Man City and Liverpool set for title finale

A dramatic Premier League season comes to a conclusion today, with Manchester City favourites to pip Liverpool and win the title. Manuel Pellegrini’s City side will be champions if they draw or win their home game against West Ham.
Liverpool – in the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster – can clinch their first league title since 1990 by beating Newcastle if City lose.
At the bottom, Norwich will be relegated even if they beat Arsenal.
The Canaries can finish level on points with West Brom if they beat the Gunners and Albion lose at home to Stoke, but Neil Adams’s side would require a 17-goal swing in goal difference to prevent a return to the Championship.
For Liverpool, it looks set to be a disappointing end to an otherwise brilliant season. Brendan Rodgers’s side finished in seventh place last season, 28 points behind champions Manchester United, but they were favourites to win the title as recently as two weeks ago.
A run of 11 straight wins had put the Reds on top, but after a slip from captain Steven Gerrard, Chelsea won 2-0 at Anfield to put City back in control.
Liverpool then further fell behind on Monday evening when they threw away a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace, eventually drawing 3-3.
They are now relying on West Ham winning at Manchester City but Rodgers is delighted with his team’s progress.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “We certainly don’t feel here as if we’ve thrown it away. We knew it was always going to be tough. The final hurdles are always difficult to get over.
“In the Chelsea game we made a mistake – a slip – and that can happen to anyone. We just couldn’t find a way to get the goal and that happens.
“If we win on Sunday and don’t win the league but finish second that means we’ve finished second to the richest and most expensive team in world sport.
“We will have taken them right to the wire. That will be a sign of the remarkable progress we have made this season.”
City have only been top of the table for 14 days all season but are a point away from a second title in three years, and a first for Pellegrini, who won the League Cup earlier in his debut season.
He said: “I expect to win. We are thinking not of winning one point but just winning the match, and the best way to do it is to play the way we always do.”
While City could end the season back on top, it has been a turbulent year for rivals Manchester United , who will end the campaign no higher than sixth – their worst finish since finishing sixth in 1991.
David Moyes was chosen to replace Sir Alex Ferguson a year ago but the former Everton man lasted just 10 months before he was sacked in April.
United have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995 but can book a place in next season’s Europa League if they beat Southampton on Sunday and Tottenham lose at home to Aston Villa.
Interim player-manager Ryan Giggs could make his final appearance for the club and needs a goal to keep his record of scoring in every Premier League season intact.
At the bottom of the table, already relegated Cardiff and Fulham both end their seasons at home.
Cardiff’s 12-month stay in the top flight concludes with the visit of third-placed Chelsea, while Fulham host Palace – who have survived a season in the Premier League for the first time.
Sunderland became only the second Premier League team to be bottom at Christmas and avoid relegation after beating West Brom in midweek, and they end their season at home to Swansea. (BBC Sport)