bwin Sportsblog - Football - Spurs aiming to lay down title marker

Just a few short weeks ago, some pundits were suggesting that Manchester City winning the Premier League title was a formality as the Citizens continued to effortlessly swat aside all comers.

 

And while Roberto Mancini’s men enjoyed a 3-0 home win over Liverpool last time out, five points dropped in visits to West Brom (0-0 draw) and Sunderland (1-0 defeat) over the festive period has made things much more interesting at the top of the table.

 

With Manchester United also suffering back-to-back defeats at home to Blackburn and against Newcastle at the Sports Direct Arena, Tottenham are suddenly threatening to make it a three-horse race for the trophy.

 

Spurs defeated Everton 2-0 at White Hart Lane in midweek to move alongside United on 45 points and look well placed to add to their tally when struggling Wolves visit north London.

 

And with the Red Devils having a favourable home clash with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, there is the remarkable possibility that all three title contenders could be locked together at the top by the time City kick off at Wigan on Monday evening.

 

Chelsea moved into the final Champions League qualification spot in the last round of matches two weeks ago as Frank Lampard’s late strike gave them a 2-1 win over Wolves at Molineux.

 

The Blues cashed in on Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham to move a point clear of the Gunners ahead of their clash with in-form Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

 

Arsene Wenger’s men, boosted by the goalscoring return of the legendary Thierry Henry against Leeds in the FA Cup, face a tricky trip to Swansea, while sixth-placed Liverpool welcome Stoke City.

 

Elsewhere, there will be plenty of interest in QPR’s visit to Newcastle this weekend after the R’s brought in Mark Hughes to replace Neil Warnock, who was sacked by owner Tony Fernandes this week.