Manchester City or Liverpool - who will blink first?

	Premier League - top	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester City	33	25	5	3	80	21	+59	80
2	Liverpool	33	24	7	2	85	22	+63	79
3	Chelsea	33	19	9	15	68	28	+40	66
4	Arsenal	33	19	3	11	52	40	+12	60
5	Tottenham Hotspur	33	18	4	11	56	38	+18	58
6	Manchester United	35	15	10	10	54	52	+2	55
7	West Ham United	34	15	7	12	52	44	+8	52
8	Wolverhampton W	33	15	4	14	33	29	+4	49

LIVERPOOL moved another step closer to an incredible quadruple, putting one foot firmly into the Champions League semi finals with a 2-0 home win over Villarreal on Wednesday.

The Reds have lost one of their past 27 matches in all competitions and easily dealt with the Yellow Submarine from Spain.

Of course, Jürgen Klopp's outfit already have one trophy in the bank, beating Chelsea in the EFL Cup Final in a crazy penalty shoot-out in which all 20 outfield players scored.

Liverpool stand-in goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher also converted successfully from 12 yards but Blues substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga blasted the ball high over the bar.

However, plenty still stands in the way of Liverpool achieving the rare distinction of winning four pieces of silverware in a year, with Chelsea again lying in wait in the FA Cup Final at Wembley on 14 May.

Additionally, in the Premier League, Manchester City still hold a one-point advantage - and also enjoy a lead in their own Champions League semi final after beating Real Madrid 4-3 in an amazing game at the Etihad.

In the Premier League, Pep Guardiola's men won 12 consecutive matches between November and January to storm into a 14-point lead.

However, defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur in February and a draw at Crystal Palace in March, as well as games in hand for a near-perfect Liverpool, has cut the advantage to a single point with five matches left.

Below the title race, most of the other European places appear to be heading to the capital with Chelsea and Arsenal currently occupying the other two Champions League spots.

The Blues, in third place, are comfortable on 66 points despite a recent loss of form at home - while Arsenal, excepting their shock defeat at Southampton, have climbed up to fourth with some fine recent displays.

Nearest challengers - North London rivals Tottenham - also hit a recent purple patch, scoring 21 goals in six league games.

However, Spurs then unexpectedly blanked twice against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford to fall two points behind despite holding a better goal difference.

In sixth, five points behind Arsenal, Manchester United can expect little more than a Europa League place following another chastening season at Old Trafford.

Crushed 5-0 at home to Liverpool in October, the Reds came close to matching that score in the reverse meeting at Anfield on 19 April.

Settling at 4-0, Liverpool completed a record 9-0 aggregate in the fixture for a single league season.

Now, after taking just one point from fixtures against Arsenal and Chelsea this week, the Red Devils have been left a massive 25 points behind their Manchester rivals who have also done the double over them.

Elsewhere, West Ham United have enjoyed another generally positive campaign under David Moyes, flirting with the top four before dropping now to sit seventh which is rewarded with a place in the Europa Conference League.

Their domestic decline is understandable, given the context of having reached a first European semi final since a tie in 1976 against Eintracht Frankfurt, given the prize of a Champions League spot on offer for winning the Europa League.

Firstly, though, the Hammers must overturn a 2-1 deficit against the same German opponents in the semi finals on Thursday.

On the same night, in the Europa Conference League, Leicester City need a positive result in Italy at Roma following a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes, currently in 10th, have had an underwhelming Premier League campaign so winning this new-fangled UEFA competition is now the only route to a successful season for Brendan Rodgers' side.

At the bottom, Norwich City look set for a record sixth Premier League-era top-flight relegation after their latest defeat - a 3-0 home loss to Newcastle United - left the Canaries fully 10 points adrift of safety with five matches left.

Meanwhile, Watford are only one point better off with only nine points gained from the last 63 available in a sequence stretching all the way back to November.

Unsurprisingly, the Hornets have undergone a change of manager in that time with Roy Hodgson replacing Claudio Ranieri in January after the awful 3-0 home defeat against Norwich.

However, former England failure Hodgson has made little, if any, headway at Vicarage Road - and, consequently, it would appear that there is only one relegation place remains in doubt.

Following defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, third-bottom is currently occupied by Everton, a club which was last relegated in 1951.

Perhaps their only saving grace for now is that they hold a game in hand on Burnley - and the Clarets are only two points clear.

Everton have a more difficult run-in on paper, though - and Burnley are in much better form, having taken seven points out of nine since the shock decision to turf long-serving manager Sean Dyche out of Turf Moor.

There is a third relegation candidate, only five points clear of Everton with a game more played - Leeds United.

Never too far from the scrap to rest too easily, the Whites fell deeply into trouble during a sequence of six successive defeats which spelled the end for enigmatic Argentine boss Marcelo Bielsa after a stay of nearly four years.

Replacement Jesse Marsch has had an impact already - and the Yorkshire outfit are easily in the best position of all the teams in the bottom six.

In truth, though, Leeds' fixtures look just as tough as those which remain for Everton so they are not safe yet.

Almost certainly secure, albeit not yet quite mathematically, Newcastle .have had a record-breaking turnaround after the Magpies failed to win any of their first 14 matches.

Even after the Saudi-led takeover on 7 October, progress on the pitch did not immediately pick up, but head coach Eddie Howe - who replaced the antagonistic, woeful Steve Bruce - recruited well in January.

On that note of inspiring signings, Christian Eriksen has made a huge impact at Brentford.

The Bees began their first season in the top-flight since 1946-47 in promising fashion - but looked in massive trouble after taking just one point from 24 between January and March.

Enter Eriksen. The Dane - in his first football since his horror cardiac arrest at Euro 2020+1 - has been in wonderful form since his full home debut against Burnley in March.

Brentford have won five out of their last seven to reach 40 points - and surely another season in the Premier League. 

	Premier League - bottom
15	Aston Villa	32	11	4	17	42	46	-4	37
16	Leeds United	33	8	10	15	38	68	-30	34
17	Burnley	33	6	13	14	29	45	-16	31
18	Everton	32	8	5	19	34	55	-21	29
19	Watford	33	6	4	23	31	67	-36	22
20	Norwich City	33	5	6	22	22	69	-47	21

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	Championship - top	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	Fulham	44	26	9	9	99	39	+60	87
2	Bournemouth	43	22	13	8	69	39	+30	79
3	Nottingham Forest	43	22	10	11	67	37	+30	76
4	Huddersfield Town	44	21	13	10	60	46	+14	76
5	Luton Town	44	20	12	12	62	48	+14	72
6	Sheffield United	44	19	12	13	56	44	+12	69
7	Middlesbrough	44	19	10	15	55	45	+10	67
8	Blackburn Rovers	44	18	12	14	57	46	+11	66

ALREADY-PROMOTED Fulham effectively need just one more point to win the Championship title despite second-placed Bournemouth rescuing a draw from 3-0 down away at Swansea City on Tuesday.

Fulham - who were beaten 1-0 at home by third-placed Nottingham Forest - sit eight points clear of the Cherries who have three matches left but a far inferior goal difference.

Frankly, the Cottagers have regularly pulverised second tier defences this season - scoring five goals against Huddersfield Town and Swansea City, six goals twice inside four days in January against Bristol City and Birmingham City, and seven twice away at Blackburn Rovers and Reading.

Altogether, Marco Silva's men are one short of a century of league goals with main striker Aleksandar Mitrović also now just one short of Guy Whittingham's all-time second-tier record of 42 for Portsmouth in 1992-93.

The remaining fixtures for Fulham are Luton at home and Sheffield United away - and, although Forest forced a blank against the West London club, it would be a big surprise if neither feat was ultimately achieved.

Rather than chasing Fulham for the title, Bournemouth instead must concentrate on getting over the line themselves.

Unbeaten until November, Scott Parker's men have stuttered somewhat throughout April with four draws in their last five games reducing their lead over the chasing pack down to three points.

In-form Forest lead the charge, with Steve Cooper's side having won eight of their last nine matches, losing just twice in the league in 2022.

Next Tuesday, Bournemouth host Forest in an absolutely critical encounter to the promotion race.

Huddersfield Town, in fourth place, are also just three points behind Bournemouth but have played a game more so the Terriers are likely to be in the playoffs alongside Luton.

In a tale of mismanagement, salvation and potential resolution, the Hatters are bidding to return to the top flight for the first time since 1992, having dropped through the divisions as far down as the National League where they played for five seasons between 2009-10 and 2013-14.

By contrast, Sheffield United are looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League having recovered well from their dreadful 2020-21 campaign.

The Blades are in sixth, the final playoff place, and perhaps sealed that position a 3-1 comeback win at Queens Park Rangers last night.

Middlesbrough - now led by former Sheff United boss and boyhood Blades fan Chris Wilder - had strengthened their challenge on Wednesday by beating Cardiff City.

But this important victory for Paul Heckingbottom and his team leaves the Teessiders now needing to win both of their remaining fixtures as well as hoping the South Yorkshire club slip up on the final day against Fulham.

At the bottom, though, the relegation places have already been decided - despite the efforts of Derby County under Wayne Rooney.

The Rams were deducted 12 points in September after going into administration and then a further nine points in November for financial irregularities to leave Rooney with a hopeless task.

Yet, in February, the East Midlanders had clawed their way to within five points of safety with a last-minute win against fellow strugglers Peterborough United.

However, an untimely recent loss of form resulted in confirmation of an inevitable demotion on Easter Monday when a late defeat at Queens Park Rangers was compounded by a Reading recovery from 4-1 down to a 4-4 draw against Swansea.

At the same time on Easter Monday, Peterborough won 2-0 at Barnsley to keep their then-faint hopes of Championship survival alive - and leave the Tykes bottom.

Ultimately, though, both the teams playing at Oakwell that afternoon have proven nowhere near good enough to compete in the second tier with neither able to catch Reading despite the Royals' own six-point deduction.

Indeed, both Barnsley, with only six league wins, and Posh - with eight - may yet still finish below the heavy-penalised Derby who will play third-tier football next season for the first time since 1986.

	Championship- bottom
22	* Reading	44	13	8	23	54	85	-31	41
R	Peterborough United	44	8	10	26	38	84	-46	34
R	** Derby County	44	13	13	18	43	52	-9	31
R	Barnsley	44	6	12	26	32	66	-34	30

* Reading were deducted six points on 17 November for breach of profit and sustainability regulations.
** Derby County were deducted 12 points for entering administration on 22 September and a further nine points for financial irregularities on 16 November.

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	League One - top	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Wigan Athletic	45	26	11	8	79	44	+35	89
2	Rotherham United	45	26	9	10	68	33	+35	87
3	Milton Keynes Dons	45	25	11	9	73	44	+29	86
4	Sheffield Wednesday	45	23	13	9	74	49	+25	82
5	Sunderland	45	23	12	10	78	53	+25	81
6	Plymouth Argyle	45	23	11	11	68	43	+25	80
7	Wycombe Wanderers	45	22	14	9	73	50	+23	80

WIGAN ATHLETIC have been made to wait to secure promotion back to the Championship after falling to an unexpected defeat to mid-table Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Tuesday.

The Latics were 2-0 up at half time through goals from a diving header by Callum Lang and strike by Will Keane - but George Hirst pulled Pompey level with two goals in as many minutes.

Still, a point would have been good enough for Wigan, only for Aiden O'Brien to hit a late winner for the home side.

That goal means Leam Richardson's men have had to put the champagne on ice - but they will be promoted at Shrewsbury Town today, and even still make it with another defeat, unless Rotherham United and Milton Keynes Dons both win, and MK overturn a goal difference deficit.

Rotherham, for much of the season, also seemed pretty assured on a place in the top two.

However, a run of only three wins and five defeats in the last 11 games has left the EFL Trophy winners in danger of being caught by Milton Keynes.

The Millers hold an advantage of one point and six goals over the Buckinghamshire club ahead of a final day visit to Gillingham.

Meanwhile, MK will host sixth-placed Plymouth Argyle who are themselves hanging onto the last playoff place by their fingertips.

Wycombe Wanderers, in seventh, are level on points with the Devon outfit - and only two goals worse off.

Indeed, in one of the most nail-biting climaxes of the 2021-22 campaign, both the Pilgrims and the Chairboys might make it into the playoffs at the expense of either Sheffield Wednesday or Sunderland.

The Owls host Pompey and the Black Cats travel to Morecambe, both knowing anything less than victory could result in them being ousted from a top-six spot.

Morecambe have their own need for victory as a draw might not be enough if Fleetwood Town and Gillingham both win, leaving three teams on 43 points.

The Shrimps have conceded an eye-watering 87 goals and so have the worst goal difference of the trio.

Below them, AFC Wimbledon simply must win against Accrington Stanley - and hope both Gillingham and Fleetwood slip up - while a goal difference of -45 means even the three points for Doncaster Rovers at Oxford United are extremely unlikely to be enough.

At least Rovers have technically taken their bid for League One survival to the final day.

Rock-bottom Crewe Alexandra went through a run of one win and 15 defeats out of 16 games between January and April - and the Railwaymen became the first team in English football's top four divisions to be relegated on 9 April after their 2-0 defeat at Doncaster.

	League One - bottom
18	Rochdale	34	10	6	18	39	57	-18	36
19	Morecambe	45	10	12	23	57	87	-30	42
20	Fleetwood Town	45	8	16	21	60	78	-18	40
21	Gillingham	45	8	16	21	35	67	-32	40
22	AFC Wimbledon	45	6	19	20	46	71	-25	37
23	Doncaster Rovers	45	10	7	28	36	81	-45	37
R	Crewe Alexandra	45	7	8	30	36	81	-45	29

⚽️

	League Two - top	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	Forest Green Rovers	44	23	14	7	72	39	+33	83
P	Exeter City	44	23	14	7	64	39	+25	83
3	Northampton Town	44	22	10	12	56	36	+20	76
4	Port Vale	44	21	12	11	65	44	+21	75
5	Mansfield Town	44	22	9	13	63	48	+15	75
6	Bristol Rovers	44	21	11	12	60	46	+14	74
7	Sutton United	44	21	10	13	66	49	+17	73
8	Swindon Town	44	20	11	13	72	53	+19	71
9	Salford City	44	19	12	13	56	40	+14	69
10	Tranmere Rovers	44	19	12	13	50	40	+10	69

THE League Two title remains up for grabs heading into the final two weeks after Exeter City joined Forest Green Rovers in assuring themselves of third-tier football next season by beating Barrow on Tuesday.

Both the Grecians and long-time leaders Forest Green have 83 points with the environmentally-conscious Gloucester club holding an eight-goal advantage.

Nevertheless, Forest Green have stuttered in recent months with a winless run of seven matches in February and early March, and only one success in their last five.

As such, Exeter - with only two league defeats in 2022 - have a real chance of bringing silverware to St James Park, certainly a phrase not used enough in recent times.

The third promotion place remains completely up for grabs with Northampton Town sat in pole position - for the moment.

The Cobblers have 76 points, one point ahead of Port Vale and Mansfield in fourth and fifth on 75, with in-form Bristol Rovers only one point further back on 74.

Sutton United, in their first ever season in the Football League, are still in with a shout in seventh place on 73 points - and, because none of those teams faces each other in the final two matches, even Swindon Town down in eighth have a slim mathematical chance of third place.

Of course, one of those teams will miss out even on the playoffs - and title-chasing Exeter are sure to have a say in who joins them in the third tier with fixtures against Northampton and Port Vale still to come.

By contrast, the two relegation places have already been determined.

On 23 April, Oldham Athletic became the first former Premier League club to lose Football League status, after an unbroken 116 years, following a 2-1 home defeat to Salford.

Another victim of years of boardroom mismanagement, the days of Ian Marshall and Andy Ritchie leading the line at Boundary Park in the top flight under Joe Royle must seem like an absolute lifetime away now.

Earlier, on Good Friday, Scunthorpe United meekly surrendered 72 years of Football League status after falling to a crushing 3-0 defeat at Leyton Orient.

The Iron have endured a particularly miserable campaign with just four wins and 23 points from 44 games, leaving them unable to avoid finishing 92nd and last in the top four English divisions.

	League Two - bottom
22	Stevenage	44	10	14	20	40	64	-24	44
R	Oldham Athletic	44	9	10	25	43	70	-27	37
R	Scunthorpe United	44	4	13	27	28	82	-54	25

Days of Thunder at the Crucible

NEIL ROBERTSON will carry the tag of favourite as the World Snooker Championship begins tomorrow morning at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

The Australian left-hander won his only world crown way back in 2010 - but enters the tournament in red-hot form after winning the English Open, Players Championship and the longer-format Tour Championship this season.

Indeed, Robertson's array of triumphs have left some pundits collectively scratching their heads at just why he has not had more success at the Crucible.

Altogether, the 40-year-old has won six Triple Crown events - with three victories in the UK Championship and two Masters titles in addition to his 2010 triumph in Sheffield.

Furthermore, the Thunder from Down Under has an unmatched record on the circuit of having won a major pro-title in every calendar year going back to 2006.

So, what can possibly explain his extremely modest World Championship record which shows just one appearance in the semi finals in the last 11 years?

In an actual fact, part of the reasoning was provided by Robertson himself in an interview last year - namely, that the Crucible Theatre, for all of its legend, is far from his favourite venue.

"I don’t like the venue, from a technical point of view it’s very difficult for me to walk into my shot properly, it’s actually almost impossible to do," said Robertson.

"To get to the one-table set-up I need to negotiate that and it’s something that I have to work on.

"Whether it’s change my technique slightly so I’m not always backing into those walls. I know a lot of players don’t like the set-up, it’s very cramped."

Taking this account - and, especially considering the gruelling format has a pre-requisite of a more positive mindset than that, it would suggest that his position as favourite is rather misplaced.

Nevertheless, the Aussie should have enough to deal with Crucible debutant Ashley Hugill, ranked 77 in the world - and, indeed, should have enough to make it to the quarter finals where he is slated to meet John Higgins.

The two other players on debut, Jackson Page and Hossein Vafaei, face Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump respectively - but, otherwise, the 16 successful qualifiers feature an array of players who know their way around a snooker table in a South Yorkshire theatre.

Michael White, for instance, takes on fellow Welshman - three-time champion Mark Williams - while officially classed as an amateur even though he is, in fact, a two-time ranking event winner who spent 12 years on tour, and was once ranked inside the top 16.

For the record, White and Williams are part of a cohort of six Welsh players, with the Red Dragon also represented by Page, Jamie Jones, Matthew Stevens, and Jamie Clarke.

Carmarthen man Stevens brings with him plenty of Crucible experience after no fewer than 17 previous appearances, including runs all the way to the Final in 2000 and 2005 - so could present Jack Lisowski with a strong challenge.

Meanwhile, Clarke - in taking on Chinese protégé Zhao Xintong - will be undoubtedly indebted to his previous visit to Sheffield in 2020 when he beat Mark Allen before losing a tense match against Anthony McGill in a decider.

On that note, the runner-up from last year, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy, resumes his rivalry with Stephen Maguire in probably the spiciest of the 16 ties.

Back in 2004, in a match eventually won by Maguire, the Scotsman realised he had forgotten to bring his chalk with him so he asked the referee for permission to leave the arena.

Murphy spoke to the referee while Maguire was away, the tournament director was summoned, and Maguire was docked a frame for not being ready to start at the scheduled time.

Most recently, Maguire beat Murphy 5-4 in the 2021 Welsh Open quarter finals - and it would be fair to say that the friction between the pair has not completely gone away.

Elsewhere, Ronnie O'Sullivan will be happy, for once, if he can go under the radar somewhat as he resumes his quest for a record-equalling seventh world crown with a tough match against the Angry Farmer, David Gilbert, who reached the semi finals in 2019.

Kyren Wilson, the 2020 finalist, must overcome former world number one - the great Chinese underachiever Ding Junhui - whose best result was runner-up in 2016.

And four-time champion Higgins faces Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - with fellow Thai talent, Noppon Saengkham, taking on Belgian hopeful Luca Brecel in the same section of the draw.

In total, nine different nationalities will be represented at this World Championship - with the Iranian, Vafaei, increasing the all-time Crucible number to 20.

Already, Snooker Shoot Out champion Vafaei has stirred the pot a little by suggesting the Rocket, O’Sullivan, should retire and let the younger generation grow snooker.

The Prince of Persia told the Metro newspaper: "I don’t want to get involved in that kind of conversation really. I like him a lot, I am his fan, I love what he does but sometimes he’s disrespectful, he’s not good for the game."

All of this has made good copy for the journalists in the build-up - but it would take both players to go all the way to the Final on the May Day Bank Holiday for them to meet so it is difficult to see this one going too much further.

Of course, it would be wrong not to mention defending champion Mark Selby anywhere in this write-up.

The Jester from Leicester has struggled throughout the 2021-22 campaign with only one semi final appearance in the World Grand Prix coming back in December.

More worryingly, excluding two wins in the points-based Snooker Shoot Out, the troubled four-time winner has only won two other matches since the turn of the year.

Nevertheless, this long-form competition of multiple sessions will always be a Selby speciality.

Now, the 38-year-old - however talented he actually is - will never be a Crucible fan favourite.

His nickname almost makes a mockery of nominative determinism as he churns out the frames - painfully at times, having even carried on with five snookers required.

But, while out-of-form and out-of-match practice at the moment, Selby could easily use these favoured longer games to play himself scratchily back into shape.

Live match coverage on BBC Two/BBC Four and Eurosport.