The Premier League took an interesting twist this weekend. On Saturday, first place Chelsea was ousted by Aston Villa by the score of 1-0. Manchester City did its part by earning a win over Hull City on the road to pull within six points of first place with three games in hand.
A day later Liverpool pulled off a huge 3-0 win at the Old Trafford to reignite calls for David Moyes' head; they also put themselves four points behind Chelsea for the top spot in the league with one game in hand. Arsenal also picked up a huge 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur to put themselves four points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.
This has undoubtedly been the closest Premier League race in years and it seems that the twists and turns in this epic soap opera are as unpredictable as they get. Chelsea has been solid defensively, but the team's offensive woes were on full display on Sunday with the ever-hapless Fernando Torres leading the line. When Eden Hazard is not scoring, nobody is and with 56 goals on the year, Chelsea's weakness could ultimately lead to its downfall.
Liverpool's offensive is potent and continues to overpower other sides. The 3-0 scoreline is a bit misleading as two of the tallies came off penalties; however, the fact that the team had those two chances shows just how overpowering Liverpool could be in the offensive half. The defense has improved mightily this season and there is a real chance that this club could win the title. Liverpool has home games against Chelsea and Manchester City in the final weeks of the season; the team has a record of 12 wins, one draw and one loss at home with 42 goals scored and only 12 conceded.
Arsenal was once the top side in the league but has tapered off after a series of poor defensive efforts. The loss of Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil will surely cripple the title hopes further, but the Gunners are very much in the battle for first place and helped their cause with a solid 1-0 win on the road at White Hart Lane. Arsenal has a relatively light schedule the rest of the way but will have to visit Chelsea next weekend and will also host Manchester City a few weeks later. Both games are winnable at this stage and Arsenal must gain some points from both matchups in order to maintain its place atop the table. A loss in one or both of these games will essentially spell the end for the Gunners.
Manchester City has three games in hand on Chelsea and could easily end up with the top slot in the league if it makes up those three games with wins. City plays the three teams ahead of it and a win in each (or even a draw or two) would only add to its title hopes. Of all the sides in contention, Manchester City remains the most dangerous one and the most likely to walk away with the Premier League title.
Which side is the top Premier League Contender with nine weeks to go?