Chelsea win v Leicester officially eliminates Tottenham from top four

We knew coming into the final week of the season the chances of Tottenham somehow wriggling their way into the top four were infinitesimal. Now, after Chelsea defeated Leicester City, the Spurs are officially out of the top four. Moreover, with Leicester City likely needing a win to make the top four themselves, expect a real battle on the last day.

The math no longer works for Tottenham

Coming into the day the chances of Tottenham Hotspur finishing fourth in the Premier League were less than 1%. Now, however, those chances are officially zero, as both Chelsea and Leicester City will finish above the Spurs, no matter what.

Now the question is what happens with Tottenham on Wednesday against Aston Villa and Liverpool at Burnley. If Liverpool wins at Burnley, they will be in fourth place, in front of Leicester City on goal difference. That would mean even with a win the Foxes no longer control their own destiny – sort of like West Ham.

If Liverpool somehow loses at Burnley, then Leicester City will only need a point against the Lilywhites to guarantee their place in the Champions League. At this point who is or is not in the Champions League is not as much of a concern to Tottenham as is making it to Europa League.

Tottenham still have the inside track to Europa League

While the teams in front of Tottenham scramble for that last spot in the UCL, the Spurs control their Europa League destiny. A win on Wednesday in the home finale against Aston Villa would put them in a great position to return to Europe’s second-tier competition.

Given West Ham is playing already relegated West Brom, and Tottenham only leads on goal difference, the Lilywhites need to be focused on winning the Villa match. If the Spurs win and the Hammer’s lose, it would take extreme blowouts on the last day to cost Tottenham a place in the top six.

Of course, we should not expect West Ham to lose and we should expect Sunday everything is going to come down to the wire as no one wants to claim their spot. The one thing we do know now is the Spurs will not finish in the top four, no matter what. The question is can they finish in the top six?