Assessing the role Spurs could play in the Premier League title race
Spurs still have to face all three of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in the remaining month of the season, and each fixture will have huge ramifications on the ongoing title race.
If City win every remaining match, the league is theirs for the fourth year in a row.
Liverpool need City and Arsenal to drop points while also winning all of their games, while the Gunners are top of the league but must hope that the Mancunians fail to win at least one of their next six matches.
The one common link in each contender's final fixtures is Spurs, who could well have the biggest say in who wins the Premier League.
The North London derby
Arsenal are the first of the top three to face Spurs in the latest North London derby on Sunday, April 28th.
The Gunners have notoriously let the pressure get to them when it matters most under Mikel Arteta, throwing away a huge lead last season and recently handing City the advantage in the title race following a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa.
Arsenal's mental strength has been put to the test at times this year, bouncing back from the Villa defeat with an emphatic 5-0 win against Chelsea.
The derby away at Spurs will be the ultimate test of their bottle and although a defeat won't mathematically lose them the title, it will be incredibly difficult to bounce back in the following games.
It's hard not to feel that one more loss - particularly if it were to come against their greatest rivals - would be one hurdle too many for Arteta's team.
Last time out, Spurs came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at the Emirates and home advantage this time around could be hugely beneficial to Ange Postecoglou's side.
They are still chasing a top-four finish and will require no encouragement to both boost their own chances of Champions League football and derail the Gunners' title hopes.
It feels like a win will completely galvanise Arsenal and propel them to fight right to the final day, but a draw or loss may be the final nail in the coffin - particularly given their tough run-in compared to City's fairly easy final matches.
The Gunners cannot afford to drop points to their arch-rivals, while Spurs will relish the chance to get one over on their neighbours. It's shaping up to be a must-watch football match, regardless of who you support.
Liverpool's quest for revenge
On the face of it, Liverpool may well be out of the title race already and certainly could be by the time they face Spurs.
A shock 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby has left them needing Arsenal to lose at least once and City to at least lose and draw two of their remaining matches.
While least favourites to win the title now, the Reds will host Spurs on Sunday, May 5th hoping to avenge their unjust 2-1 defeat from earlier in the season.
Liverpool were the victim of VAR's biggest mishap in recent memory that day, with Luis Diaz denied a perfectly fair goal with an incorrect offside call that the Video Assistant Referee failed to spot - on top of a very dubious early red card for Curtis Jones.
Had the calls (rightly) gone their way, the Reds would be at least a point better off and still right in the title race.
It's certain to be a high-scoring encounter at Anfield, with plenty of twists and turns. Spurs have only failed to score twice in the league this season and Liverpool's defence has been shaky at best lately - not keeping a Premier League clean sheet at home since December 2023.
The Londoners could do some serious damage with the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison and there's a chance they will completely end Liverpool's title challenge.
If they can keep pace with Arsenal and City over the next couple of games, the Reds could face a huge test against Postecoglou and co that may fire them right back into contention for the league - or cause their season to come crashing down.
Jurgen Klopp's side is out for revenge when Spurs visit and if nothing else will be looking to end the German's marvellous reign on a high note.
City's struggles visiting Spurs
Spurs' final involvement in the title race comes on Tuesday, May 14th at home to Manchester City.
City have struggled travelling to Spurs for a long time now, particularly in the league - having not won away against the Londoners in the Premier League since 2018.
They have picked up a win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recently, beating them 1-0 in the FA Cup at the start of 2024.
That remains their only victory at the new ground.
Surprisingly, City have never even scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League.
With the pressure on, there's no better time for Pep Guardiola's side to break that curse on their quest for a fourth straight title.
By the time the game rolls around, the title might be already wrapped up for either City or Arsenal - but if it isn't, Spurs could have the ultimate say in where the trophy ends up.
A victory for Postecolou's men against the treble winners could hand the trophy to their greatest rivals, whereas a loss might confirm another triumph for the Mancunians.
If it comes to it, just about every pair of eyes will be on this match and if Spurs haven't already had a direct influence on the title race, they will have one last chance on May 14th.
Spurs could ultimately have the biggest impact on the title race and don't forget that they are chasing Champions League football themselves - so won't be lacking any motivation against the top three when the occasion arises.
Of course, it could well be the case that all three teams win comfortably, or the league is wrapped up for City or Arsenal through other results and Spurs don't have an impact at all.
But that's the beauty of football, no one really knows and we'll all be eagerly watching to see what happens in the culmination of one of the greatest title races the top flight has ever seen.
