Old Trafford has virtually been a story of joy, fun and thrill as far as Manchester United are concerned this season. I mean, what else can make them happy when they have collected 52 points from an available 54 over there at the Theatre of Dreams.
And to be frank, their home form has been so impressive that it even kept United's title dream alive all season long considering how poor they have been away from home. Five wins in 17 matches hardly justifies any positive side of their form away from Old Trafford in the Premier League this season.
But hello, United are leading the pack with only a mere five games to go before the season draws it's conclusion. How better can that be when you think of how inconsistent they have been while playing in away games.
Nevertheless, things doesn't seem quite as easy as it looks on the league table. Arsenal and United's slip up in midweek allowed Chelsea to easily cruise past Birmingham and establish themselves as challengers again. And now the fixture proves how valuable can goals actually be when it comes to deciding the league champions.
League Table And Remaining Five Fixtures For Manchester United, Chelsea And Arsenal.
| Pos | Name | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|
1
|
|
33 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 28 | 23 | +38 | 70 |
|
2
|
|
33 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 17 | +34 | 64 |
|
3
|
|
33 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 31 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 21 | +32 | 64 |
The midweek slip-ups have now allowed Chelsea to come back into contention of defending their league title after seemingly losing touch with the leaders about a month ago or so. The Blues now find themselves with similar points as Arsenal although Ancelotti's men take second spot due to their better goal difference. Now let's have a look at the remaining fixtures for all three sides.
MANCHESTER UNITED: LAST FIVE REMAINING FIXTURES
April 23rd: Manchester United Vs Everton
May 1st: Arsenal Vs Manchester United
May 8th: Manchester United Vs Chelsea
May 14th: Blackburn Vs Manchester United
May 22nd: Manchester United Vs Blackpool
CHELSEA : LAST FIVE REMAINING FIXTURES
April 23rd: Chelsea Vs West Ham United
April 30th: Chelsea Vs Tottenham Hotspur
May 8th: Manchester United Vs Chelsea
May 15th: Chelsea Vs Newcastle
May 22nd: Everton Vs Chelsea
ARSENAL : LAST FIVE REMAINING FIXTURES
April 24th: Bolton Wanderers Vs Arsenal
May 1st: Arsenal Vs Manchester United
May 8th: Stoke City Vs Arsenal
May 15th: Arsenal Vs Aston Villa
May 22nd: Fulham Vs Arsenal
Manchester United And Why They Have To Score More Goals
The above information provides us with some real insight into the possible things that could happen in the race for the Premier League title. Arsenal apparently have the easiest of run ins with their only 'powerhouse' encounter coming against Manchester United at home. Meanwhile, Chelsea arguably have the most difficult run-ins especially with matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Everton on the final day of the season.
When it comes to Manchester United, the fixture list might look favorable to them but in reality, there are many possible twist and turns to it. Sir Alex's men have to face Arsenal at the Emirates before than returning to Old Trafford to host Chelsea. These two matches could basically determine the title race for the English Premier League.
If Manchester United lose both their matches to Arsenal and Chelsea, all of them will be equal on points- provided Chelsea and Arsenal both win all their other remaining fixtures as well. When this situation pops up, then only goal difference will be the deciding factor in determining the Premier League champion.
The Red Devils currently have the best goal difference among those three with 38 while Chelsea and Arsenal have 34 and 32 respectively. However, considering Chelsea have already scored six goals in their past two games in a resurgence of form, United will definitely have a solid reason to be worried about.
Nevertheless, Sir Alex needs to address this circumstances towards his players because the last thing they would want is to lose the title by a mere 'goal difference' factor. It's either the Devils be more clinical in front of goal or there is a possibility of them being the masters of their own downfall.
