At the end, the Leicester City players wore relieved and contented smiles as they walked towards the tunnel at Old Trafford, and they received a warm and respectful ripple of applause from the remaining Manchester United fans.Meanwhile, at the far end of the stadium, the travelling fans could be heard singing about winning the league and not being shifted from the top of the table, while back in the city of Leicester, supporters spilled out of pubs with dazed smiles across their faces as it dawned on them they could be champions within 24 hours.That point earned at Old Trafford had taken Leicester to within touching distance of the Premier League trophy, and they could now be champions on Monday evening if Tottenham Hotspur fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.One Leicester fan felt confident enough to start lifting a plastic inflatable of the Premier League trophy in the away end at Old Trafford.But could these celebrations all be a little premature for Leicester City'It falls on me to be the killjoy, as I do not see it as either outlandish or impossible that they could still stumble so close to the finish line.Is it really impossible to imagine Leicester drawing or losing at home to Everton, and then losing their final, nerve-filled game away to Chelsea'If this happens, and Tottenham win their final three games of the season against Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle United, they will instead be champions.The watching Spurs players will have been emboldened by Leicesters failure to secure the title on Sunday; they know they are now still alive.Their job now is to go to Chelsea and prevent Tottenham fans suffering the undeserved trauma of seeing their title hopes extinguished at a gleeful Stamford Bridge.The goading and gloating their fans would suffer at the hands of their London rivals should they lose has to be motivation enough for the Tottenham players on Monday night.If they can rediscover the brio and fluidity that saw them score four times against Stoke City only two weeks ago then Spurs should be able to brush aside Chelsea.But history is against Tottenham, who have a horrible record at Stamford Bridge, where they have not won in the league for a staggering 26 years.But this White Hart Lane side, led by the inspirational Mauricio Pochettino, have been defying history throughout this momentous season, and now would be the perfect time to end their barren run in south-west London.Tottenham still have the title to play for, but they also want to finish above Arsenal for the first time for 21 years. That remains a prize in itself.To finish below Arsenal now would be a cruel and anti-climactic end to their season, but for now there are still points to play for to avoid that, starting on Monday.A Tottenham win at Chelsea would mean the title race would remain alive for another weekend until Evertons visit to the King Power Stadium on Saturday.There Leicester would have the simple task of winning in front of their own fans to become champions of England for the first time.A draw would not be good enough, the Foxes would have to go for a win.But Roberto Martinez is fighting for his job at Goodison Park, and aligned with that traditional British bloody-mindedness not to simply roll over and allow Leicester to parade the Premier League trophy, Everton could spring a surprise.Is it really hard to imagine a game which sees Ross Barkley skipping past the Leicester midfield and feeding the prolific Romelu Lukaku'This is Everton, not Exeter City; Leicester need to tread carefully.The Toffees have suffered a slump in the second half of the season, but they were unfortunate against Manchester United in their narrow defeat in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley last weekend, and they secured a morale-boosting win at home over Bournemouthon Saturday.If Everton can secure a draw at the very least againstLeicester, then Tottenham will suddenly feel a surge of belief, and that should be more than enough to get past Southamptonin front of their own fans at White Hart Lane on Sunday.And so the title race would go to the final weekend of the season, with Leicester needing something from their visit to Stamford Bridge: a point (or even a win if they have lost to Everton) to become champions, while Tottenham know only a win away to Newcastle would be enough to overtake them.A Spurs win coupled with Leicester failing to secure three points, would see White Hart Lane become the home of the champions for the first time since 1961.Chelsea are so desperate to see Tottenhams quest fail that there would be a strange atmosphere at Stamford Bridge on the final day against Leicester.But surely their fans have enough self-respect not to want to see their team actively lose in front of them at home'In this scenario, Chelsea would still be the reigning Premier League champions, and a side boasting Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Willian is capable of beating any team, including Leicesterespecially at home.Tottenham would face a difficult task at St. James' Park in their final game against Newcastle, particularly if the Magpies still need the points to avoid relegation, but on current form, Spurs should still triumph there.So, for the moment, Leicester fans should pack away their inflatable trophies and "Champions" scarves.While it remains likely the Foxes will complete their fairytale, it also isnt that improbable that Spurs could yet create their own.For the moment, Tottenhams title hopes are still very much alive.
Click here to read full news..
