Chelsea win prompts a two horse title race
This time last week, Chelsea were stewing over their latest failed bid to win the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti was said to be in danger of an instant dismissal and Blues fans were coming to terms with the possibility of only their second trophyless campaign in seven years.
Fast forward seven days and there's a danger of optimism creeping in at Stamford Bridge, as the champions have beaten West Brom and Birmingham over a spell in which Arsenal have squandered four points and Manchester United have been held and suffered a demoralising FA Cup defeat.
The result is that Ancelotti's side are up to second for the first time since November in the Premier League and offering an indication that they won't relinquish the title they hold without a fight, trailing by six points with five games to go, one of which is against the leaders at Old Trafford.
The west Londoners are [8.8] to do the unthinkable, which is a big turnaround from the [14.0] that was offered prior to Manchester United's stumble at St James' Park, and puts them miles clear of Arsenal - [15.0] after their 3-3 draw at Tottenham - as the Red Devils chief challengers.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team remain firm favourites but not by quite as drastic a margin as they once were, having drifted from [1.16] to [1.21] over the course of their dissatisfactory week.
Chelsea will see the table-toppers' Champions League pursuit, which will see them in action twice a week over the next fortnight, as an advantage, yet all Manchester United need to hold off them off is overcome Everton, Blackburn and Blackpool and claim a point from the clashes with Arsenal and Chelsea.
Can they be stopped? Offer your predictions in the box below...
Published: 21 Apr 2011
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