A year ago
Premier League is heating up as the title race, battle for the top four, and relegation fight look set to go down to the wire. In Arsenal's 2-0 win over Newcastle, they kept the pressure on Manchester City at the top. Manchester United's 1-0 loss to West Ham allowed Liverpool's six-game winning run to put them within one point of United, who have a game in hand.
At the bottom of the table, Leicester and Leeds have fallen into the relegation zone while Everton and Nottingham Forest secured vital wins.
Arsenal refused to go quietly after a four-game winless run that culminated in a 4-1 thrashing at City last month, with victories over Chelsea and at St. James' Park. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described the win as a result of pride, saying that when there are question marks, you have to resolve them straight away.
City still needs to drop points in two of their final four games for Arsenal to have a chance at their first title in 19 years. A 2-1 win over Leeds was City's 10th consecutive league win at the right time of the season, but two mammoth Champions League semifinal games against Real Madrid offer Arsenal hope that City could falter.
The fight for the top four is back on as Liverpool closed to within one point of Manchester United. United and Newcastle still have a game in hand over Liverpool, but they are nervously looking over their shoulder as Jurgen Klopp's men have finally found their form after a difficult season. United look out on their feet after a grueling campaign that will stretch to 62 games.
Erik ten Hag's men have scored just eight goals in their last nine league games as an over-reliance on Marcus Rashford has been exposed during a dry spell for the England international. The Red Devils have a kind run-in, but it is far from the certainty it appeared just a few weeks ago.
The race for a place in the Champions League could also have a significant impact on the relegation battle. Seven years after being crowned champions, Leicester is sliding toward relegation to the Championship. The Foxes' shoddy defending was ruthlessly exposed by Fulham in a 5-3 win on Monday.
Leicester's misery was compounded by victories for Everton and Forest later in the day that dumped them into the bottom three. With Liverpool and Newcastle to come in their next two games, Leicester could already be down by the time they face West Ham at home on the final day.
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