The first of two potentially momentous
away trips in a row takes us the short distance from the Fulham Road to
the Holloway Road. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician
Paul Dutton take a close look at the meeting of the top two…
A top-four finish, at worst, is now confirmed by the 76 points already accrued. Fifth-placed Liverpool’s maximum available points total is one fewer at 75, meaning the Blues have become the first English club to secure Champions League football next season.
The maximum points totals now available to the top four teams are: Chelsea 94, Arsenal 84, Manchester United 80, Manchester City 79. A win on Sunday would make Wednesday’s trip to Leicester City a title-winning opportunity. The Blues have opened the scoring in the last 20 games in all competitions and gone on to win 12, draw six and lose two.
A draw would obviously maintain the Blues’ 10-point lead and leave both having 15 points still to play for. That would allow the Gunners a possible 82, so six further points at most would secure the title for west London.
TALKING POINTS
‘Football is not about “ifs” or “almost”,’ Jose Mourinho said last weekend. ‘It is about mathematics.’ It would not take a professor to see that on the balance of probability, leaders Chelsea may pick up a fifth league title win in the next few weeks. Belief must be coursing through the players’ veins.A top-four finish, at worst, is now confirmed by the 76 points already accrued. Fifth-placed Liverpool’s maximum available points total is one fewer at 75, meaning the Blues have become the first English club to secure Champions League football next season.
The maximum points totals now available to the top four teams are: Chelsea 94, Arsenal 84, Manchester United 80, Manchester City 79. A win on Sunday would make Wednesday’s trip to Leicester City a title-winning opportunity. The Blues have opened the scoring in the last 20 games in all competitions and gone on to win 12, draw six and lose two.
A draw would obviously maintain the Blues’ 10-point lead and leave both having 15 points still to play for. That would allow the Gunners a possible 82, so six further points at most would secure the title for west London.
The Blues are on course to finish as the dominant force in the capital for the 10th time in 11 seasons and the 20th occasion in our history (once more than Tottenham). And for all those who question our club’s longevity, the first occasion was in 1907/08.
As we approach the latest instalment of London’s oldest top-flight derby, Mourinho’s men also top the table in capital clashes this season with two to play.
Chelsea have not lost a league game to Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal or Liverpool since our manager returned to English football in 2013. Arsenal’s notoriously patchy form against their main rivals has improved this season with emphatic victories over City and Liverpool.
The media made much of Manchester United’s 70 per cent hogging of the ball in our pivotal win on Saturday evening, but it merely proved possession is 9/10ths of football nonsense. Chelsea still matched their total of two shots on target with our lowest possession recorded this season, and the figure of 30 per cent was identical to that in the 1-0 win over Barcelona at the Bridge in 2012.
In any case, Man United goalie David De Gea should have seen red in the 36th minute when he left his box and used his arm to knock the ball away from Eden Hazard. It was not quite as blatant as the incident involving Tim Howard during the 6-3 at Everton earlier in the campaign, but it is still difficult to imagine how the infringement was missed. This has been a truly remarkable season for errors in our opponents’ favour.
Many were impressed once again by the performance of Kurt Zouma in midfield against United, and the 20-year-old is already a cult hero along the Fulham Road. The average age of the players used by Mourinho so far this season has been 26.5 years, three-and-a-half years younger than those of City (the most senior in the top flight) and a month shy of Arsenal’s. So much for ‘the Pensioners.’
Cesc Fabregas was in the Gunners’ side the last time we lost at the Emirates in December 2010. It will be interesting to see how the home fans greet the return of their prodigal son, who was in fine form in the last two games and has set up 16 league goals for colleagues this season (twice as many as either of Arsenal’s best producers, Alexis Sanchez or Santi Cazorla). The last Gunner to achieve a similar tally was … Fabregas in the 2009/10 season.
Let us hope the reception the Spaniard receives at the Emirates is better than the one sometimes for another former Gunner, Ashley Cole. In stark contrast, Juan Mata came back to the Bridge as a Manchester United player and title rival last weekend and was given a wonderful standing ovation by Chelsea supporters. ‘It was really moving to feel the people’s respect and affection,’ he wrote afterwards, ‘and I will always be grateful for that. To them and also to the players, I thank them for such affection.’
Arsene Wenger, when told the Chelsea-Man United score in the press conference after the Gunners’ semi-final win over Reading, gave the response: ‘1-0. As usual.’
It raised an indulgent titter but no one pointed out that in the last four meetings with his team in all competitions, Chelsea have actually racked up 10 goals without reply, an average of 2.5 goals per game. Instead, all the talk since has been about how the Gunners are primed for vengeance.
Arsenal have won eight consecutive league games, their best run since the nine in a row racked up in 2003/04. It is largely overlooked Chelsea are seeking a sixth away Premier League win in succession and have won 62 per cent of league games on the road.
No league visitor to the Emirates this season has been able to keep a clean sheet, but the Blues lead the way in shut-outs this season with 15 from 32 matches and have only failed to hit the net in one away game.
Last weekend Manchester City eased past a diffident West Ham. The same fixture in May 2014 witnessed Pellegrini’s men raise the Premier League trophy. The result this campaign left them 12 points adrift of table-toppers Chelsea, though nothing separated the pair after the 20th match week. Since then the Blues have taken 30 from the 36 available, while the Citizens managed 18 of a possible 39.
Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Southampton v Tottenham 12.45pm - BT Sport
Burnley v Leicester 3pm
Crystal Palace v Hull 3pm
Newcastle v Swansea 3pm
QPR v West Ham 3pm
Stoke v Sunderland 3pm
West Brom v Liverpool 3pm
Manchester City v Aston Villa 5.30pm - Sky Sports
Sunday
Everton v Manchester United 1.30pm - Sky Sports
Arsenal v Chelsea 4pm - Sky Sports
Tuesday
Hull v Liverpool 7.45pm
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