Danny Welbeck Goal Saved the Premier League Title Race
By Ty Duffy
Danny Welbeck scored a goal in the final moment. Arsenal beat Leicester City 2-1 on Sunday. It was, perhaps, the EPL season’s most exciting goal. It also may have salvaged a title race.
Leicester now leads Arsenal and Tottenham by two points. That could, had results gone differently, been five. Taking those points off Leicester was crucial. It was the last chance for a contender to do so directly. The Foxes have an easy run to the finish.
Watford, in 9th place, are the one team Leicester plays in the top half before April. They don’t play Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, or Liverpool the rest of the way. The two “toughest” games left are road trips to Chelsea and Manchester United in the final three matches. Those fixtures looked “tougher” in August. Those teams may have nothing at stake by that point. Leicester could win the title by that point, or only need a set number of points. (Claudio Ranieri winning it at Chelsea, the club that dumped him, would be poetic.)
The other contenders have multiple chances to drop points. Arsenal still has to play rival Tottenham and Manchester City on the road. Spurs host Arsenal, obviously. They also play Chelsea and Liverpool on the road.
Match congestion also favors Leicester. The Foxes are not playing in Europe. They get to rest and to focus. Arsenal have at least two matches with Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16. Tottenham face an even tougher road the longer they are in the Europa League. Thursday is a much harder turnaround than Tues/Wed. Spurs’ home date with 16th place Swansea looks innocuous on paper. But, with an FA Cup matches and a pair of Europa League dates, it will be Tottenham’s fourth match in 11 days.
Last weekend could have been Leicester clearing the last road block, with all the momentum, a healthy cushion, and a soft run to the finish. Instead, Leicester’s lead is cut to two points. They must regroup. The 2,500-1 club that has played with little pressure now has it all piled on them. Now, every match/moment could be the mistake that derails them.