How Arsenal must be kicking themselves at letting Liverpool off the hook in a title race that could have been oh so different had they not fluffed their lines in January.
Instead Liverpool, who were abject in defeat at Fulham on Sunday, are able to trip themselves up with little to no jeopardy of relinquishing control of top spot.
It is the battle for European football that is the most intriguing in a league where Southampton were officially relegated as the worst side in top-flight history.
Aston Villa are motoring while Manchester City’s ageing group are stumbling towards the finish line which seemed inexplicable before a ball was kicked this season.
The bottom three, meanwhile, is all but wrapped up, after Southampton’s relegation was confirmed and Wolves got the better of Ipswich.
In the newest instalment of this weekly column, Mail Sport picks out five of the most interesting talking points to emerge from the Premier League’s latest round of matches.
Despite losing at Fulham, Liverpool’s lead at the top was only cut by a point as Arsenal drew
CHELSEA’S AWAY DAY BLUES
If Chelsea are to miss out on a Champions League spot for next season they will only have themselves – and specifically their away form – to blame.
Sunday’s snoozefest 0-0 at neighbouring Chelsea irked the travelling away fans and it was hard to blame them.
The stalemate means that Enzo Maresca’s side are still to pick up an away league win in 2025, drawing away to Crystal Palace and Brentford, while losing to Manchester City, Brighton, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Tuesday will mark four months since their last away win in the league – a 4-3 win at Tottenham – and Maresca is finding a team that is travelsick as soon as they pass Fulham Broadway.
Chelsea have mustered just three goals on the road from 109 shots since that win at Tottenham, too. That’s a shot to goal conversion rate of just 2.75 per cent. One goal every 36.3 shots.
Maresca has shaken things up, too. Against Brentford he went with Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Noni Madueke as his front four.
In the previous game against Arsenal it was Pedro Neto as the No 9, with Sancho, Enzo Fernandez and Nkunku as the three behind.
Chelsea toiled in the sun on Sunday as they drew 0-0 at west London rivals Brentford
Jadon Sancho started for the Blues but failed to boost their attack, which once again struggled
Cole Palmer and Madueke started with Neto and Nkunku in the dismal defeat at Brighton – where they failed to manage a shot on target – while Nicolas Jackson started up top in the draw at Crystal Palace.
It is a miracle Chelsea have not been extinguished from the Champions League race having continually tripped themselves up on the road – but that is perhaps indicative of the up-and-down nature of this European race.
With Fulham, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest the only remaining away league games on the calendar for Chelsea, there is the very real possibility that they head into the off-season without an away league win in 2025 and yet still land Champions League football for next season.
It’s a funny old league…
Enzo Maresca’s side have failed to win a match away in the Premier League this calendar year
BOURNEMOUTH RUNNING OUT OF STEAM
After 26 games played, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth were sixth in the table and just four points behind Nottingham Forest in third. Incredibly, a top-four finish was firmly in their sights.
But now through 31 games and in light of a 2-2 draw away to 16th-placed West Ham, Bournemouth are facing the prospect of finishing this season as a bottom half team.
That was inconceivable just a few weeks ago but it appears, more than anything, that Iraola’s charges have simply run out of steam.
They rank 18th and in the relegation zone for form across the last six matches, managing two draws and four defeats in that span. Only Southampton, who were officially relegated as the worst top-flight team ever this weekend, and Leicester City, who won’t be far behind them, have fared worse.
In that run Bournemouth – and we’ll add in the penalty shootout defeat by Wolves in the FA Cup to further crystallise the point – have come out as the loser five times at home, losing to Wolves, Brentford, Manchester City and Ipswich Town, as well as the FA Cup exit.
Bournemouth dented their European hopes next season with a 2-2 draw at lowly West Ham
Antoine Semenyo has tailed off having not scored since January while Ryan Christie is battling through injury to play which has hampered his performances.
Ilya Zabarnyi has struggled for form since returning from suspension while Justin Kluivert has now took his seat on the sidelines having been halted by injury.
Bournemouth’s European hopes now look to be hanging by a thread and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is well aware that one more mistake – it’s eighth-placed Fulham next – could extinguish their season.
‘Now is the most difficult part of the season because every point is very hard to take,’ he told the Daily Echo after the draw at West Ham.
‘So we are in good position. We missed some opportunities in the last weeks, but we want to be in Europe.
‘Obviously, we have to start taking the points. We have to start making three. Next game at home, we have to be strong because otherwise the chances they are going.’
It really is now or never for Bournemouth, or else this season looks set to end with a whimper that appeared so improbable just six weeks ago.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (left) is under no illusions that they can’t slip up
FRONTRUNNING IPSWICH ONLY HAVE THEMSELVES TO BLAME
When Ipswich Town look back on what now appears to be a nailed-on relegation back to the Championship they will do so ruing so many opportunities missed.
Take the past weekend when Liam Delap fired them ahead, only to end up losing 2-1 to Wolves which should all but keep Wolves up and all but send Ipswich down.
Where Southampton and Leicester City have stunk the division up, Ipswich Town have often brought a breath of fresh air, albeit still going on to finish most weekends as the loser.
Following the turnaround against Wolves, it means that no side has dropped more points from winning positions in the top-flight this season than Kieran McKenna’s charges (25).
‘I think it’s certainly more than likely on the balance of probabilities,’ McKenna said of the prospect of relegation back to the second tier.
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna will look back on regret at their missed opportunities this season
‘Not that I don’t think we can’t finish the season strongly, but Wolves are a strong side and the chance of them losing all their games is really low.
‘The likelihood is we’ll fall short of our ultimate dream.’
When the dust settles McKenna and his players will know more often than not they had games in their grip… only to let go.
Another enormous climb to get back to the top of the mountain likely lies in wait for the Tractor Boys next season.
HEAD-SCRATCHING GARNACHO
Ruben Amorim has a lot to fix and work out. That may be the understatement of the season.
Alejandro Garnacho is one of them. The Argentine continues to be so dynamic and so frustrating in equal measure.
Amorim challenged the young Argentine to improve in all areas after a below-par performance against Nottingham Forest and after the 0-0 draw to Manchester City it means Garnacho has zero goals and one assist from his last 19 games.
It is not a lack of effort on the training pitch from Garnacho, far from it. But more often than not Garnacho isn’t quite clicking with what Amorim is requiring.
He has shown bright flashes in the right No 10 role, while he was playing on the left side on Sunday against City.
Alejandro Garnacho’s lack of end product came to the fore once again in the Manchester derby
Troy Deeney described him as a ‘shining light’ on Match of the Day 2 and there were certainly moments, particularly early on against City.
But the conundrum with Garnacho comes that he represents pure profit from a Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) point of view and so selling him, should Amorim determine he is not a key piece of this team for the future, may well be attractive.
On the other hand, if Amorim believes this goals and assists slump is simply indicative of playing in a poor team and that summer signings can be put around Garnacho to get the best out of him, sticking with him may be the best course of action.
Internally at United there is a feeling that moving on from Garnacho could come back to bite them given his obvious potential – but he won’t get forever to realise it.
With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Garnacho needs to show he deserves to be part of this rebuild and not be one of the pieces to fall as Amorim rips it up to start all over again.
Ruben Amorim has a decision to make about Garnacho this summer – like many of his players
TOP-FIVE RACE WILL GO TO FINAL DAY
Go ahead and try to predict who finishes in third, fourth and fifth. Good luck.
This battle to get into the Champions League – fifth place should get it as England closes in on winning an extra place due to UEFA coefficient – looks set to run the distance right to the final day with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Fulham and Brighton all still firmly believing they are in the mix.
A win for Newcastle United against Leicester City on Monday night – more likely than not – will see Manchester City drop out of the top five for the first time since mid-January.
Newcastle’s hopes of Champions League football can be boosted with a win at Leicester City
Chelsea, as already mentioned in this column, still need to play both Fulham and Nottingham Forest on the road, while Brighton are winless in three and stuttering at the wrong time.
Aston Villa are the in-form team but need to avoid a European hangover, regardless of whether they remain in the Champions League beyond their quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain or not.
Having been denied a proper title race and a relegation battle with some jeopardy, the top-five race could be one for the ages with so many twists and turns pending for at least seven teams.
Sprint to the finish? Bring it on.
