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Premier League title race – 38 key moments in the season so far
This has been the most unpredictable and dramatic of title races and, with one game left, its subplots will live long in the memory
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Title race
Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal: the twists and turns in the 2013-14 Premier League title race. Photograph: Guardian
Rewind to last summer and the approaching Premier League season had felt like a leap into the unknown. Sir Alex Ferguson had departed Manchester United, leaving the champions in the apparently capable hands of David Moyes and the chasing pack sensing an opportunity. José Mourinho drew the focus as the self-styled "Happy One" restored at Chelsea, while Manuel Pellegrini slipped in almost unnoticed at Manchester City, a team who had under-performed in finishing mere runners-up in the previous campaign.
Arsène Wenger was the only constant among the managers in the top four, while Liverpool, under Brendan Rodgers, prowled on the periphery daring to dream that a Champions League spot might be theirs again. Mourinho suggested an "open" season lay ahead. Most people nodded in agreement, but none could really have envisaged the elaborate twists and turns which would leave observers dizzied over the 10 months that followed.
From United topping the table at the end of the opening day, the lead changed hands 25 times. Arsenal would perch on the summit for 128 days, the longest of all. City, the prospective champions going into this final weekend, have peered down on the rest for only 13 days to suggest their timing has been best of all. That the pre-season favourites may now go on and claim the title might hint at predictability, but this has been the most unpredictable and dramatic of title races whose subplots will live long in the memory …
1) Liverpool off to a flier …
Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet saves a penalty from Stoke City's Jonathan Walters
Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet saves a penalty from Stoke City's Jonathan Walters. Photograph: Darren Staples / Reuters/Reuters
Rodgers strolled into the Anfield press room singing "Liverpool – top of the league." Not even he could have imagined the refrain would survive until the final week, although change was in the Anfield air from the opening day. Liverpool, with the suspended and disenchanted Luis Suárez looking on, dominated Stoke City in the early kick-off but had only Daniel Sturridge's fine goal to show for it when Daniel Agger conceded an 89th-minute penalty. The story of recent campaigns looked set to return but the debutant Simon Mignolet foiled Jonathan Walters' spot kick to become the first Liverpool keeper to save a league penalty at Anfield for 14 years. AH
2) … but gloom at Arsenal
Arsenal started the season in a very bad mood. There was little scope for the stereotype of early-season optimism at the Emirates as the mood turned febrile even before the referee blew full time on a chastening home defeat to Aston Villa. To go into a season with a thin squad looking stretched was tantamount to asking for it. Fans yelled for their club to spend some money and cursed the apparent transfer-market dithering. Wenger was grim-faced, and perplexed. "People say: 'Buy players, buy players, buy players' … but who?" he said plaintively. AL
3) Chelsea go top before a reality check
The Happy One's impact was immediate with two home wins and a draw at Manchester United in Moyes's first home match to top the table, though a reality check followed. The Uefa Super Cup was surrendered on penalties to Bayern Munich, Romelu Lukaku sought a move and was loaned to Everton, who promptly beat Chelsea at Goodison Park. Before his return to the Champions League, Mourinho described his players as "beautiful, young eggs who need a mum or, in this case, a dad to take care of them, to keep them warm during the winter, to bring the blanket and work and improve them. One day the moment will arrive when the weather changes, the sun rises, you break the eggs and they are ready to go for life at the top level." His team were beaten by Basel, the yolk presumably on them. DF
4) Meanwhile, Wenger lands the golden egg
A sudden change of tune for Arsenal. On beating Spurs, whose lavish spree had contrasted so sharply with their own pleas for their club to invest, the neighbours were regaled with the old refrain "What a waste of money". That very day, 1 September, Wenger was putting the finishing touches to a coup. He obliterated Arsenal's transfer record to recruit Mesut Özil, a genuine A-lister from Real Madrid. It injected the club with a dose of deadline-day delight (although the flipside to not landing a striker meant an unexpected stay for Nicklas Bendtner). AL
5) City don't like playing away
Cardiff City's Fraizer Campbell heads home to score against Manchester City
Cardiff City's Fraizer Campbell heads home to score against Manchester City. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Defeats at Cardiff and Aston Villa meant that Pellegrini's expensively assembled team took just one point from the opening nine available on the road. It left City sixth on 10 points, level with Hull, and facing serious questions over whether a team so poor away from home could be credible title contenders. JJ
6) Gunners hit the target
There was a hubbub of expectancy before Özil's home debut. In addition to silky touches by way of introduction, his deliveries produced all three Arsenal goals to defeat Stoke and send Wenger's team to the top of the table in late September. The shift in atmosphere around the club after the calamitous opening game was extreme. A run of seven wins, while the rest of the usual suspects had wobbled, suddenly cast Arsenal as unexpected pace-setters. Wenger's team were an advert for stability, goals were flowing, confidence was growing. The subject of his contract, due to expire at the end of the season, came up. "I would love to be here for ever because that would mean I would be immortal," he wisecracked. AL
7) Noisy neighbours turn up the volume …
Pellegrini won the instant love of all City supporters by overseeing the 4-1 hammering of Manchester United in the 166th derby. Two goals from Sergio Agüero, plus strikes from Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri ensured David Moyes's insipid side were routed. City's six-pronged attacking force steamrollered United, sending a serious message to all the club's championship rivals. For City, goals would not prove a problem. JJ
8) ... but it's Chelsea who are on song in October
Chelsea's Fernando Torres scored a late winner in the 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday
Chelsea's Fernando Torres celebrates the late winner against Manchester City. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images
Chelsea were untouchable this month, winning six games in succession and ousting Arsenal from the League Cup en route. Samuel Eto'o scored his first Premier League goal against Cardiff with Mourinho sent to the stands – not for the last time this season – before Manchester City were wounded. The other big-name forward on Chelsea's books, Fernando Torres, conjured the last-minute winner courtesy of Joe Hart's error of judgment to leave the Londoners second, their momentum apparently building with little sign of the frustration at attacking deficiencies to come. Pellegrini refused to shake Mourinho's hand at the final whistle after the Portuguese ran across the visitors' technical area to celebrate with his son in a seat behind the away dug-out. "I don't speak about him," said the Chilean though, whether deliberately on not, the Chelsea manager was already getting under his rival's skin. DF
9) City drop Hart
The axe that had been hovering over their goalkeeper for more than a year due to his catalogue of howlers finally fell after the Stamford Bridge clanger. Hart, who had been hailed as one of Europe's best goalkeepers , was suddenly fallible. Only Roy Hodgson, his national team manager, seemed to be in Hart's corner and the England No1 did not experience Premier League football again for two months. He returned for a 4-2 win at Fulham on 21 December, though Pellegrini's decision was vindicated with Hart being near-flawless in the second part of the season. JJ
10) Rambo leads the charge
Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey celebrates after scoring in the win over Liverpool.
Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey celebrates after scoring in the win over Liverpool. Photograph: Alan Walter/Action Images
The renaissance of Aaron Ramsey was key to Arsenal's early-season optimism. His matchwinner, to inflict defeat on last season's Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, underlined how brightly his talent emerged from the cloud of serious injury. His knack for scoring – also in the 2-0 win over Liverpool – and sense of energy and responsibility, drove Arsenal on. AL
11) Meanwhile on Merseyside
Suárez was back and earning forgiveness from Liverpool with every imperious display, but Sturridge spearheaded the early assault on the summit. Ten goals in the first 11 games gave Liverpool valuable momentum, but by the time of the first Merseyside derby in late November he was in Rodgers' bad books, having played 90 minutes for England against Germany with a thigh injury. Sturridge was benched at Goodison Park, watching as Joe Allen missed a sitter and Romelu Lukaku gave Everton the lead with eight minutes left of a classic contest. But he came on to score a last-minute equaliser and secure some forgiveness of his own. AH
12) Blues drop to third
Oussama Assaidi scores Stoke's winner against Chelsea
Oussama Assaidi scores Stoke's winner against Chelsea. Photograph: Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar
Mourinho's faith in his strikers had been on the wane, but his exasperation was voiced publicly after the loss at Stoke, whose late winner was scored by Oussama Assaidi, a Liverpool loanee, to spark a recurring theme. "Agüero has scored 12 goals, [Wayne] Rooney eight, [Olivier] Giroud eight, Sturridge 10, Suárez 12, and ask if I would like my strikers to score eight, 10, 12 goals, then yes, I would," he said. "If they had we would be top of the league." The failure of the summer pursuit of Rooney was keenly felt. Europe provided respite with progress into the knockout phase of the Champions League. DF
13) City also make knockouts
Joy at the Etihad after an Álvaro Negredo hat-trick and Agüero double handed CSKA Moscow a 5-2 hiding to ensure City made the Champions League knockout stage for the first time. "We will see who we play in February, but I can assure you they will not be very happy," Pellegrini warned. JJ
14) Super Suárez lifts Reds
Suárez's season didn't start until 25 September. By the time he inflicted another bout of torture on Norwich City on 4 December, he was the leading scorer in the Premier League and destined to remain there. The Uruguay international scored 10 goals in four successive league games before Christmas with an individual masterclass against Norwich the pick. His quartet consisted of a sublime half-volley from over 40 yards, a hooked volley from close range, a glorious flick inside Leroy Fer and shot into the far corner plus a trademark free-kick. "He is up there with Ronaldo and Messi,"said Rodgers afterwards. AH
15) ... but Arsenal's season starts to stall
Manchester City celebrate during their 6-3 win over Arsenal
Manchester City celebrate during their 6-3 win over Arsenal. Photograph: Peter Powell/Peter Powell/epa/Corbis
For a few minutes of a cracking match against Everton, Arsenal felt giddy at the prospect of opening up a seven-point lead at the top. Özil put his team ahead late on but even later Gerard Deulofeu arrowed in a wonderful equaliser. Hardly a disaster, but it got a whole lot worse as Arsenal suffered two heavy blows in four days. Beaten at Napoli in their final Champions League group game, they lost top spot and were destined for a troublesome knock-out opponent. Wenger was irritated with the fixtures that meant Arsenal returned in the early hours of Thursday and kicked off at the Etihad at Saturday lunchtime. A freakish game ended 6-3 to Manchester City. Even though Arsenal equalised Agüero's opener, with Theo Walcott brilliant on the break, they and Arsenal ended up shellshocked, with Per Mertesacker rollocking Özil for not going to applaud the away fans. "We did not have that freshness you expect to see," lamented Wenger. AL Going into the game with the best defensive record in the division, there were wounds to be licked as Aguero, Negredo, Fernandinho, Silva and Yaya Touré helped themselves.
16) Liverpool suffer a festive fallout
Liverpool had the coveted No1 spot at Christmas. Four days later they were fifth. Rodgers had grumbled about a fixture list that sent his team to Manchester City then Chelsea and was seething after the first of the 2-1 defeats. The referee, Lee Mason, sparked a rare outspoken attack from the Liverpool manager for "a horrendous display" that included incorrectly disallowing a Raheem Sterling goal for offside. Rodgers questioned why a referee from Greater Manchester – Mason is from Bolton – would officiate a game in Manchester when Chris Foy of St Helens never takes a Merseyside fixture. There was no explanation from the Football Association. Just an £8,000 fine. AH
17) Arsenal take Cup seriously
Walcott could not have looked more cheerful as he put on his best smiley face and indicated the 2-0 scoreline with his fingers as he was carted round the perimeter of the Clock End on a stretcher in front of the unimpressed Tottenham fans. A fine start to the FA Cup campaign, which Wenger needed to pick strong teams for, brought hope. Walcott was not aware his cruciate was damaged, especially problematic as a couple of weeks earlier Ramsey pulled up with a thigh strain. These two injuries turned out to be long term. Months on end deprived of their attacking thrust and forward runs would take their toll. Wenger had most of January to ponder a solution. Draxler? Morata? Vucinic? He came up with Kim Kallstrom, a Swedish midfielder with a bad back, on loan. Radical. AL
18) New Year cheer for José
There were no complaints over the cluttered Christmas schedule as Chelsea tore into January with a flurry of victories in both league and FA Cup. Mourinho was true to his word that "all managers lie" when, having claimed there was no business to be done in the window, he re-signed Nemanja Matic from Benfica, beat Liverpool to Basel's Mohamed Salah and secured Kurt Zouma from St Etienne. Yet the real eye-opener was Juan Mata's £37.1m sale to Manchester United. The Spaniard had been player of the year in his two full seasons at the club but, unlike even Eden Hazard, had failed to convince Mourinho he could ally defensive work-rate with creative incision. There was uncertainty in the stands, hardly helped by West Ham successfully parking their pony and trap at the Bridge to secure a goalless draw. Mourinho insisted the visitors played "football from the 19th century". "I don't give a shite, to be honest," replied Sam Allardyce. DF
19) City can't stop scoring
Edin Dzeko and City's 100th goal of the season
Edin Dzeko and City's 100th goal of the season. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images
By mid-January the City juggernaut appeared unstoppable due to a relentless flow of goals. They notched 100 in all competitions in record time with the 4-2 win over Cardiff City, beating Chelsea's previous mark by eight matches and prompting the uber-cautious Pellegrini to draw comparisons with his former Cristiano Ronaldo-led, Real Madrid side. "It is different players but I think the concept of the style I want from the team is the same," he said. "It was incredible pace [against Cardiff], and we missed three or four clear goals." JJ
20) Gerrard gets a new lease of life
Liverpool had never won at Stoke in the Premier League until they secured a 5-3 victory in mid-January that carried portents for the remainder of their campaign. There was free-flowing, free-scoring football, with Suárez scoring twice to take his total to 22, a contentious penalty converted by Steven Gerrard – "a Spanish penalty", according to Rodgers, after Marc Wilson was adjudged to have clipped Sterling – and defensive vulnerability throughout. This was the seventh time in eight away matches that Liverpool had conceded two goals or more. The game was also significant for the evolution of Gerrard's career. The club captain was deployed as a holding midfielder, something Rodgers had envisaged when he arrived from Swansea City, and despite a teething problem against Aston Villa the following week, when Lucas Leiva suffered a knee injury that would rule him out for two months, the switch illuminated Liverpool. AH
21) No frontman but Chelsea still lead the way …
Branislav Ivanovic scores for Chelsea at Manchester City
Branislav Ivanovic scores for Chelsea at Manchester City. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images
Mourinho the master tactician came to the fore as Chelsea outplayed Manchester City at the Etihad and wrecked the hosts' perfect home record with a collective performance that sent shockwaves through the division. Could a team lacking a scoring striker actually win the league? The manager insisted not and described the three contenders, the others being Arsenal and City at this stage, as "two horses and a little horse, a little horse who needs milk and to learn how to jump". The egg metaphor had taken quite a twist, though few were taken in. Hazard's hat-trick against Newcastle sent them top. DF
22) … while Anfield starts to dream of title
Liverpool, with Gerrard orchestrating play from in front of the back four and Suárez slicing through opponents, had served notice of rampant intent in the 4-0 derby defeat of a shell-shocked Everton at the end of January. Ten days later they confirmed Champions League qualification was no longer the limit of their ambition or talents with a 5-1 annihilation of Arsenal that reverberated throughout the league. Wenger's team arrived at Anfield top, eight points above Liverpool and boasting they finally had championship-winning character in their ranks. With 19 minutes gone they were 4-0 down, crumbling upon wave after wave of Liverpool attacks and deep in a humiliation from which they never recovered. "We absolutely demolished a top team from start to finish," said Gerrard, who ranked the performance in his all-time top three as a Liverpool player alongside Champions League defeats of Real Madrid and Juventus. Rodgers' attempt to avoid title talk was now officially futile. AH
23) Özil and Arsenal look lost
"Sorry guys, it wasn't planned that way." So wrote a downcast Özil on his Facebook page the morning after the night before. The destiny of the 19 February tie seemed to weigh on his shoulders as he faced up to Manuel Neuer with an early penalty after Arsenal started brightly against Bayern. It was saved, he was devastated, and everything tilted as Arjen Robben won a penalty which saw Wojciech Szczesny sent off. Arsenal couldn't recover from the false start. Bayern were too strong. Arsenal fell out of Europe and began slipping in the league. AL
24) Reds go on the run
The demolition of Arsenal marked the start of an exhilarating run of 11 consecutive league victories for Rodgers' team but Fulham away, four days after the Anfield rout, demonstrated Liverpool also possessed the ability to dig in and win ugly when necessary. Fulham had hinted at a recovery under René Meulensteen with a 2-2 draw at Manchester United in their previous outing and led 2-1 with 12 minutes remaining at Craven Cottage. Philippe Coutinho levelled and then, with 17 seconds to go, Sascha Riether felled Sturridge in the penalty area. Gerrard dispatched a nerveless spot kick, whirled his shirt around his head and Liverpool had the momentum. AH
25) Wenger lampooned as 'specialist in failure'
José Mourinho and Arsène Wenger
José Mourinho and Arsène Wenger. Photograph: Pa Wire/PA
Chelsea were seven points clear by the second week of March after spanking Tottenham though Mourinho was still stubbornly refusing to acknowledge their title credentials. Instead he claimed the table was "false" given Manchester City boasted three games in hand. "If they win the matches, they're top of the league," he said. "They have the destiny in their own hands." With Rodgers also distancing Liverpool from contention, Wenger suggested innocuously that those who refused to acknowledge they were in the race did so because they "feared to fail", and something snapped. Mourinho's riposte was withering, his put-down of the Frenchman brutal as if he had been waiting for his moment to pounce. "He is a specialist in failure, I'm not. So supposing Wenger's right and I'm afraid of failure, it's because I don't fail many times. I'm not used to failing. But the reality is he's a specialist because, eight years without a piece of silverware, that's failure. If I did that in Chelsea I'd leave London and not come back." DF In the summer the Portuguese had insisted his once fractious relationship with Wenger had been healed after the infamous "voyeur" comments from 2005. Now it seemed wrecked forever.
26) Pellegrini loses his cool …
City's 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in February precipitated their poorest run of the season with only three of the next seven matches in all competitions won. Their bad patch included a 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League last-16 that forced an uncharacteristic Pellegrini outburst about the referee, Jonas Eriksson. "I felt the referee was not impartial to both teams. So he decided the game," the Chilean said, before claiming Swedish officials should not be handed such high-profile European encounters, earning him a two-match touchline ban. City lost the return leg 2-0, with Lionel Messi being Barça's arch-orchestrator, and were knocked out of the competition. JJ
27) … and he's not the only one
The Happy One cried conspiracy after Chelsea's 14-match unbeaten league run was curtailed in March by Aston Villa, the referee Chris Foy's display becoming Mourinho's "ghost goal" reference point for the rest of the season. Willian was harshly sent off, Matic had a goal disallowed, and Ramires saw red for a horrible tackle. Mourinho blamed that rush of blood on the official's display and, having re-entered the playing area to remonstrate, was sent to the stands. Again. "I have complete trust in English referees, but it's obvious there's a measure for some and a measure for me," he said. "That's obvious." He was fined £8,000 by the FA, with grumpiness setting in. DF
28) But it's Wenger who hits rock bottom
There was something unnerving about the fact Wenger's 1,000th match as Arsenal manager fell on the day his team visited Chelsea and his managerial nemesis Mourinho at the end of the month. The big build-up, the kind words uttered by so many of his old footballing friends and foes (but not, of course, you know who), all created a backdrop which set Wenger up for a monumental fail. Of all the days for Arsenal to be catastrophic. Probably the biggest indictment of their weakness was that Chelsea did not have to hit top gear to beat them by such a gaping margin, 6-0. Exposed by an unforgivable performance, teased by the Stamford Bridge fans who borrowed Mourinho's "specialist in failure" jibe, Wenger was a picture of devastation: "It was a nightmare and I take full responsibility for it." With his contract ticking down, the future looked bleak. AL
29) It'll all end in tears
John Terry after scoring an own goal against Crystal Palace.
John Terry after scoring an own goal against Crystal Palace. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images
All the splendour of that win over Arsenal was surrendered by Chelsea a week later with a first league loss at Crystal Palace since 1990. John Terry's own goal settled the derby, Gary Cahill leaving the pitch in tears and his manager claiming his attacking players lacked "balls". All those misgivings poured out with suggestions of a summer cull of his strikers who, up to then, had contributed two league goals away from home. "Now we have lost any chance of finishing first," he said. "We depend too much on other results. Mr Foy's weekend was important, but today we threw away three points." DF
30) At least Arsenal have a chance of silverware at last
Ramsey's return after almost four months out with the thigh problem was the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes during the final two months of the season. (Wenger insists an overview of their injury list is pencilled in for the close season, incidentally.) The difference he makes was instantly palpable. His return was one of few bright spots in a jittery display in the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan, and a string of league wins, while Everton dipped, secured fourth before the traditional last-day scramble. Wenger could prepare for the FA Cup final against Hull with relative calm. AL
31) Omens suggest Liverpool are on course for glory
Liverpool v Man City
Liverpool complete a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
Frenzied welcoming committees along Anfield Road were now the norm for the Liverpool team coach and first place had been taken in the home game against Tottenham on 30 March. It was against Spurs in 1963-64 that Liverpool went top en route to winning their first league title under Bill Shankly and, with Suárez and Sturridge the first pair to score 20 league goals or more in a season since Ian St John and Roger Hunt 50 years earlier, the parallels with the rise under Rodgers were striking. The City fixture on 13 April had the air of a title decider. At a raucous, emotional Anfield two days before the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool survived a David Silva-inspired City comeback to win 3-2 thanks to a Vincent Kompany error and Rodgers rekindled memories of Brian Kidd and Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 1993 by bounding on to the pitch in celebration. Gerrard, tears in his eyes, gathered his team-mates into a huddle and demanded "no slip-ups". AH
32) Two points lost or one gained for City?
Sunderland's 2-2 draw at the Etihad three days later came as another shock and put City six behind Liverpool with only a game in hand. It felt like the death knell of their challenge. Yet in retrospect, Samir Nasri's 88th-minute equaliser was crucial. Given Gus Poyet's men went on to hand Mourinho a first home league loss as Chelsea manager (more below), before picking up wins against Cardiff and Manchester United, the result actually proved a point well earned rather than two dropped with Pellegrini posing that "maybe with that point we win the title". JJ
33) Mourinho's bandwagon comes to a halt
There had been close squeaks before, most notably against West Brom in November, but Mourinho's Chelsea finally succumbed in a home league match. Fabio Borini, another Liverpool loanee, converted a late penalty for bottom-of-the-table Sunderland with the assistant coach, Rui Faria, banned for six matches for taking his frustration out on the officials. Ramires was suspended for flinging an arm at Seb Larsson and Mourinho, who had shied away from the media for a fortnight, "praised" the performances of the referee Mike Dean and his superior Mike Riley to earn a third FA improper conduct charge for sarcasm. Chelsea were losing track of the number of disciplinary procedures still ongoing. DF
34) But then he parks two buses at Anfield
Liverpool v Chelsea - Premier League
Steven Gerrard reflects on the mistake against Chelsea. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
27 April. With a Shakespearean twist, Gerrard slipped to present Demba Ba with the critical opening goal for Chelsea and suddenly, unexpectedly, Liverpool were no longer in control of the destiny of the title. Ba's goal came in time added on at the end of the first half for Chelsea's time-wasting tactics. Willian added a second in time added on for Chelsea's time-wasting tactics at the end of the contest. Mourinho had set Liverpool a defensive trap and Rodgers's team, who needed to avoid defeat to keep the title in their grasp, walked headlong into it. The Liverpool manager was condescending towards Mourinho's tactics in the heat of the moment, claiming: "It's not difficult to coach just getting 10 players right on your 18-yard box," and said Chelsea had provided ideal preparation for the following week's visit to Crystal Palace. Rodgers later called Mourinho to congratulate him on a job well done. Palace's manager Tony Pulis, however, would not forget. AH
35) Season fizzles out at the Bridge
Despite denting Liverpool's dreams, Fortress Stamford Bridge was suddenly becoming easily breached and three days later Atlético Madrid inflicted Mourinho's heaviest home defeat to knock the hosts out of the Champions League semi-finals. The manager picked César Azpilicueta in midfield but, infuriated by suggestions that his tactics were overly defensive, expressed dissatisfaction with Eden Hazard's slackness for the visitors' first goal, claiming the Belgian is "not the kind of player to sacrifice himself 100% for the team". That reflected a level of discontent within the camp and, after Hazard had picked up the supporters' player of the year award, a wasteful goalless draw with Norwich confirmed the season had fizzled out. DF
36) As City seize the moment
Edin Dzeko celebrates after scoring the second goal for Manchester City
Edin Dzeko celebrates after scoring the second goal for Manchester City. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Here was the big examination of City's intestinal fortitude: could they record only a second victory at Everton since 1992? Do so and with only Aston Villa and West Ham remaining, their billing as favourites would be firmed up. Saturday's late kick-off proved a nervy affair in which Ross Barkley's stunning 25-yard opener gave Everton the lead, before an Agüero equaliser and two Edin Dzeko goals had City coasting. Yet when Lukaku cut the deficit past the hour, questions were posed about the visitors' resilience. Twenty-five minutes later City had held on and the championship was now, certainly, theirs to lose. JJ
37) Rodgers rumbled at Selhurst Park
A crying Luis Suarez just after the final whistle during the Crystal Palace versus Liverpool
A crying Luis Suárez just after the final whistle during the Crystal Palace versus Liverpool. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
5 May. By the 79th minute at Selhurst Park Manchester City were fretting as Liverpool, three goals to the good and chasing more, hunted down their superior goal difference against Crystal Palace. By the 88th City were in ecstasy and Liverpool plunged into the deepest despair as Pulis's team came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3. All season Liverpool's attacking prowess had compensated for their weakness at the back but it caught up with them in nine jaw-dropping minutes. Defensive organisation and composure evaporated, Victor Moses, a former Palace player on loan at Liverpool from Chelsea, missed a gilt‑edged chance to snatch victory in the final seconds and Rodgers criticised his players for "thinking we could play Roy of the Rovers football" when it was attacking flair that had carried the team so far in the first place. The Liverpool manager, under scrutiny for making offensive substitutions and leaving Agger on the bench as Palace rallied, conceded the title to City. In the away section at Selhurst Park, grown men cried while, on the pitch, Suárez covers his head with his shirt but cannot disguise the sobbing underneath. His season's outstanding endeavour decimated in nine minutes. They think it's all over. AH
38) It is now?
Thanks to Palace's surreal comeback, City went into their penultimate game two days later against Aston Villa knowing that four points from those final two games would clinch the title. For an hour City's players, and their nervy fans, toiled until Dzeko broke the deadlock, before his team-mates broke the dam. City prevailed 4-0 and secured their 100th goal of the campaign. The win also took them top – the 25th time the lead has changed hands this season – and with their superior goal difference, a point at home to West Ham United on Sunday will be enough to secure the League crown. But could there yet be another twist in one of the most topsy-turvy title races ever seen? Don't count against it. JJ
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