United a point away from title

Following the midweek 2-1 win at Wigan, Manchester United need only one point from their last two matches to land their 11th Premier League crown since the restructuring of the English game in 1992-93.

Alex Ferguson and his men are on the verge of equalling Liverpool's record of 18 championships.

United's remaining fixtures are at home against erratic Arsenal this afternoon and away to Hull.

Although the Red Devils have lost four games to Liverpool's two, their home form has been more consistent and they deserve to be crowned champions for the third time in a row.

United, who also have the Champions League final against Barcelona to look forward to, saw Carlos Tevez make a strong case for a permanent deal at Old Trafford and Cristiano Ronaldo react badly after being substituted in the Manchester derby last week.

But, Ferguson said that as long as Ronaldo continues to deliver, his tantrums would hurt no-one.

This afternoon, United are widely tipped to have the better of a subdued Arsenal side, just 10 days after beating them 3-1 at the Emirates in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. Last weekend, Arsenal crashed to a 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea.

After so many attempts to overtake United at the top, Liverpool have all but conceded defeat in the title race as they trail their rivals by six points.

Nevertheless, Rafael Benitez's team have had a remarkable season and kept the title race alive till the very end.

The Reds kept winning matches and their goal rate is second to none. Benitez has again proved that he is a shrewd tactician and next season he will probably have a much stronger squad at his disposal to challenge for the honours.

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have been formidable in attack but their injuries have proved costly for Liverpool. They are the only side not to suffer a defeat at home.

West Brom are Liverpool's opponents tomorrow. They are in the relegation mire but resurrected their slim hopes with back-to-back wins against Sunderland 3-0 and Wigan 3-1.

After all the talk this season about a new team breaking the Big Four's strangehold, all pretenders have fallen by the wayside.

Arsenal, in fourth, are 10 points clear of Aston Villa who misfired badly in the last two months.

Villa, away to lowly Middlesbrough, have won only once in their last 14 league and cup outings.

From the same number of matches at the start of the campaign, Villa lost only three. Boss Martin O'Neill refused to blame fatigue for his team's slump in form of late.

Everton, the other Champions League hopefuls, at least have the FA Cup final to look forward to.

David Moyes's side could still overtake Villa as one point separates the two teams at present.

The Merseysiders entertain West Ham at Goodison Park today.

Managerial search

Chelsea, still smarting from their controversial upset to Barcelona in the Champions League, hope to end the season on a high by beating Everton at Wembley.

The Blues are guaranteed of finishing at least third after the 4-1 trimming of Arsenal.

Milan's Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly told Chelsea to cross him off their list of candidates to succeed Guus Hiddink next season. Tomorrow, Chelsea are at home to Blackburn who reached Premier League safety after successive home wins over Wigan and Portsmouth.

Three London clubs, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham, are fighting it out to finish seventh and clinch the third Europa League slot.

The Cottagers lead their rivals by two points. Fulham's remaining matches are away to Newcastle and at home to Everton.

Tottenham host Manchester City today and end their commitments with a trip to Liverpool. City are only a point behind Spurs and are also in contention to qualify for Europe. Their last match is at home to Bolton.

After today's duel against Everton, the Hammers will bring the curtains down with a home clash against Middlesbrough.

In addition to West Brom, Middlesbrough and Newcastle, Hull are also in deep relegation trouble. The Tigers, away at Bolton today, take on Manchester United at the KC Stadium in their last match.

Sunderland, having gained four points from their last four league matches, are still roaming in perilious waters. After Monday's match at Portsmouth, the Black Cats entertain Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.

Following Monday's 3-1 win over Middlesbrough, Newcastle are optimistic that they can escape the drop. Manager Alan Shearer told his players that they must repeat their derby performance against Fulham today to keep their hopes alive.