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The Premier League continues to get more interesting as the weeks go by.
While Manchester City have been crowned champions with three matches to spare, rivals Manchester United are the only other side to have booked a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
That leaves Leicester City, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool all fighting for the two remaining top-four spots in the league.
On Wednesday, the Blues suffered a disappointing defeat to Arsenal in a game where they were expected to win comfortably. This was just their second league defeat under Thomas Tuchel, but the result could have dire consequences.
Sloppy Chelsea lose to Arsenal in the Premier League
Chelsea were lethargic in the early stages of the game and were made to pay for their poor start. Having beaten Manchester City last week, Tuchel made seven changes to the line-up.
However, the decision badly backfired as Arsenal rose into an early lead in the 16th minute following a terrible back pass from Jorginho to Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The midfielder received a poor pass from Kurt Zouma and attempted to square it back to his goalkeeper. However, he saw his intended pass drifting towards his own goal.
A timely intervention from Kepa prevented the ball from rolling into the net, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on hand to set up Emile Smith-Rowe for an easy tap-in.
The Blues were sloppy against their London rivals, and the defeat felt more self-inflicted, especially as Arsenal created very little throughout the game.
Chelsea defeat opens up Premier League top-four race
When Leicester City beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, it looked like the race for the Premier League top-four places was all but settled.
However, Chelsea’s latest loss to Arsenal has changed everything. The Blues have dropped to fourth in the Premier League table and trail Leicester City by two points.
Liverpool will be just a point behind Tuchel’s side if they win their outstanding game after recording an important victory over Manchester United on Thursday.
Tuchel told Sky Sports after the game:
"I did not feel us in the same way involved, sharp with intensity and energy like the last game and these are the per cents who are missing today.”
"Maybe I gave some signs to the team that Saturday is on my mind, even if it's only five per cent, or one per cent, that is not how you approach things and you get punished, because you cannot be naive."
The Premier League top-four race is wide open once again, with Leicester City, West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool all looking to secure the final two places. This, though, would never have been the case if the Blues had won against Arsenal.
As it stands, Chelsea are not guaranteed qualification to the Champions League, and they should be worried.
