May 26th 1989, and Arsenal lead Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield on the final night of the league season.
It is a deficit that isn’t severe enough to prevent the home side from winning their 18th league title; a 1-0 defeat will give them the trophy on goal difference from the Gunners, but a second Arsenal goal would change everything. It would put the two teams, already level on points, equal on goal difference too, but Arsenal would leapfrog Liverpool on goals scored. You know what happens next.
Michael Thomas strides through the Liverpool defence, commentator Brian Moore declares that “it’s up for grabs now!” and a novel about an annoying north London bloke’s apparent obsession with football is born. It was probably the closest finish to a league championship that we’ll ever see, but this year it could have a rival.
For much of the season it appears to have been a Premier League that no-one wants to win.
Whichever of the three contenders that are eventually crowned champions will have lost at least five games; Arsenal and Manchester United have already lost six. Liverpool lost just twice last season in finishing second.
It was a Premier League weekend that brought more questions than answers for the holy trinity at the top of the table.
Manchester United and Arsenal won but weren’t particularly impressive. Admittedly the Gunners played with 10 men for half of their clash with West Ham, but United could count themselves a touch fortunate to beat Liverpool. If there was to be a winner at Old Trafford then it certainly deserved to be the home side, but a draw looked a fairer outcome. Had Fernando Torres been as surefooted as usual in the closing stages then that’s what would have happened.
Yet United won. Winning while not playing well has seemingly been “the mark of champions” since time began, a mantra that all successful sides repeat endlessly on the route to glory, but Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea appear to be singing from a different hymnsheet at the moment.
Yesterday’s draw at Blackburn saw the Blues lose further ground in the title race (or should that be crawl?) Four points behind United, a victory at Fratton Park on Wednesday night is now imperative if further frustrations are to be avoided.
Arsenal arguably have the easier run-in of fixtures from now until the end of the season, with United and Chelsea set to face off against each other in 12 days time.
Whoever staggers over the line in first place come the end of the season on May 9th will certainly have deserved their honour. After a rocky ride, it’s all about staying power from here on in. Consistency is key.
It’s up for grabs now. Time for one team to grab it.
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