekend will influence how much pressure Forest face on the Bank Holiday.<\/p>\n It is one thing for Chelsea to be motivated by an FA Cup semi final, but quite another if they begin this match as low as eleventh.<\/p>\n If reports of players mocking Liam Rosenior after his departure are accurate, it raises serious questions about the culture within the squad.<\/p>\n Everton 2-2 Man City<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes in sport, you need fortune beyond your control.<\/p>\n The schedule and Manchester City\u2019s involvement in the cup provide Arsenal with a chance to send their rivals to Liverpool six points behind.<\/p>\n It is never easy to win at Everton, especially in must-win conditions.<\/p>\n However, setbacks are less likely when you have had over a week to prepare, allowed the squad to rest and have a manager who meticulously plans every detail.<\/p>\n Pep Guardiola will approach Monday like a final.<\/p>\n The advantage he has over Mikel Arteta is that key members of his squad, staff and supporters not only handle pressure but do so with confidence.<\/p>\n Of the top two, only one appears to be enjoying this title race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leeds 1-0 Burnley Does anyone else notice at this time of the year how many…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}