Weekend Round-up: City take a step closer to title

It was another eventful weekend in the Premier League and Championship, and we have rounded up all the major talking points from England's top two divisions.

Top two in Premier League looks done and dusted

Manchester City made it 14 wins in their last 15 Premier League matches with a 4-0 thrashing of Norwich City in the late kick-off on Saturday.

Their lead at the top of the table remains at nine points after Liverpool beat Burnley 1-0, and although the Reds have a game in hand on Pep Guardiola’s side it is difficult to see City slipping up from here. Our traders agree: the champions are available at just 1.12 to retain the title.

Liverpool might not be able to catch City but they are in a strong position to finish second. Our market rates their chances of a top-two finish at 58%, with third-placed Chelsea unlikely to overturn a seven-point deficit.

Everton and Newcastle boost survival hopes

Everton were beginning to look nervously over their shoulder after a midweek loss to Newcastle United, but a 3-0 win against Leeds United on Saturday has left Frank Lampard breathing a little easier. The Toffees now have a five-point buffer above the bottom three and at least a game in hand on most of the teams below them.

Newcastle made it two wins on the bounce on Sunday, beating a lacklustre Aston Villa by a goal to nil. The Magpies are not safe yet, but a four-point lead over 18th-placed Norwich has seen their chances of relegation cut to 19%.

Indeed, our traders believe the current bottom three will finish the season there: Norwich have an 80% chance of relegation, with Burnley at 68% and Watford at 83%.

Several Champions League contenders stumble

The way things are going, this season’s fourth-place finishers will stumble over the line. West Ham United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all slipped up, while Arsenal were not in action due to Chelsea’s participation at the Club World Cup.

The Gunners were the big winners this weekend, though. They are now the favourites for fourth at 42%, followed by Tottenham (41%) and Manchester United (28%).

Fulham and Bournemouth on track for promotion

Aleksandar Mitrovic notched his 31st goal of the Championship season as Fulham beat Hull City 1-0 on Saturday. That victory saw the Cottagers move 11 points clear of third place, and our traders now give them an 80% chance of winning the title and securing an immediate return to the Premier League.

Bournemouth got the better of Blackburn Rovers in the weekend’s crunch promotion clash. The Cherries now hold a five-point advantage in the race for second spot; our market rates their chances of going up at 62% compared to 26% for Blackburn.

Middlesbrough are one to watch. They are a team transformed under Chris Wilder, having lost just one of their last 11 fixtures in the Championship – and one of their last 13 in all competitions. Their 4-1 thumping of Derby County on Saturday was impressive and Boro can be backed at a generous price of 4.6 to win promotion.