Pounce: Papiss Cisse helped fire Newcastle one step
closer to the Champions League
Down: Tottenham have been in poor form of late
Spirit: Newcastle are in tremendous form
Newcastle were the big winners as the fight for
fourth place in the Premier League and a £30million Champions
League bounty took another twist.
Chelsea are sixth after being held 1-1 by neighbours
Fulham on Monday when a Frank Lampard penalty was cancelled out
late on by Clint Dempsey.
Newcastle had earlier gatecrashed the race with a 2-0 home
win over Bolton thanks to another goal from their prolific January
signing Papiss Cisse.
It put them level on 59 points with fourth placed
Tottenham, who stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at home to
Norwich.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp warned: ‘It’s going to be
close - it will be the team who wants it most.’
Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo added: ‘We’re closer to
that fourth spot than we were. We were always playing catch-up, so
the situation was difficult from the start.
‘We have to look at it positively. We are closer now than
we were a month ago.
‘I think it’s going to go down to the last game. Again
today, you saw some unexpected results.’
Even in-form Arsenal, who go to bottom club Wolves
tomorrow on the back of eight wins in nine games, are not certain
to qualify with just a two-point advantage keeping them
third.
Redknapp, favourite to be offered the England manager’s
job, is under most pressure after Monday’s defeat left his side
having taken just six points from their past eight
games.
'Spurs were once 10 points clear of Arsenal, but have
faltered since Fabio Capello quit in February and uncertainty began
to surround Redknapp’s future.
Elliott Bennett gave Norwich victory after Jermain Defoe
had levelled Anthony Pilkington’s early goal.
Redknapp admitted: ‘We had a bad day. It’s going to be
close, but there are still five games to go. We don’t lose too many
games at home. I don’t think we have to win all five. Chelsea play
Newcastle; they can’t both win.
Dumped: Tottenham have been brought back down to earth
by recent results
Destroyer: Clint Dempsey nodded home from a corner to
foil Chelsea
Newcastle have been the surprise package and yet another
goal from £9.5million January recruit Cisse, following a wonder
strike by Hatem Ben Arfa against Bolton, gave them their fifth win
in a row.
Manager Alan Pardew said: ‘If the FA Cup semis go our way,
we could be in Europe by the weekend and if that works in our
favour, then there is nothing we can do except go for the Champions
League.
‘I have never ruled out the Champions League. To have this
points total and not finish in Europe would be tough to take, so
we’ve got to keep our eyes on the ball. And we’re not giving up on
anything, apart from winning the title.’