Ahead of Liverpool v Man City, we look at six classic six-point England league title deciding matches

LIVERPOOL hosts Manchester City on Sunday in a match that will go a long way to deciding the EPL winner. Here are six classic title deciders.

JUST four points separates Barclays Premier League leaders Liverpool and chasing Manchester City heading into their potential title-deciding clash at Anfield on Sunday night.

With just a handful of games to play, each side has the chance to deliver a hammer blow to its opponent in a classic six-pointer, with the two able to pick up a valuable three points for themselves as well as depriving their rivals of anything.

For Brendan Rodgers’s Reds, it’s the first of two such fixtures, with Chelsea coming to Anfield for the third-last game of the season in late April.

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European football doesn’t feature grand finals like we do in Australia, but this is the closest thing to it, and the drama is just as enthralling.

Title deciders aren’t new, with none more famous than Arsenal and Liverpool’s dramatic last-day showdown in the 1988-1989 season while Manchester United has experienced both joy and heartbreak in such fixtures.

Here are six famous six-pointers that have helped decide the English league title.

Liverpool v Arsenal, 1988-1989

Points heading in– Liverpool 76 (GD +39), Arsenal 73 (GD +35)

Final standings – Liverpool 76 (GD +37), Arsenal 76 (GD +37)

Liverpool wasn’t supposed to host Arsenal on the last day of the 1988-1989 season, but the Hillsborough Disaster in April forced the rescheduling of the fixture.

Arsenal whittled away the 15-point lead the Reds held at the turn of the year, but even then it would take the most remarkable of victories at Anfield to get the job done.

The Gunners – who hadn’t enjoyed success at Liverpool for 15 years - had to win by two clear goals against a side who hadn’t lost bysuch a margin at home since 1986.

News_Image_File: The climax to the 1988-1989 season beggars belief as Arsenal pipped Liverpool.

“You Haven’t Got A Prayer, Arsenal” was The Mirror’s headline leading up to the match, but they did, and as it turned it out, it was answered.

Alan Smith gave the Gunners the lead on 52 minutes before Michael Thomas scored the title-winning goal in injury time, with just 25 seconds to go in the season, as the commentator famously stated “It’s up for grabs now”.

The pair finished even on 76 points and with the same +37 goal difference but the Gunners were crowned champions by the virtue of scoring eight more goals than Liverpool (73 to 65) over the season.

Incredible drama.

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Arsenal v Manchester United, 1997-1998

P oint heading in – Arsenal 54, Manchester United 60pts

Final standings- Arsenal 78, Manchester United 77

The Red Devils were 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League in the beginning of March 1998 and appeared all set for a fifth title in six seasons, with one bookie even paying out early on the punters who had backed them to lift the trophy.

But Arsene Wenger’s Gunners - who had three games in hand on the Red Devils - blew the title race wide open with victory at Old Trafford on March 14 thanks to Dutchman Marco Overmars.

News_Image_File: Marc Overmars was the hero against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1998.

The north London side kicked on, winning its next eight league games to seal their 11th league title, their first in the Premier League era, with two matches to spare as Arsene Wenger became just the third non-English manager to win the Premiership.

If that wasn’t enough to earn the love of Gunners fans, Wenger went on to also claim the FA Cup with a win over Newcastle United.

News_Image_File: Happier times for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal in 1998.

Chelsea v Manchester United, 2007-2008

Point heading in - United 81, Chelsea 78

Final standings – United 87, Chelsea 85

Chelsea and Manchester United have gone to-to-toe for the title several times since the turn of the century, with mixed results, and April 2008 saw the two sides face-off at Stamford Bridge in the third-last game of the season.

A win on home soil would see the Blues draw level with the Red Devils at the top – though United’s goal difference was vastly superior to Chelsea’s.

There was plenty of spice with it all on the line and Blues striker Didier Drogba left Nemanja Vidic bloodied following a stray knee.

But the real controversy would come from the referee’s whistle. With the match even poised at 1-1 with five minutes to play, referee Alan Wiley awarded Chelsea a penalty for a dubious Michael Carrick handball.

News_Image_File: Chelsea's Michael Ballack won the match in 2008, but United had the last laugh.

Michael Ballack scored from the spot before goal line blocks from Ashley Cole and Andriy Shevchenko secured all three points from the Londoners.

But it was all in vain as United recovered to win its final two fixtures against West Ham and Wigan to seal the title by two points.

It got worse for Chelsea, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men beating them on penalties in the Champions League final weeks later in Moscow.

Manchester United v Chelsea, 2009-2010

Points heading in – Chelsea 71, United 72

Final standings – Chelsea 86, United 85

Controversy again reared its head when Chelsea visited Old Trafford in the 33rd week of the season in 2009-2010.

Chelsea took a 2-0 lead, the second goal awarded despite substitute Didier Drogba clearly being offside. United mustered a goal of it’s own late own – also fortuitously – but it wasn’t enough as the Blues – this time managed by Carlo Ancelotti – went two points clear at the summit.

Four wins from its final five matches was enough as the Blues wrapped up the title in grand fashion, thrashing Wigan Athletic 8-0 on the last day of the season to edge Fergie’s Red Devils by a single point.

But the seesawing rivalry continued the next season, and this time it was Chelsea left feeling blue.

News_Image_File: Chelsea players celebrate Premier League success in 2010 after again seeing off United.

Manchester United v Chelsea, 2010-2011

Points heading in – United 72, Chelsea 69

Final standings – United 80, Chelsea 71

United’s title-winning margin of nine points in 2010-2011 points doesn’t do justice to the importance of the fixture against the Blues in May 2011 at Old Trafford once again.

A Chelsea win would have seen them draw level with the Red Devils, but this time United got the perfect start, Javier Hernandez scoring after just 36 seconds.

Nemanja Vidic made it 2-0 before half-time - and despite a Frank Lampard second-half-goal - the Red Devils held on for a victory that had contrasting effects on both sides, as Fergie’s troops went six-points clear.

The loss shattered the Blues’ confidence and they went on to draw and lose their final two fixtures. For United, a nervy draw against Blackburn a week later was enough to crown them English champions for a record 19th time, passing the mark of great rivals Liverpool.

News_Image_File: The Red Devils got their revenge on Chelsea in 2011.

Manchester City v Manchester United, 2011-2012

Points heading in – City 80, United 83

Final standings - City 89 (+64 GD), United 89 (+56 GD)

Everyone remembers Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp goal against Queens Park Rangers when reminiscing about the thrilling climax to the 2011-2012 season, but that incredible moment was only able to be achieved thanks to a clutch win a fortnight earlier.

Manchester rivals City and United met in the third last game of that season on April 30 2012. United took a three-point lead into the clash at Etihad Stadium, and could all but wrap up the title with a win over Roberto Mancini’s side.

News_Image_File: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany rises high to peg back Man United.

But the Red Devils’ confidence was shaky on the back of throwing three points away in a 4-4 draw with Everton days earlier. City took full advantage, Vincent Kompany hammering home a first-half header as the hosts dominated their cross-town rivals.

It finished 1-0, but the truth is United wqw never in it, and didn’t even register a shot on target in the 90 minutes as City took over at the top thanks to a vastly superior goal difference, +61 to the Red Devils’ +52. Fergie’s team had thrown away an eight-point lead with six games to go.

A gusty QPR threatened to spoil the Citizens’ fairytale on the last day of the season, but we all know how that finished … Aguerrrooooo!