PREMIER LEAGUE
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WAYNE ROONEY scored twice at the weekend as Manchester United beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to return to the top of the Premier League for the first time since the start of October.
Rooney's brace meant it was already looking like a good day for the Red Devils - but it got even better when news filtered through of Luke Moore's late winner for Swansea City against Manchester City.
A cry of 'Campeones' began to ring around Old Trafford, and with good reason. The defending champions are now one point clear of their city rivals with 10 games left.
It is customary for Sir Alex Ferguson's men to play at their best in the second part of the season and so it is proving again with Manchester United having taken 22 points from their last 24 since successive defeats in January.
Meanwhile, Manchester City's home form remains exemplary - in fact, in the league, it is still perfect with 14 wins out of 14. But, on the road, Roberto Mancini's men have taken just eight points from their last eight, and scored only four goals in that time.
Manchester City can console themselves with the fact that they still have Manchester United to play at the Etihad fortress on Monday 30th April.
However, in the six weeks between now and that contest, the fixtures favour the Red Devils with them playing five of current the bottom six.
It could well be, then, that Manchester United head across the city at the end of April more than three points clear, especially if their opponent's away form remains as shaky as it has been.
Of course, if that was the case, it would not matter even if Manchester City repeated their 6-1 thrashing from earlier in the season... Manchester United would still be top and favourites.
Champions League places
While the title will certainly go to one of the Manchester clubs, the remaining Champions League spots will be fought over by a trio of London clubs - Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Harry Redknapp's Spurs have held third place since November and it was not so long ago that they were being touted as challengers to the Manchester pair.
But an extraordinary 5-2 defeat to Arsenal, having been 2-0 up, precipitated further losses at Manchester United (1-3) and Everton (0-1).
That sequence has allowed the Gunners - in by far their best form of the season - to catch up to within a point of their North London rivals.
Indeed, Thomas Vermaelen's late, late winner on Monday against Newcastle United made it five wins out of five for Arsene Wenger's men.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, in fifth, cannot be discounted as they sit just three points behind Arsenal and four behind Spurs.
That is despite yet more upheaval at the Stamford Bridge club as Roman Abramovich dispensed of the services of 34-year-old Andre Villas-Boas following a 1-0 defeat to West Brom at the Hawthorns.
Villas-Boas' exit was no surprise really - that was the Blues' eighth league defeat - and his replacement until the end of the season, Roberto di Matteo, has steadied the ship somewhat with successive wins in league and cup.
Whatever happens, though, this ageing Chelsea side still requires a major overhaul and the next permanent manager must be given time in which to do it.
Europa League places
The third race in the top half of the Premier League is headed by Newcastle with the Magpies chasing a return to Europe for the first time since 2006/07.
Alan Pardew's men have not been outside the top seven all season but their form has taken a worrying dip with the finishing line in sight.
Only two points have come from the last four games, although one of them was in a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in a feisty Tyne-Wear derby at St James Park.
Shola Ameobi proved to be the Geordie hero once again as he struck his seventh derby goal in the 93rd minute to deny the Wearsiders what would have been only a fourth Premier League win over Newcastle.
Nicklas Bendtner had given Martin O'Neill's side a first half lead with a penalty but Stephane Sessegnon's second half dismissal for an elbow changed the game.
Sunderland were forced to hang on gamely and Demba Ba looked as if he had blown it for Newcastle, missing from the spot, until Ameobi's late intervention.
Even then, there was still time for Black Cats' captain Lee Cattermole to get sent off for foul and abusive language.
The result left Sunderland with plenty to do if they are to finish above Newcastle though they began their task by beating Liverpool 1-0 at the Stadium of Light thanks to another Bendtner goal.
That was a third successive league defeat for Liverpool, who are already in Europe courtesy of their Carling Cup win and are now sandwiched between the north east pair in seventh.
But the Reds soon made amends as Steven Gerrard scored a hat-trick in an easy 3-0 win in their derby against Everton, for whom David Moyes was celebrating 10 years in charge.
Moyes had never won at Anfield in all that time and the Toffees became unstuck there again last night - and, with defeat, their nine match unbeaten run came to an end.
Relegation battle
For quite some time now, it has been a case of any three teams from five as Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers all battle to avoid the drop.
Blackburn and Bolton both enjoyed last weekend as they recorded wins over QPR and Wolves to lift themselves clear of the bottom three.
Rovers are on 25 points and the Trotters are on 23, a point ahead of QPR and Wolves in the bottom three. Wigan prop up the table on 21 points, having won just once in the league since mid-December, and once at home all season back in August.
The Latics, then, looked most likely to go down and, despite the tightness of the league above them, it is hard at the moment not to look past the other two current occupants.
Wolves have had a tumultuous month having sacked Mick McCarthy following a 5-1 home defeat in the derby to West Brom.
And then, after a farcical failure to bring in a permanent manager, caretaker Terry Connor was asked to take charge until the end of the season.
Connor began well enough, as his side rescued a 2-2 draw at St James Park against Newcastle having been 2-0 down at half time.
But that result was followed by another collapse - a 5-0 defeat at Fulham - before an insipid display in the 2-0 home loss to Blackburn.
Similarly, QPR failed to perform against Bolton, meaning it is now only one point from 15 for new manager Mark Hughes.
Worse for Rangers is the fact that only three of their remaining 10 fixtures are against sides in the bottom half - and, even then, none of them is against a fellow relegation candidate.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP
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READING moved into second place in the Championship last night but their 1-1 draw at struggling Doncaster prevented the Royals from recording a ninth successive league win.
Meanwhile, Southampton are still top of the pile having recovered from a slight slump in New Year to go unbeaten in nine matches since the end of January.
The Saints are two points clear of Reading as they seek a second consecutive promotion while West Ham United continue to threaten despite dropping to third after four home draws in a row.
Manager Sam Allardyce knows the Hammers will have to sort out their form at the Boleyn Ground to ensure a top two position.
But impressive away victories at Blackpool (4-1) and Cardiff City (2-0) have kept the Londoners in touch, just three points off the top with a game in hand.
Below the three leaders, just three points separates Middlesbrough in fourth and Blackpool in ninth.
Brighton & Hove Albion, in fifth, remain unbeaten in the league in 2012 after a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth on Saturday.
It is a run which has now lasted 12 matches and it stands Gus Poyet's side in good stead for the second half of the season.
Sixth-placed Hull City also have a long unbeaten league run, currently of 10 games, but five draws from their last six has meant the Tigers have been unable to create a gap.
Indeed, Cardiff - in seventh - are on 57 points alongside Hull, though having played a game more and suffered from inconsistent form either side of their Carling Cup Final defeat to Liverpool.
Birmingham City, on 56 points, are still well in contention but they are another team who are on the slide. Chris Hughton's men had done brilliantly to go unbeaten for 11 games either side of Christmas, lifting themselves from 15th to third.
But there are signs that the Europa League run and subsequent games-in-hand catch-up has taken its toll on the Blues who have just two points from their last four games.
Blackpool, also on 56 points, are also in a threatening position just off the playoffs - but they, too, have had an awkward recent run with just four points coming from their last five games.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth can only dream of a Premier League return as another 10-point deduction for going into administration has left them rooted to the bottom.
Whereas previously performances and results were solidly mid-table, Pompey have won just once in their last 11 games, and are eight points adrift of safety.
Second-bottom Coventry City are four points adrift but improved home form - five wins and two draws from the last eight at the Ricoh - has given the Sky Blues hope of avoiding a return to the third flight for the first time since 1963/64.
But City's improvements at home are undermined by truly awful away form - they have lost their last 10 league games, and are yet to win on the road this season.
Doncaster Rovers complete the current bottom three but the south Yorkshire side are showing some fight having gone unbeaten for five games now - the problem is that four of those have been 1-1 draws.
That means Donny are still three points adrift of the safety mark themselves, though fourth-bottom Bristol City are not moving anywhere fast.
Despite a double this season over leaders Southampton, the Robins' recent results have seen them take just four points from their last nine league games.
There is no doubt, on that form, that they will continue to look over their shoulders until the season ends on the last weekend in April.
By then, Nottingham Forest will hope to be safe but, despite having hauled themselves out of the bottom three with successive wins over Birmingham and Coventry, subsequent defeats to Doncaster and Derby County leave the twice-European Cup winners still in danger.
The defeat to Derby was particularly hard to bear coming as a result of a Jake Buxton goal after five of the 10 minutes of stoppage time.
It looked as if ten-man Forest had held out but, thanks to Buxton, the Rams duly completed a league double over their East Midlands rivals for the first time since their league title-winning season of 1971/72.
LEAGUE ONE
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CHARLTON ATHLETIC have taken two weeks off, losing successive home games to Colchester United and Notts County, but the Addicks still enjoy a handsome lead at the top of League One.
Those were only the third and fourth league defeats of the season for Chris Powell's men who remain nine points clear of second-placed Sheffield United and 11 clear of Sheffield Wednesday in third.
The Steel City pair look set to scrap it out for the one remaining place and it is the Owls who are in better form, despite Milan Mandaric replacing Gary Megson with Dave Jones in the managerial hot-seat.
Bizarrely, Megson had signed off with a 1-0 victory in the Steel City derby but, since then, Wednesday have continued their good form under new boss Jones with easy wins over Bury (4-1) and Bournemouth (3-0) at Hillsborough.
The Blades, though, have been blunted by the derby loss with further losses to Walsall and Oldham Athletic, and a 1-1 draw at Colchester, meaning Danny Wilson's side only has a narrow advantage for the run-in.
A third Yorkshire club may yet feature in the automatic promotion race but, despite dispensing of the services of Lee Clark for too many draws, the curse of the stalemate has continued for the west Yorkshire club.
The 2-2 home draw against bottom-of-table Rochdale was Huddersfield's third in four matches, and 16th in the league this season.
So, though they have featured on the fringes of the promotion battle, it is more likely that the Terriers will have to contest the playoffs again alongside Milton Keynes, solidly in fifth place, and a yet-to-be-established sixth-placed team.
Notts County currently occupy sixth, having taken 16 points out of their last 18, but the Magpies are only a point ahead of Carlisle United and two clear of Stevenage.
Both the Cumbrians and Boro have two games in hand, one of which is against each other on 17 April, and could yet decide the final playoff place.
At the bottom, Rochdale have struggled to live up to expectations after last season's ninth-placed finish, and they currently prop up the division, six points from safety.
Second-bottom Chesterfield are just one point better off on 32 points while Wycombe Wanderers and Exeter City are on 33 and 34, respectively.
It is tight, then, among the bottom four but they could all end up going down unless they can reel a few teams into the relegation scrap. Only Walsall, on 37 points and with a better goal difference, are within immediate sight at the moment.
LEAGUE TWO
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PAULO DI CANIO looks set to begin his managerial career in style by leading Swindon Town out of League Two.
The Robins are seven points clear at the top of the basement division, having won 12 of their last 13 league games. Typically, their only black-mark came in the derby against Oxford United, who completed a highly satisfying double.
Swindon should have the last laugh, though, once the Wiltshire club secure automatic promotion and probably the championship while Oxford struggle on in the playoffs.
Behind Swindon, the other automatic promotion places remain up for grabs with Torquay United, on 66 points, and Shrewsbury Town, on 65 points, in pole position.
Both Southend United and Cheltenham Town are on 64 points in hot pursuit but big-spending Crawley Town's promotion push has faltered.
The Red Devils are some way behind on 59 points, and have just two wins in the league since mid-December, though they do have a game in hand or two after a prolonged FA Cup run.
It seems likely, though, that sixth-placed Crawley could be stuck in the playoffs alongside seventh-placed Oxford, though only if the latter holds off the challenge of inconsistent Gillingham and ever-improving Crewe Alexandra.
Crewe began the season with four straight defeats and were bottom of the league in August.
But, while the Railwaymen may have got themselves out of trouble by the autumn, it has been a long season for the likes of Dagenham & Redbridge and Plymouth Argyle.
Dagenham, who were in League One last season, could suffer successive demotions, mainly as a result of a wretched run between September and December which saw them pick up just one win and three points in 15 games.
Plymouth's problems are well-documented but, having done well to lift themselves out the drop zone, a recent run of just one win in five has left the Pilgrims in danger of a third relegation on the bounce.
However, all hope is not lost for Carl Fletcher's side - or, indeed, for the Daggers.
For, while Dagenham & Redbridge only have 31 points and Plymouth have just 32, Macclesfield Town and Hereford United remain vulnerable on 35 apiece.
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