Officials should spur Devils to yet another victory

APRIL 24 — There’s every chance in the world that the English Premier League (EPL) will only be decided on the last day of this season, and quite possibly with the very last kick.

This is not just on the title front too. I am also referring to the battle for that lucrative fourth Champions League spot and the remaining two spots in the relegation battle.

The title race is the closest in years in that three teams are in it, well, until last week anyway, when Arsenal suffered the greatest collapse in EPL history. Yes, it was the first time that any team, let alone one in the relegation zone like Wigan, had reversed a two-goal deficit with only 10 minutes remaining.

But right up to those fateful few minutes, there was every chance that the Gunners remained in contention, albeit with slim hopes. Now that it’s all gone, the two remaining teams should make the last three weeks of the season a nail-biting finish.

Both contenders have seemingly easy matches this weekend. Manchester United (MU) take on Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford tonight, in an early kickoff (7.45pm), while Chelsea are at home to Stoke City (Sunday, 11pm).

This is Spurs’ third consecutive match with a title-contender and they are certainly having a big say in where the title is headed, this late in the season.

Not to mention, by impressively dispatching Arsenal and Chelsea at White Hart Lane within a short span of four days, Spurs are now in pole position to secure the fourth Champions League spot too.

But of their battles against the Big 3, tonight will undoubtedly be the toughest.

There may be a growing confidence in their players, with the belief that they can get an away win this weekend, but their record at Old Trafford is dismal — they have never won a single match there since the start of the EPL.

Well, that is if you don’t count the greatest goal-line blunder by referees in the history of the EPL, maybe even top-flight English football. I am referring to Spurs’ Pedro Mendes not being given a match-winning goal in the 90th minute when MU’s Roy Carroll spilled a shot at least a metre past the goal-line, in a match played on Jan 4, 2005.

Everyone but the referee and his assistant noticed it and the score stood at 0-0 till the end, despite the massive protest by Spurs players. It’s a good thing that MU’s fortuitous point earned did not matter at the end of the season as they ended up in third place with 77 points, 18 points behind Chelsea and six behind Arsenal but also a massive 16 points ahead of fourth place Everton, with Liverpool a further three behind.

Actually, the final points tally in that 2004-05 season illustrates even more emphatically, how close the chase for the premiership and the Champions League qualification has been this season.

That’s because unlike previously when the teams aiming for the fifth place seemed to be out of reach of the top four spot, now, even the usual suspects there are mathematically within reach of the third spot, if the Gunners continue their decline.

That is enough motivation for Spurs, who were very impressive against both Chelsea and Arsenal, though they were helped by an idiotic captain in the former, and a crippling injury list in the latter.

That second point, incidentally, is something that has not been sufficiently addressed for Spurs themselves. While Arsenal were clearly without key men, Spurs were missing several players as well, albeit much less talented and influential, yet they remained strong as a unit.

MU’s win in the Manchester derby last weekend should not disguise their deficiencies. Once again this season, they were particularly average, and a moment of inspiration by Paul Scholes and some wobbly marking will not save them every week, as Blackburn proved two weeks ago.

The stoppage-time winner in the derby not only gave MU bragging rights but more importantly revived their bid for a record fourth successive crown. With Chelsea not in action until tomorrow, MU can go two points clear by beating Spurs.

Last season’s corresponding fixture was also a pivotal run-in clash, in which the Red Devils yet again garnered the help of the men in black to turn around a 2-0 deficit with a penalty decision which replays showed should not have been given. That penalty goal by Cristiano Ronaldo ended with the capitulation of Spurs in an eventual 5-2 defeat.

However, they face a different Spurs this time around. A team that not only beat champions-elect Chelsea, but also dominated them in a way the scoreline did not reflect. Had Spurs’ players put on the goal-scoring boots, Chelsea would have certainly faced their worst defeat in recent years.

Indeed, attacking at Old Trafford might be the best tactic. City tried the cautious containment option last weekend when attacking had served them so well in previous games.

Skilful, pacy full-back Gareth Bale is the man of the moment for Spurs, having netted the decisive goals against Chelsea and Arsenal, and MU will need to be wary of the Welshman’s marauding raids down the left.

The dangerous Jermain Defoe is comfortably Spurs’ leading marksman this term with 18 league goals, while centre-half Michael Dawson must be giving England coach Fabio Capello food for thought with a string of fine displays.

For MU this is a must-win game to keep their title hopes alive. While Spurs certainly have the players to shake their opponents, MU should show the desire to win a game to stay in the title race.

Chelsea’s tie with Stoke, looks easy on paper, even without John Terry. But it’s their next match against Liverpool at Anfield that could ironically hand the title to MU.

Stoke play a hard game against bigger teams. Therefore, their disappointing loss at home to Bolton last weekend should be disregarded. Chelsea will find it very hard but they know they cannot drop points or else MU will be top.

So, even if the Blues end the weekend as league leaders the pressure should remain from MU.

They simply cannot rely on Spurs. A supplement to the adage about never banking on Spurs is that the Lillywhites did as much damage last week as can be undone at MU this weekend.

It is also worth wearily noting that Spurs have not been victorious away from home against a “big four” side in 66 attempts!

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.