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London rivals continue battle for top-four finish

Stakes high in West Ham v Tottenham derby

Liverpool's Diogo Jota scores their first goal against Arsenal.
Liverpool's Diogo Jota scores their first goal against Arsenal.
Image: David Klein

London - The Premier League title race takes a breather at the weekend as the FA Cup takes centre stage but the scrap for fourth place continues with Arsenal still in the box seat despite Wednesday's home defeat by Liverpool.

Fourth-placed Arsenal travel to Aston Villa tomorrow while a day later London rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are sixth and seventh respectively, meet in a derby that has taken on huge significance.

Arsenal's five-match winning run in the league ended in the 2-0 defeat by title-chasing Liverpool but their form since the turn of the year has given them a great chance of a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017.

Mikel Arteta's side have 51 points from 27 games, one ahead of Manchester United who have played two games more. West Ham have 48 points from 29 games while Tottenham also have 48 from 28 with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who host Leeds United on Friday, on 46 from 29.

It is intriguingly poised and this weekend could prove pivotal for the hopes of West Ham and Tottenham.

For much of the season West Ham have looked the best bet to claim a top-four finish in the Premier League for the first time and achieve their best top-flight finish since 1986.

They have been reeled in by Arsenal, however, and defeat at Tottenham on Sunday would be a hammer blow to their hopes of welcoming Europe's elite at the London Stadium.

Unpredictable Tottenham, on the other hand, have revived their hopes with four wins in their last six league games and despite the suspicion that a bad performance is never far away, they are back in the mix.

Antonio Conte, who took charge in November, has spent much of his short reign playing down expectations and questioning his squad's quality, but the Italian has got Tottenham ticking with striker Harry Kane appearing back to his best.

"We are showing great improvement and this is good for the present and the future," Conte said after Wednesday's 2-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion.

"On Sunday we will have a crucial game against West Ham. They have the same target and we are talking about a team that in the last season they arrived before us."

In the weekend's only other Premier League fixture Brentford can take a massive step towards securing top-flight survival when they travel to Leicester City on Sunday.

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