They were supposed to falter. They were supposed to tire. They were supposed to wilt under the pressure. But Leicester City haven't done any of those things. They've won five on the bounce.
They've kept five consecutive clean sheets. There is no test that Claudio Ranieri's side have not passed; there is no measure by which they have fallen short. They cannot be patronised. This is a textbook demonstration of how you wrap up a title challenge. If they can just keep going for a week or two more...
But Tottenham have no intention of letting them walk away with it. Because of Manchester United's late arrival in North London, they had plenty of time before kick-off to reflect on Leicester's 10-point lead and dwell upon the thought that any mistakes could effectively end their title race. But their performance against United showed why Spurs have come so far. They fought hard, they worked hard, they kept making chances. And eventually, they found a way through. It's not over yet. If they can stay on Leicester's tail, they can still do this.
You knew it as soon as you saw Andy Carroll's name on the West Ham teamsheet. You knew exactly what would happen. In the week that saw the death of Admiral Ackbar, Arsenal simply could not repel firepower of that magnitude. He hit Arsene Wenger's perpetual disappointments like a sack of offal and girders fired straight out of a circus cannon. There will now be renewed calls for Carroll's inclusion in the England squad, made largely by people who have forgotten that this man could injure himself playing Monopoly.
A goal of such tenderness and style looked incongruous in a game as disjointed as this, but Jason Puncheon won't care about that. His second half fizzing, curling, dipping strike was enough to break Norwich's resistance and deliver Crystal Palace's first league win since Dec. 19, 2015. With Aston Villa's demise assured and Newcastle determined to relegate themselves early, there's only one gap left in next season's Championship. You can be fairly sure now that it won't Crystal Palace who will be filling it.
Few in England had heard of Francisco Guidolin when he was named as Swansea's new manager in January, but everyone knows who he is now. With 40 points on the board, he has accomplished his primary objective and taken the Welsh side to safety. The Swans struggled through the winter, but they're much more like their old selves now. In fact, having beaten Chelsea on Saturday by a single goal, they're just four points behind the champions. They'd certainly have taken that at the start of the season...
How can they do this to Rafa Benitez? They know that he values defensive cohesion above all other attributes. They know that's what makes him happy. But the Newcastle players obviously don't want to make him happy. They want to make him cry. And it will happen. It really will. If they keep defending as they did against Southampton on Saturday, there will be a small explosion in the dug-out next week and all that will remain of Benitez will be a pair of smouldering shoes.
When Jack Rodwell starts, Sunderland never win. That's a fact. But even when Rodwell only comes on as substitute, Sunderland still tend not to win. That's largely because Sunderland aren't very good at football. But Rodwell's presence, and on this we can be clear, certainly does not help. Presented with a golden opportunity to salvage a precious point against Leicester, he slapped the ball over the bar from close range. The only person affiliated with Sunderland who benefitted from Rodwell's arrival was Fabio Borini. That miss was so bad that it eclipsed the moment when the Italian accidentally kicked the ball into his own face.
Are you angry with Arsenal? Are you disappointed? Why? Why waste the emotional energy? There's no point. This is what they do. This is what they always do. They just cannot be trusted in any position of strength and, two goals up at Upton Park with a run of very, very winnable games ahead of them, they've rarely been stronger than they were for a very brief time on Saturday. And then they Arsenaled it up. They made an absolute Arsenal of the situation and left the field with Arsenal dripping all over their face. Go away. Just go away. Don't come back until you're ready to apologise.
Nearly 15 years ago, Manchester United found themselves three goals down at White Hart Lane. They ended up winning 5-3. Those days feel like ancient history now. United were not as poor as they have been at some stages this season, indeed they matched Spurs for intensity for much of the game. But when Tottenham moved ahead, Louis van Gaal's side wilted in the heat of battle. After Manchester City finally secured back-to-back wins, United needed a result here. They didn't get it and they didn't deserve it.
This column likes John Stones a lot and stands with the faction that believes there is no logic in moaning about technically limited English players and then getting on the back of a stylish 21-year-olds who makes the occasional mistake. But at the same time, it would be nice to see fewer mistakes. Or at least different mistakes. Another silly pass cost Everton dearly on Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Watford and Stones really needs to start learning from these expensive lessons. With protests in the stands and simmering discontent in the dressing room, Everton are hardly in the best of shape for their upcoming FA Cup semi-final.
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