April 2nd to 7th - A pattern seems to be developing where Man City are winning their games early on and Liverpool are relying on late winners to keep in first place. City had a straghtforward two-nil win at home to Cardiff on Wednesday night with goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Leroy Sane. That meant Liverpool had to win at Southampton on Friday to regain top spot. The Saints were good value for an early lead provided by Shane Long. Naby Keita equalised with his first goal for the Reds. It remained one-all until ten minutes from time when Mo Salah ambled fifty yards up the pitch to fire Jurgen Klopp's side into the lead. Jordan Henderson's first goal since September 2017 was the proverbial icing on the cake as the Reds ensured they take a two point lead into a busy run of fixtures for both sides. Plenty more twists and turns ahead I'd say....

Man United's defeat at Wolves leaves their top four finish in doubt. Scott McTominay had them ahead early on at Moulineux but a Diego Jota goal and a Chris Smalling own goal leaves United in sixth place, three points off fourth spot. Tottenham finally returned to White Hart Lane (now known as the Tottenham Stadium) and beat Crystal Palace two-nil to move back into third place. Arsenal slipped to a one-nil defeat at Everton on Sunday - Phil Jagielka scored the winner for the Toffeemen in that one, becoming the oldest scorer in the Premier League this season. The four teams competing for the two remaining Champions League spots are separated by just three points now. Man United will definitely need a result in their game against Man City in a couple of weeks (please God....)

At the bottom, Fulham's relegation was confirmed following a four-one defeat at Watford midweek. Burnley picked up a very big three points winning three-one at Bournemouth after being a goal down. They'll be safe if they beat Man City at Turf Moor later on this month (please God...). Crystal Palace look safe after winning one-nil at Newcastle thanks to Luka Milivojevic's second half penalty. A win over Man City next Sunday will guarantee their safety (please God....)

Elsewhere this week, Chelsea kept up their Champions League prospects with a three-nil win at home to Brighton. Brendan Rodgers made it five wins from six as Leicester manager with a four-one win at Huddersfield. They'll be hoping to round off their away campaign with victory at Man City in early May (please God....).

The early leaderboard for April sees Gavin Morgan lead the way on 57 points. He's three points clear of Joe Behan and Matthew Lynch who share second place. Full details below:

Apologies in advance for
the next few weeks....



A sort of homecoming....



Arsenal slip up....

April 13th and 14th - Liverpool still lead the way at the top of the Premier League after beating Chelsea (and maybe some psychological demons) two-nil at Anfield. Second half goals from Sadio Mane and Mo Salah means the Reds stay top for another week at least. Man City had gone back to the top for a couple of hours following their three-one win at Crystal Palace. Raheem Sterling scored twice in that one for the reigning champions. Cardiff's two-nil defeat at Burnley leaves them in serious trouble in the relegation zone. They're five points adrift of safety after Chris Wood scored twice at Turf Moor. Neil Warnock's blood pressure went off the scale when Mike Dean awarded them a penalty and then changed his mind. They also had a good shout for another penalty ignored late on too. Cardiff will need to win their game in hand at Brighton midweek to have any chance of survival you'd think. They'll be encouraged by Brighton's five-nil trashing at the hands of south coast rivals Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon though...

The weekend's action opened with Newcastle winning three points at Leicester on Friday night. Ayoze Perez scored the winner as the Toon Army went ten points clear of the relegation zone. Southampton beat Wolves three-one to move closer to safety. Shane Long scored for the second game in a row in that one, joined on the scoresheet by Nathan Redmond who scored twice.

The battle for the top four saw wins for Spurs and Man United on Saturday. Spurs scored four without reply at home to Huddersfield. Victor Wanyama opened the scoring and Lucas Moura added a hat-trick as the hosts made it three wins in a row at their new stadium ahead of two huge games with Man City next week. Man United just about got past West Ham to keep their top four hopes alive. Paul Pogba scored two penalties either side of a Felipe Andersen equaliser in that one. Saturday's other game saw Everton's recent good run come to an end - they lost two-nil at relegated Fulham.

Those results see Joe Behan move into the lead in the April competition with a score of 114 points. He's 8 points clear of Gavin Morgan in second place with the top five completed by Ciaran O'Hart, Matthew Lynch and Niall Carroll. Full details below:

Burnley edge closer to safety....



Remembering the 96 on the 30th anniversary....

April 20th and 21st - Liverpool won again to remain top of the table. A hard fought victory was earned at Cardiff courtesy of goals from Wijnaldum and Milner. The two-nil win leaves Liverpool two points clear. Man City's game in hand is away to local rivals United on Wednesday night. A fifth minute goal from Phil Foden was enough for City to return to the top of the table for 24 hours. There were none of the high scoring shennanigans of midweek with just one goal as they beat Spurs at the Etihad. With both contenders winning week after week it's just too close to call. City's visit to Old Trafford will doubtless be one of the defining moments of the season.

Man United warmed down for Wednesday night's game against Man City with a four-nil defeat at Everton. A truly awful performance saw the Toffees saw goals from Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Digne and Walcott secure the points for Marco Silva's side. Arsenal were the third side chasing a top four spot to lose at the weekend. They were beaten three-two at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday evening. A win for Chelsea on Monday night will see them climb to third place in the table after all their rivals lost.

The rest of Saturday's focus was on the bottom of the table. Newcastle passed the magical forty point mark with a three-one win at home to Southampton. Ayoze Perez was a hat-trick hero as Rafa Benitez' side secured their Premier League status for another season. Brighton halted a five game losing streak battling to a nil-all draw at Wolves.

Elsewhere on Saturday, there were mixed fortunes for the relegated sides. Fulham won one-nil at Bournemouth thanks to an Aleksandar Mitrovic goal. Huddersfield were beaten two-one at home by Watford - Gerard Delofeu scored both goals for the cup finalists in that one. Saturday's other game saw the points and four goals shared between West Ham and Leicester at the London Stadium.

Joe Behan has a ten point lead heading into the last week of the month. Andy Dunne is in second place, a point ahead of Ciaran O'Hart. The top five for the month is completed by Con McSweeney and Kris Stainton. Full details below:

City bounce back....



As United implode....



Liverpool just won't go away....

April 27th and 28th - Two victories in a week leave Manchester City odds on favourites to retain their title. A two-nil Manchester Derby victory midweek was followed by a one-nil win at Burnley to move a point clear of Liverpool. The midweek goals were scored by Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane. Sergio Aguero notched a second half winner at Burnley. Victories at home to Leicester and away to Brighton will be enough for Pep Guardiola's side to win the title. Liverpool, for their part, kept up the pressure with a five-nil win at home to Huddersfield on Friday night.

The battle for the top four continues to run. Tottenham look good for third spot despite a one-nil defeat at home to West Ham on Saturday. Man United's derby defeat was followed up with a one-all draw at home to Chelsea. Marcos Alonso equalised Juan Mata's opener in that one. Arsenal crashed to two defeats in a week. They lost three-one at Wolves midweek and then three-nil at a Jamie Vardy inspired Leicester on Sunday.

At the bottom, Brighton battled to a point at hope to Newcastle - Pascal Gross scored a second half equaliser for the hosts in that one. They're now four points clear of Cardiff who lost one-nil at Fulham. Ryan Babel scored the winner for the already relegated Cottagers in that one.

Elsewhere at the weekend, Wolves won two-one at Watford to maintain their European hopes. Crystal Palace and Everton played out a scoreless draw at Selhurst Park. The South Coast Derby between Southampton and Bournemouth also ended in a draw with six goals shared.

A strong finish to the month saw Con McSweeney win the April monthly prize. Ciaran O'Hart finished second, just four points behind with overall leader Eamon Fox just a further point back. Full details below:

City six points away....



De Gea at fault again....

Con McSweeney

Coola_Boolas

185

Ciaran O'Hart

Riverchapel Plate

182

Eamon Fox

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

181

Joe Behan

Melchester Rovers

175

Niall Carroll

TEK

175

Aidan Scanlon

Kilflynn Santos

174

Gary Fitzpatrick

Van Dijk on the Mike

174

John Brophy

Carrig Combo

169

Brian Mullen

Sharon Curley's Up The Igo

167

10

Aidan White

Benchwarmers United

165

11

Daragh Kenny

Croatia Royal

165

12

Matthew Lynch

The Village Idiots

165

13

Anastas Popov

Old Saints

162

14

Craig Calvert

Fred The Red

162

15

Gavin Morgan

Left Short At The Back

160

16

Kris Stainton

11 Reasons Why Not

158

17

Joe Turner

The Profit Mohamed

154

18

Victoria Reid

Tristan's Titans

154

19

Graham Goodwin

Gary Breen's Dream Team

153

20

Jonathan Fox

Klopp of The League

153

21

Trevor Byrne

Noddys 11

153

22

Damien Martin

Rath Rovers

152

23

Gary McGurk

Goose Green Mafia

152

24

Karl Boland

Excited United

152

25

Sean O'Mairtin

Creweless

150

26

Andy Dunne

Intermontalbano FC

148

27

Gerry Draper

Everton10

148

28

Paul Moore

Bobby's Great Pearly Whites

148

29

Pat Jordan

Myboyzac

147

30

Wayne Donovan

Kerry The Kingdom

147

31

Liam Geraghty

Hopeful In Blue

145

32

Brendan Maguire

Can'tthinkofone

143

33

David Cooney

Who's Sarri Now?

143

34

Frank McSweeney

Poolabu

143

35

Micheal Joyce

Nextyear PG

143

36

Philip Jordan

Frankie's Army

143

37

Dave McGinley

Reservoir Dubs

140

38

Roisin Joyce

L.C.R. FC

135

39

Paul Prendergast

The Untouchables

133

40

Phil Doyle

FC Muertos Errantes

133

41

Gerry Moore

My Emery Ain't What It Used To Be

132

42

Callum Dunne

Bulletproof FC

124

43

Liam Keohan

Gunnerwinitall

124

44

Caroline Carroll

Top of the Klopps

120

45

Richard Johnston

Shaqiri, Shaqiri, The Hips Don't Lie

120

46

Aiden Desch

Superspurs

109

47

Brian Prendergast

Mr Dobalina

87

48

Eoghan Farrelly

Just4fun

77

49

Ralph Goodwin

Sky Blue Troopers

75

50

Jason Donovan

LFC

45

51

Kevin Donohoe

LTFC

45

52

Simon Scanlon

Pearse Heroes

38

53

Gary Donnelly

Flying A Keita

14

54

Chris Keohan

Traffic Cones

12

55

Ian Healy

Wookie Nuts

12

56

Javier Suarez

Tiki Taka

10

57

Kevin McCartin

Villa4ever

10

58

Lisa Donnelly

Hickson's Heroes

10

59

Pat Walsh

Ellie's Back

10

60

Ross Jordan

Abbie FC

8

61

Philip Pagin

Sporting Linstock

6