Steve Nicol thinks experience was the biggest factor in the loss to Crystal Palace. (1:02) The north London derby will be played next month after the original fixture was called off in January. After the turn of the year, the game was put off because of injury concerns and the loss of several players to the Africa Cup of Nations, and the decision still had Spurs coach Antonio Conte angry two months later. It was announced Monday that the two local rivals will go head-to-head in an evening kick-off on Thursday, May 12 at the Spurs Stadium in what will be their third-to-last game of the season. Spurs will play their final game of the season against Burnley on May 15th, just three days after they face off against the Clarets in the final game of the season. The teams are level on points in the race for fourth place, and while the result of no single fixture can truly be said to decide a team's league fate, it stands to reason that a win in the late-season derby would see them through. There have been several examples in recent years of league titles and qualification almost hinging on a single game during the final weeks of the season. The schedule and standing of the premier league.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
🔵 @ChelseaFC won a top-four showdown with Liverpool#OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/r31HlxxIbr
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 11, 2020
It was dubbed the 20 million match, and it was the final match of the 2002-03 season and a game that they simply had to win.
The Blues knew that they had to qualify for the next season's European Championship if they were to get out of the red. A win for the Reds would see them claim the continental spoils while a loss for the Blues would see them miss out.
The crucial goal came after 27 minutes, when Jesper Gronkjaer scored to seal a 2-1 win for the Blues, which sparked a new era of success at the club. It was the last competitive game before the Russian billionaire bought the club, and it was the one that ensured qualification for the group stage of the competition.
Both City and Spurs had to fight for a place in the playoffs as the European football was up for grabs.
In May 2010, a late Peter Crouch goal was enough to give Spurs a win at the City and propel them to a fourth place finish and a place in the European playoffs.
The two teams came back one year later with the same goal in mind. The only goal of the game was scored by Crouch. Unfortunately, this time the forward inadvertently diverted a cross into his own net to hand the victory to City, securing them a place at Europe's top table while Spurs had to settle for a Europa League spot.
"Staggering! Just staggering!"#OnThisDay @ManCity pic.twitter.com/B5fS6kdNVU
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 13, 2019
Even casual football fans will be well aware of how City's historic 2011-12 Premier League season came to its giddy conclusion, but it's also worth noting that the famous "AGUEROOOOO!" goal against Queens Park Rangers was teed up by.
Both City and United were desperate to win the title, the former in order to win their first top-flight championship in over four decades, the latter in order to prevent their noisy neighbours from shifting the balance of power. After trailing Manchester United by eight points just three weeks earlier, City ended the day top of the table on goal difference, thanks to a first-half goal from captain Vincent Kompany.
City knew that a victory over Queens Park Rangers would be enough for them to beat United to the title by the slimmest of margins. They had embarked on a five-game winning streak to make sure their fate was in their own hands.
Things were getting frantic with four minutes left in the campaign and City were trailing by two. The final whistle had already gone in United's victory over the Wearsiders, meaning that Sir Alex Ferguson's charges had risen to the top of the table. The pendulum swung back to the City of Manchester Stadium just as it looked like the wait for a league title might be over.
Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, #onthisday in 2014.
Well worth watching the highlights again! 👌 pic.twitter.com/y5zxntNYrW
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 27, 2020
Brendan Rodgers' side was in imperious form as the season neared its conclusion, with an 11-game winning streak before a visit from Chelsea. The Reds were top of the table with two weeks of the season left, and looked like they would win their first-ever title. They would have had one hand on the trophy if they had won at Anfield.
The fans of the club watched in horror as the captain of the team, Steven Gerrard, let things slip and the team lost 2-0.
Manchester City won their final five games of the season to pilfer the title, having topped the table for just 14 days all season.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
