Arsenal's title hopes scuppered by fan mutiny at the Emirates
Title chasers slip up as Chelsea and Liverpool eye Champions League in madcap European scramble
If the race for the Premier League title wasn't crazy enough, a mad scramble for Europe is developing further down the table - with tenth-placed Chelsea suddenly in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League.
Wednesday night produced another extraordinary moment in the most madcap season ever, as Leicester City's three title rivals – Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City - all conspired to lose.
In the space of 90 minutes, the Foxes' draw against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday went from two points dropped to one point gained.
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Arsenal were the biggest losers, capitulating at home to relegation-threatened Swansea City as their increasingly swivel-eyed fans frothed and raged in the stands.
"Those supporters that stayed until the end did not just boo at the final whistle, they jeered the players down the tunnel one-by-one," says Goal.com. In the face of such "poison" from their own fans, Arsenal cannot now hope to resurrect their title challenge.
There is "mutiny" in the air at the Emirates once again, agrees the London Evening Standard. "This was a return to the vitriolic moments prior to Arsenal's 2014 FA Cup Final success."
But while defeat has left the Gunners in turmoil, the defeats for Spurs and City could be more significant in wider terms.
West Ham United's victory over Tottenham leaves them just one point behind fourth-placed City, while Liverpool's triumph places them in the middle of a pack of teams who still have designs on the Europa League or better.
Jurgen Klopp's side have 41 points and a game in hand. If they, or any of the teams around them, can embark on a run of form that lasts until the end of the season, they could qualify for the Champions League.
Incredibly, the team best equipped to pull off such a feat appear to be Chelsea, currently tenth in the table. The Blues are unbeaten in the league since manager Guus Hiddink arrived and are now eight points behind Manchester City – in fact, they are closer to fourth place than City are to the top of the table.
Chelsea have a tough run in and must face City, Liverpool and West Ham, not to mention Spurs and Leicester. But if they can beat the teams around them - and the other contenders continue to perform as flakily as they have - they could complete an extraordinary comeback.
The Standard claims Hiddink has his sights set on the Europa League at the very least next season, while midfielder Nemanja Matic is hopeful they can make the top four.
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