Liverpool and Arsenal’s Premier League title race impacted by Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win
Crystal Palace’s 3-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage to secure a place in the FA Cup semi-finals could have a big impact on the Premier League title race between Liverpool and Arsenal
Crystal Palace’s 3-0 thrashing of Fulham not only secured their place in the FA Cup semi-finals, but also threw a spanner in the works for the Premier League title race between Liverpool and Arsenal.
Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah were all on target for Oliver Glasner’s Eagles at Craven Cottage, leaving home boss Marco Silva fuming over referee Darren England’s decision not to send off Palace midfielder Adam Wharton in the first half.
The win means Palace are the first team through to the FA Cup semi-finals, set to take place on the weekend of April 26-27. This means their Premier League clash with Arsenal, originally scheduled for April 26, will have to be rescheduled.
The new date for the match is yet to be confirmed, especially as Arsenal have a busy schedule ahead with three midweek matches – against Fulham in the Premier League on April 1, and then two legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on April 8 and 16.
With an Ipswich match lined up for Sunday April 20, the earliest possible date for the rescheduled match could be Wednesday, April 23.
However, this may not sit well with Palace, who would prefer a free week to prepare for the FA Cup semi-final, and the short notice of the switch could cause issues, reports the Mirror.
It seems more likely that the match will be moved to a later date, but this will depend on whether Arsenal progress past reigning European champions Real Madrid in the Champions League.
If Arsenal progress, they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa in the semi-finals on April 29-30 and May 6-7. This would rule out those dates for the Crystal Palace match.
The only remaining midweeks it could then be played are the weeks commencing May 12 and 19, but there could be further complications there should Palace reach the FA Cup final on May 17.
This situation could give Liverpool an advantage as they may find themselves with a game in hand on the Gunners once again, and with an extra chance to stretch their lead at the top to an unassailable margin.
Currently 12 points clear, Liverpool need a maximum of 16 points to win their 20th top-flight title and second in five years.
Both Liverpool and Arsenal have at least four Premier League matches before the now interrupted weekend of April 26-27.
If Arsenal vs Palace gets pushed back rather than forward, and Arsenal drop any points in one of those four games, then Liverpool could seal the title by beating Tottenham at Anfield on April 27 if they have won all of their preceding four games.
However, if Arsenal vs Palace gets moved forward and Arsenal win, this could delay Liverpool’s likely coronation, perhaps setting up the possibility that the Reds secure the title when Arsenal come to Anfield on the weekend of May 10.
