EPL Gameweek 31 Review: Manchester City Lose Ground

The race for Europe is starting to hit top gear, with everyone down to Fulham (eighth) and Brighton (ninth) still harbouring hopes of Champions League football for next season. 

Liverpool and Arsenal are almost certainly taking a seat at the continent’s top table next year, whilst Nottingham Forest are set for a remarkable return after 40 years away. But with five English teams looking likely to earn a place, we look at how this weekend’s results impacted the race for Champions League football.

Leicester City 0-3 Newcastle United: Murphy Double Fires the Toon into Champions League Spots 

Newcastle’s dominant performance at the King Power Stadium climbs them into fifth at the expense of Manchester City, currently taking the final spot in next season’s Champions League.

Jacob Murphy tapped home an early first before being the first to react to Fabian Schar’s effort, which struck the bar from his own half. From Champions League possibility to Championship certainty, the Foxes move a step closer to returning to England’s second division and their night was made even worse when former Leicester winger Harvey Barnes was on target to score Newcastle’s third. 

Three points for Eddie Howe’s side move them up into fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. With a game in hand on the rest of the league, the Toon can move four points clear of the chasing pack if they can beat Crystal Palace at St James’ Park, a fixture they won 4-0 last season. 

Despite having all the cards in their hands and riding the high of winning the Carabao Cup, bet.co.za prices Newcastle’s chances of a top-four finish at 1.95. That said, the bookies show that a top-six finish is a certainty with odds of 1.08.

As for Leicester, the Monday night loss leaves them 15 points away from safety. The most dramatic of survival attempts is still possible, but Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s men are ever closer to a return to the Championship. 

Southampton became the first team to be confirmed as relegated, breaking the record for the fastest team ever to do so, but if the Foxes fail to pick up points in any of their next three meetings against Brighton, Liverpool or Wolves, they will soon be joining them. Unsurprisingly, the bookies host odds of 1.01 for the 2016 EPL champions to go straight back down. 

Leicester City 0-3 Newcastle United: Murphy Double Fires the Toon into Champions League Spots 

Newcastle’s dominant performance at the King Power Stadium climbs them into fifth at the expense of Manchester City, currently taking the final spot in next season’s Champions League.

Jacob Murphy tapped home an early first before being the first to react to Fabian Schar’s effort, which struck the bar from his own half. From Champions League possibility to Championship certainty, the Foxes move a step closer to returning to England’s second division and their night was made even worse when former Leicester winger Harvey Barnes was on target to score Newcastle’s third. 

Three points for Eddie Howe’s side move them up into fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. With a game in hand on the rest of the league, the Toon can move four points clear of the chasing pack if they can beat Crystal Palace at St James’ Park, a fixture they won 4-0 last season. 

Despite having all the cards in their hands and riding the high of winning the Carabao Cup, bet.co.za prices Newcastle’s chances of a top-four finish at 1.95. That said, the bookies show that a top-six finish is a certainty with odds of 1.08.

As for Leicester, the Monday night loss leaves them 15 points away from safety. The most dramatic of survival attempts is still possible, but Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s men are ever closer to a return to the Championship. 

Southampton became the first team to be confirmed as relegated, breaking the record for the fastest team ever to do so, but if the Foxes fail to pick up points in any of their next three meetings against Brighton, Liverpool or Wolves, they will soon be joining them. Unsurprisingly, the bookies host odds of 1.01 for the 2016 EPL champions to go straight back down.