The race for the top-four in the Premier League took an intriguing turn on matchday 32.
Tottenham took care of business with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa, which included a hat-trick performance from Son Heung-min. On the other hand, Arsenal and Manchester United failed to pick up wins on the matchday, which kept them behind Tottenham in the Premier League table.
Overall, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has taken notice of Arsenal and Manchester United's skids as of late.
“I said this before, Arsenal, United and then Wolverhampton and West Ham are with us in the same race for a place in Champions League,” Conte said following Tottenham’s league win over Aston Villa. “To know that your opponent lost their games, and for sure they have to give you the right desire, right will to get three points because in one hand you know our rivals lost the game if we lose, but we are always in the fourth place.
“A little medium team can think also this. A top, strong team think that it is the right moment to improve the distance over your rivals and exploit this situation. We did this despite the difficulty of the game. I repeat we didn't play with a team no good, we played against Aston Villa in this stadium, that is not easy for no one to win here.”
Tottenham has reeled off four straight wins in league play, with all of them coming by a two-plus goals margin. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side has dropped three of its last four league fixtures, while Manchester United remains in roller-coaster form in the second half of the campaign.
In the big picture, the job is far from finished for Tottenham, especially as it holds a mere three-point lead over an Arsenal team that does have a game in hand on the side. Conte’s Spurs squad will have plenty of key tests over the remainder of the Premier League campaign, including the North London Derby next month.
From the race for the top-four to the whirlwind relegation battle, it sure is shaping up to be a chaotic finish in England’s top flight this season.
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