Five weekend lessons

Another amazing weekend of sporting action has come and gone and it is time to take stock of the action and assess what we have learnt from the action over the past couple of days.

1. The title race is far from over

Chelsea were all but written off as title contenders three months ago and there were even question marks over their Champions League prospects for next term.

But they have turned things around and are now within touching distance of Manchester United. Both the Red Devils and Arsenal have shown frailties in recent times but the Gunners’ victory on Sunday might well have given the Blues the opportunity to take the title – if they can beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges next weekend.

Arsenal may have gone yet another season without any silverware but their victory at the Emirates could have gone a long way in determining where the Premier League trophy ends up this season – and that will certainly put a smile back on Arsene Wenger’s face (United 2/9 to win Premier League title).

2. Neil Warnock will just not go away

Love him or hate him, Warnock will be back in the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers after their 2-0 victory over Watford sealed promotion to the top flight.

Although off-field issues might still provide a twist this season, it appears as though the Loftus Road outfit have ended their16-year wait to return to England’s top division.

And nobody can say they did not deserve it as they have been in the top two all season and would have gained promotion a few weeks ago but for three successive draws.

Warnock has managed just one season in the Premier League and suffered relegation with Sheffield United four years ago, with West Ham controversially staying up in their place after avoiding a points deduction despite falling foul of the league rules on player acquisition.

Controversy seems to follow Warnock around and, if they do go up, there is sure to be plenty more next season in west London, as Rangers face the inevitable battle to stay in the top division.

3. No-one wants to stay up

With just three games to go there are realistically still six clubs battling for Premier League survival although Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa could still mathematically go down.

Blackburn’s victory over Bolton has seen them move three points clear of the drop zone but the other sides involved just cannot win a game.

Blackpool, Wigan, Wolves and West Ham have virtually the same goal difference and it seems increasingly likely that it will be a factor when the dust settles on the campaign.

All the respective managers at the foot of the table keep harping on about how many points they need to be safe – the trouble is, none of them appear capable of getting them (West Ham 2/7 to be relegated).

4. Liverpool will challenge next season

It seemed inconceivable that Liverpool would be in with a shout of playing European football next season when they languished near the foot of the table under Roy Hodgson, but Kenny Dalglish has galvanised the side and the key signing of Luis Suarez has turned the Reds back into contenders.

Sunday’s victory over Newcastle pushed the Merseysiders up into fifth with an excellent chance of making the Europa League next term.

Whether or not they want to play in the second-tier European competition is open to question, as the Anfield outfit will doubtless be pushing for a top-four finish nest season and will want to concentrate their efforts on domestic matters.

5. Lee Westwood deserves to be world number one

Many pundits have questioned the relevance of the golf world rankings when a man who has yet to win major sits at the top of the standings.

Westwood has always maintained that majors and the rankings and not connected and a player’s ranking reflects his consistency over a period of time.

The Worksop-born star has a valid point and back-to-back victories in Indonesia and South Korea prove that he is well worth his place.

The 38-year-old has been the model of consistency over the past two years and has come close in a number of majors, and surely it is only a matter of time before he wins one? (Westwood 10/1 to win Open Championship).

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