This weekend, the action at the foot of the Premier League table took centre stage with several clubs fighting for Premier League survival. The most pivotal clash saw 18th placed Leicester City take on bottom of the table, Burnley at Turf Moor.
The Foxes could enter the game with some confidence following three consecutive wins, a run which rivals Arsenal's, as the league's form side. Burnley have proved difficult to beat but have found scoring goals difficult to come by. Their debut season has however seen impressive performances against Manchester City and Manchester United and they are looking for more of the same in the closing weeks.
Relegation six-pointer
The Leicester versus Burnley game turned within a second-half minute, and proved just how tight it is in this league. Burnley were awarded a penalty and Matty Taylor's shot came back off the post. Leicester then cleared to the other end of the pitch from which Jamie Vardy scrambled in a goal for the decisive moment of the match. It was enough to give Leicester their fourth victory in a row and lifted them out of the bottom three whilst keeping Burnley rooted to the foot of the table.
Missed chances
Elsewhere, another missed penalty from QPR's leading scorer Charlie Austin, prevented the Londoners from recording a vital win against West Ham as it finished 0-0.
The game finished goalless and the club remain in 19thplace, one point above Burnley. With only four games left to play, both sides are in danger of being left adrift.
Sunderland slipped into the relegation zone in place of Leicester after a 1-1 draw with Stoke, despite scoring within the first minute. After Gus Poyet's dismissal as manager, Dick Advocaat now faces a fight on his hands to ensure he maintains his record of never being relegated as a manager.
Another team in danger is Hull City. Their fortunes however improved this week with a vital 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, thanks to two goals by Dame N'Doye. Their fate is far from secure though as they are now level on points with Leicester and have a very tough run-in which could eventually seal their fate. Despite a battling performance against Manchester City,
Aston Villa are also under threat and sit only a point ahead of Leicester and Hull.
The FA Cup finalists will hope the "Sherwood factor" that has resulted in an upward improvement in form will see them through to the end of the season.
Newcastle have also slipped into consideration after a seventh successive defeat - this time a 3-2 home defeat against Swansea - left them perilously close to the chasing pack.
Final games
As we enter the final throes of this enthralling season, it is likely to be the clubs' respective run-ins that will be decisive. Burnley face the classic "six pointers" against Villa and Hull; QPR face Liverpool and Manchester City before decisive clashes against Leicester and Newcastle while Sunderland will hope to secure enough points before what seems a difficult final two games against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Amongst the contenders, you would argue that Hull face the most difficult challenge with upcoming games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United. Apart from their next match against Chelsea, Leicester will believe they have four winnable games in the final stretch.
Will Nigel Pearson's men complete their improbable fairy-tale escape? Can Sunderland do it again? Everything will unfold in the next few weeks as partisan fans struggle to keep the faith.
