EPL Gameweek 26 Review: Liverpool Move Further Clear in Title Race

We review the pick of the action from Gameweek 26 of the English Premier League as Liverpool inched ever closer to a 20^th English title. 

Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool: Reds on Brink of Second Title

The main talking point of the weekend undoubtedly came at the Etihad Stadium, where the EPL title seemingly passed from champions to champions-elect.

Manchester City’s struggles have been well-documented this season and having exited the Champions League rather tamely at Real Madrid in midweek, they were no match for a Liverpool side who showed their title credentials and then some. 

Arne Slot inherited a side who had won just once in their 15 previous visits to the Etihad, though they quickly took control here, with first-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai ensuring they recorded a statement victory.   

With Arsenal losing at home to West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool now sit 11 points clear at the top of the EPL, with just 11 games left to play. Arsenal (9.75) do have a game in hand on the leaders, but the Reds are now considered near-certainties at 1.05 with Betway to win a 20^th English league title (and their second in the EPL era). 

Should Liverpool pull it off, they would draw level with Manchester United as the most successful team in England, showing how the power is slowly shifting from Greater Manchester and back over to Merseyside. 

It certainly feels like Pep Guardiola has a huge rebuilding task on his hands should he have the hunger to do so next season, with only the FA Cup left as feasible silverware this term. That competition has rather opened up, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all out. 

City have been drawn at home to Liverpool’s conquerors Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, and bearing in mind they are the 2.75 favourites to lift the trophy at Wembley, you would be forgiven for feeling they may be distracted away at Tottenham on Wednesday evening. Spurs have won their last three in the EPL and could offer value at 3.25 to pull off a small upset.

Newcastle 4-3 Nottingham Forest: Magpies Continue Stunning Campaign 

The warm-up act for Sunday’s title clash at the Etihad came between two sides with Champions League aspirations, as Newcastle hosted high-flying Nottingham Forest. 

The Magpies were comfortably beaten away at Manchester City last week, but this was much more like it from Eddie Howe’s men, who hit the net four times in the first 34 minutes. It proved too much for high-flying Forest, whose second-half fightback was too little too late. 

It’s slowly becoming a season to remember for Newcastle, who, despite a rather slow start, now find themselves level on points with fourth-placed Manchester City. They are 2.87 to return to Champions League football with YesPlay by finishing in the top four, while there is also the small matter of a Carabao Cup Final with Liverpool on the horizon. 

Newcastle is 4.80 underdogs with YesPlay to win in 90 minutes at Wembley, meaning they would be forgiven for keeping a laser focus on the top four. However, it’s been 70 long years since they last got their hands on a trophy, meaning Howe will have to manage fans’ expectations between now and then. That may prove tough, with a trip to Liverpool up next in midweek.

Meanwhile, Forest started the month by putting seven goals past fellow European challengers Brighton, but they suddenly find themselves with work to do having lost three of their last four EPL games. 

They are still in a good position as far as the Champions League is concerned, but the chasing pack is gaining, with Forest now just four points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth. It’s highly likely that a top-five finish will be enough for UCL football but the fact Nuno’s men are now trading at 3.10 with YesPlay for a top-four spot shows how precarious their position is. 

With Arsenal next Wednesday evening, it feels like a big moment for this season’s surprise package, who are 3.90 underdogs to put another dent in the Gunners’ title aspirations.

Bournemouth 0-1 Wolves: Promoted Trio in Huge Trouble

It has been a stuttering campaign so far for Wolverhampton Wanderers, but they are finally getting into gear after a slow start, picking up just their third away win of the season at Bournemouth.  

Relegation to the Championship has been a genuine fear for Wolves, but those worries were eased here, defeating a Bournemouth side who have lost just once since November 23. It was an impressive performance, albeit against 10 men for over an hour, and one that gave them some breathing space above the drop zone. 

This victory for Wolves makes for grim reading for the bottom three, with Ipswich and Leicester five points behind Wanderers and Southampton a long way adrift. The SportingBet markets have reacted accordingly, with Wolves now out to 8.00 to suffer the drop, while Ipswich (1.06), Leicester (1.03) and Southampton (1.001) all appear doomed. 

Both Manchester United (26.00) and West Ham (26.00) are 13 points clear and should be safe, while Manchester City’s involvement in the market (13.00) relates to their 115 charges around alleged FFP breaches.

Last season was the first time since 1998 that all three promoted sides were relegated straight back to the second tier, setting alarm bells ringing that the EPL could become a closed shop. It could just be a statistical freak, of course, though the financial gulf between the EPL and the EFL Championship feels bigger than it has ever been. 

Meanwhile, Bournemouth remain in an excellent position in fifth, which ought to carry with it UCL football - though they are out to 6.50 with SportingBet to record a top-four finish. European football still feels highly achievable, however, and they are odds-on at 1.90 to finish in the top six. 

They also remain in the FA Cup, for which they are one of the favourites to win the first piece of major silverware in their history (8.00).