After Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, the EPL title looks destined for Manchester City

WE’VE been handed another twist in this rollicking title ride. As social media rubs it into Liverpool, can Manchester City now finish the job?

SO this rollicking, unpredictable Premier League campaign has another twist for us.

Why should we be surprised?

The ball is now firmly in Manchester City’s court, with two home games to come against Aston Villa and West Ham United.

Is today the day we look back on as the final fatal twist in the title tale – or does Villa or the Hammers have another surprise for us?

“Of course the impossible can become possible. We’ve all seen what happened in Spain this weekend, when all three of the sides dropped points but City are now the clear favourites,” Brendan Rodgers said after the game.

“When we reflect on it at the end of the season, we’ll see it as an outstanding season. But that doesn’t take away the pain now because this was a game we should have won.”

Liverpool must now rely on a miracle, or Manchester City complacency.

So close, yet so far – something Manchester United legend Gary Neville thinks could haunt all Liverpool fans over the off-season.

“Liverpool are going to be wondering when they’re going to win the league again,” he said on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game in England.

“The others are going to be so strong in the coming years.

“They’ve thrown it away. They are desolate, the Liverpool fans. That third goal was a shocker.

“The two centre-backs aren’t leading or communicating. You need your back four to be tight, strong and to stay together.”

THE FINAL RUN-IN RE-VISITED

‘ROY OF THE ROVERS’ FOOTBALL COSTS LIVERPOOL

FIRST: LIVERPOOL

PLAYED: 37 WON: 25 DRAWN: 6 LOST: 6 SCORED: 99 CONCEDED: 49 DIFFERENCE: 50 POINTS: 81

FINAL ROUND: Newcastle United at Anfield.

After a tense first-half at Selhurst Park, it felt as though Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez had broken the shackles and Liverpool could make a dent into Manchester City’s superior goal difference.

Indeed, the Reds got carried away.

“For 78 minutes we were outstanding, had done everything we’d wanted to do, looked solid defensively had control of the ball and had three goals,” Rodgers added after the game.

“But we got carried away, thought we could have more, and lost our defensive structure.

“We thought we could play Roy of the Rovers football and make the goal difference up. But it was about winning the game. We didn’t manage the game.”

Retired Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was more scathing on Sky Sports after the game in his assessment of Liverpool’s defensive display.

“Defensively they’re not up to being Premier League champions,” he said on Sky Sports.

“Sakho makes you nervous. They always concede together. It’s not good enough.

“That final 20 minutes was unacceptable. They concede too many goals.

“The back four and defensive side of this team have shown they can’t cope with pressure. They’re not leaders.

“You can’t keep inviting pressure. They got out of jail at Norwich the other week and haven’t learned their lesson; It’s gone on and on over the past few months.

“Well tonight they haven’t and have thrown away the Premier League title.”

Cue the pain on social media.

‘DO NOT BELIEVE YET’

SECOND: MANCHESTER CITY

PLAYED: 36 WON: 25 DRAWN: 5 LOST: 6 SCORED: 96 CONCEDED: 37 DIFFERENCE: 59 POINTS: 80

MID-WEEK: Aston Villa on Thursday, 4.45am EST on Fox Sports 2, from Etihad Stadium.

FINAL GAME: West Ham United at Etihad Stadium

Everton gave Manuel Pellegrini’s men a mighty scare on the weekend, but it looks as though the Chilean will time Manchester City’s run to perfection, nabbing the title lead in the final week of the term.

The City boss said he wasn’t going to put himself through Liverpool’s match today – but it’s this advice after the win at Everton that holds the key to the title race: “The worst thing we could do is believe that today we won the Premier League title,” Pellegrini said. “We still have two games to play against teams with nothing to fight for, who can come to our stadium and play without pressure.”

The equation looks rather straight forward for the men in blue, but Pellegrini has learnt quickly about the topsy turvy nature of the top tier in England. He need look no further than this morning’s contest for an example.

“Here in the Premier League you have to fight to the last game. The intensity of the games is from the very first minute until the end. In this moment, we are just trying to think of the next two games,” he said after the weekend’s game.

It appeared we were set for another day of final day drama. In all likelihood, Thursday’s clash holds the key to avoiding more Sergio Aguero-esque drama on the final day.

“I think the supporters would say like me that we don’t want to live through that again,” Yaya Touré said

Another meme at the expense of Kolo Toure and Luis Suarez.

T HIRD: CHELSEA

PLAYED: 37 WON: 24 DRAWN: 7 LOST: 6 SCORED: 69 CONCEDED: 26 DIFFERENCE: 43 POINTS: 79

FINAL GAME: Cardiff away.

Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Willian.

Jose Mourinho will finish the season without a trophy, although, incongruously for a Chelsea manager, he doesn’t appear to be in any danger of losing his job.

A lamentable 0-0 draw with Norwich followed elimination from the UEFA Champions League – so the biggest consequence of the side’s 2-0 win over Liverpool looks like being handing the crown to Manchester City.

Mourinho reportedly blew up at half-time on the weekend, accusing the likes of Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah of not being up to standard.

If this title was decided on big matches, Chelsea is the undisputed king. But against sides Chelsea has had to breakdown with attacking brilliance, it has not been good enough.

“Against the teams that are more defensive, more aggressive, more worried about trying to keep a clean sheet than really to play, we keep saying the same,” Mourinho said.

“We have good players, but we don’t have the kind of striker able to, in a short space, to make an action, to score a goal, to open the gate.

“In these kind of matches you just need to open the gate. When you open the gate, the gate is open and you go win much more. We weren’t able to do that.

“We have to try to win as a team, to improve as a team, but also add the attacking player with that killer instinct and the number of goals that push teams to different levels.

“It’s something our club is going to try (to do), respecting obviously that we have good strikers.”

Originally published as After Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, the EPL title looks destined for Manchester City