Adrian Kajumba outlines what is STILL at stake with the 2023/24 Premier League season finishing line in sight.
Now into the final month of the season, there is plenty to play for at the top and bottom of the Premier League, as well as the races for the league's individual awards.
Title race
Mathematically it is still a three-horse title race, with third-placed Liverpool able to reach 84 points, four more than leaders Arsenal’s current total.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
37 | +60 | 88 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
37 | +61 | 86 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
37 | +43 | 79 |
But the recent defeats against Crystal Palace and Everton and last Saturday's 2-2 draw at West Ham United, have left Liverpool five points behind Arsenal and as big outsiders for the title with both sides having three matches left.
Manchester City are second, one point behind Arsenal but having played one match less, leaving their destiny in their own hands. If City win their four remaining matches, taking them to 91 points, they will be champions for a fourth successive season.
City's match in hand is at Tottenham Hotspur, where they have lost their last four league visits without scoring.
Arsenal can reach a maximum of 89 points, but their superior goal difference of +57 could be a factor as it is seven better than City’s +50.
Fourth spot
Now fourth-placed Aston Villa are out of Manchester United’s reach, this is almost certainly a straight fight between Unai Emery’s side and fifth-placed Spurs.
Though it remains possible that Liverpool could get dragged into it as both Villa and Spurs can still overtake them as things stand.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
37 | +43 | 79 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
37 | +20 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
37 | +10 | 63 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +13 | 60 |
With the Premier League unable to earn a fifth UEFA Champions League spot, the importance of finishing fourth has increased.
Villa are in the driving seat, with their seven-point lead over Spurs. Spurs have one match in hand on both Villa and Liverpool, albeit at home to title-chasing Man City.
Other European places
UEFA Europa League
There are two Europa League places available to English clubs. The first comes via finishing fifth in the Premier League.
That position is currently occupied by Spurs, though Man Utd, Newcastle United and Chelsea, of the teams below, could still surpass their current total.
The second Europa League place goes to the FA Cup winners, either Man City or Man Utd. But if the FA Cup winners finish in the top five, this Europa League spot is passed down to the next-highest league finisher who has not qualified for Europe.
Sixth is currently held by United, therefore they can also claim a Europa League place by winning the FA Cup or, if they lose the final to City who have already qualified for the Champions League, retaining sixth spot.
United staying there is far from certain though. Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, AFC Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion, in 12th, can all still mathematically catch them.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +13 | 60 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +21 | 57 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
37 | -3 | 57 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
37 | -12 | 52 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
37 | -5 | 48 |
| 11 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
37 | -12 | 48 |
| 12 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
37 | -6 | 46 |
UEFA Europa Conference League
There is one spot up for grabs for Premier League sides for next season’s Europa Conference League.
This initially is the prize for winning the EFL Cup, which Liverpool did this season.
With Liverpool now set to to be in the Champions League or Europa League, this place will go to the highest-finishing side who have not qualified for Europe.
Currently that is, again, Man Utd’s position of sixth.
If the Red Devils qualify for the Europa League via an FA Cup triumph or losing in the final and finishing sixth, the Europa Conference League spot will go to the team that finishes seventh.
That is Newcastle’s current position, though, once again, teams as far down as Brighton remain in contention.
If United finish below sixth and win the FA Cup, whoever does finish sixth will earn the Europa Conference League spot and seventh position will not result in entry to Europe.
Relegation battle
Sheffield United are set to be relegated, while Everton and Brentford are mathematically certain of remaining in the Premier League.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
37 | -19 | 29 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
37 | -31 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
37 | -36 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
37 | -66 | 16 |
That has left Nottingham Forest, Luton Town and Burnley in a three-way battle to avoid finishing in the final two relegation places.
There are only two points separating second-bottom Burnley and Nott'm Forest, who are one place and one point outside the bottom three with a better goal difference than their two rivals.
Forest and Burnley have three matches remaining, including facing each other in the final round of matches - the prospect of a winner-takes-all, last-day decider is looming.
Relegation rivals' remaining matches
| Club | MW36 | MW37 | MW38 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nott'm Forest | Sheff Utd (A) | Chelsea (H) | Burnley (A) |
| Luton | West Ham (A) | Fulham (H) | |
| Burnley | Newcastle (H) | Spurs (A) | Nott'm Forest (H) |
Golden Boot
Erling Haaland edged ahead in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot after scoring his 21st Premier League goal of the season at Nott'm Forest on Sunday.
But he has competition to retain the award he won last season after his debut campaign 36-goal haul.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is one behind on 20 with five matches left, one more than Haaland.
Villa's Ollie Watkins and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak have 19 league goals with three and four matches remaining respectively.
Not too far behind Haaland are Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke (18), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (17), West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, Man City’s Phil Foden and Spurs' Son Heung-min (all 16), with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka one goal behind that trio on 15.
Contenders for Castrol Golden Boot 23/24
| Player | Goals | Matches remaining |
|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | 21 | WOL (H), FUL (A), TOT (A), WHU (H) |
| Cole Palmer | 20 | TOT (H), WHU (H), NFO (A), BHA (A), BOU (H) |
| Alexander Isak | 19 | BUR (A), BHA (H), MUN (A), BRE (A) |
| Ollie Watkins | 19 | BHA (A), LIV (H), CRY (A) |
| Dominic Solanke | 18 | ARS (A), BRE (H), CHE (A) |
| Mohamed Salah | 17 | TOT (H), AVL (A), WOL (H) |
Golden Glove
David Raya has guaranteed at least a share of the Castrol Golden Glove.
The Arsenal goalkeeper currently has 14 shutouts with 15 being the maximum number his nearest rival, Everton’s Jordan Pickford, can reach.
The two will be at opposite ends of the pitch on the final day of the season - setting up a potential sub-plot to Everton’s trip to Arsenal.
Contenders for Castrol Golden Glove 23/24
| Goalkeeper | Matches left | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|
| David Raya | 3 | 14 |
| Jordan Pickford | 2 | 12 |
Playmaker of the Season
Already in the race for the Golden Boot, Villa forward Watkins is also leading the way for the Castrol Playmaker of the Season award with 12 assists.
Brighton’s Pascal Gross is on 10 along with Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier, whose hopes of adding to his tally will depend on his return from injury.
Eight different players are on nine assists for the season.
Contenders for Castrol Playmaker 2023/24
| Player | Assists |
|---|---|
| Ollie Watkins | 12 |
| Pascal Gross, Kieran Trippier | 10 |
| Julian Alvarez, Leon Bailey, Anthony Gordon, Son Heung-min, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah | 9 |