Seven points. With a game in hand. That is all that separates Arsenal from Manchester United this morning, as the Red Devils sit atop the Premier League table with six games to play despite consistent showings of incredible ineptitude that have gone unpunished on the road.
Seven points, having played a game more, is by no means an unassailable lead, even at this stage. Question marks arise, however, when Arsene Wenger’s side are asked to come up with the two wins and a draw required to bridge that divide, even if United were to drop points on their next two outings. The question is “Where are the wins coming from?” And the answer may well, in fact, be “Chelsea”.
The Champions’ title odds dropped to just 9-1 with the gap nine points following last night’s result at St James’s Park, where Manchester United temporarily increased their advantage over their only two realistic Championship rivals after a steady stalemate on the Tyne. Arsenal travel to Tottenham tonight in what will be a fiercely contested North London derby, whereas Chelsea host Birmingham City as they warm up for back-to-back derbies of their own against West Ham and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on successive Saturdays.
An Arsenal victory at White Hart Lane would really set the cat amongst the pigeons, as they would sit just four points back on the league leaders with the top two clashing on Arsenal’s patch in eleven days’ time. But their trip to Bolton in between could prove pivotal as the pendulum threatens to swing again – this time indefinitely, while three consecutive home games present the West Londoners with an opportunity that seemed to have long passed.
Alex Ferguson’s side still has to face both fellow contenders at the start of next month and, if they were to suffer a reversal in either of those matches, especially amid the aftermath of that damaging defeat to their bitter local rivals at Wembley, one or the other could conceivably pounce. A draw at the Emirates next weekend would hand the Blues the chance to go within three points of the pace setters ahead of what would then be a colossal contest at Old Trafford, setting the terms for the final two fixtures of the run-in to what has already been a hugely unpredictable campaign.
Both London teams are solely focused on the league, as opposed to United’s dual purposes at home and abroad. Arsenal are currently best placed to reap the rewards of this deficit of distraction. But, whereas Chelsea have been erratic all season but always look capable of putting together a sequence of results if and when they smell blood, the Gunners’ form has been consistently below par of late with recent displays indicating a lack of stomach for the fight that has no place when the chips are down.
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