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There’s something really odd about basing predictions for the Premier League title race on how a team does in an FA Cup game. But then again, not many cup semi-finals pit the two protagonists at the top of the table against each other in a straight shootout.

And so, on the back of Chelsea’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Saturday evening, Chelsea have become even bigger favourites to lift the trophy come the end of the season. Presumably on the basis that they have now dealt Tottenham a huge psychological blow and steadied their own ship at exactly the moment at which it looked to be wavering.

And yet, nothing’s really changed in the Premier League title race as far as both teams are concerned. That Spurs now look weaker than Chelsea is a matter of perception rather than substance – perhaps much in the same way that Spurs were perceived to have been much the better side at Wembley, even in defeat. It’s all academic, and whatever was true, materially, before the weekend’s fixtures is still true now.

But that doesn’t make any better reading for Tottenham.

Before the FA Cup semi-final, there was some hope that momentum would be created by victory. That Chelsea would start feeling sorry for themselves and lose enough points to leave the door open for Spurs, and that Mauricio Pochettino’s side, emboldened by their luck, would go on to win a sensational double, coming from behind to lift the trophy after 14 victories on the bounce. But that was unlikely ever to be the case. The fact always remained that in order to win the title, Spurs needed not just to beat the record for most consecutive wins in the Premier League, but to do it with the kind of run-in which would lead many to decide they’d throw away the title if the positions were reversed.

First up this is a trip to Crystal Palace, a side whose squad doesn’t immediately shout relegation battle, and who have already disposed of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool over the last few weeks. They have risen from the depths like a monster from a 1950s horror film, looking more like a team on the verge of Europa League qualification than relegation to the Championship.

It’s not an easy game by anyone’s standards, and we knew that even before the FA Cup game. But what comes next only gets harder. If Tottenham are to win the title, they’ll have to beat Palace, but also then beat Arsenal at home and West Ham United away. And even if Palace away isn’t the kind of London derby that Spurs fans look for the second the fixture list is announced, Arsenal and West Ham games are. Both teams hate Spurs, and both teams will relish putting the boot into a Tottenham title challenge. If they win those three local derbies in a row, we’ll have to start to believe.

And yet, even if they do, it doesn’t get a whole lot easier from there. After a run like that, you want to be able to puff out your cheeks and slump into your favourite armchair, but the fixture schedulers didn’t really allow Spurs that luxury: Manchester United at home (possibly the last ever Premier League game at the current incarnation of White Hart Lane) is then followed by two tough away trips to finish the season, one to Leicester (who haven’t lost at home since February 5th) and Hull City (whose last home defeat came on December 26th).

It makes you wonder whether there really is a title race at all.

Spurs are probably the best team in the country. They have lost the fewest games, conceded the fewest goals and have the best goal difference. They have scored more goals than Chelsea have, conceded fewer and played better football over the course of the last six months.

And so if any team in England can win those six remaining fixtures in such difficult circumstances, it’s Tottenham. But even if the FA Cup, and the associated heartbreak, isn’t what makes winning the title suddenly looks beyond them, their fixture list does. In the end, they’ve probably left themselves with just too much to do.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s academy players, along with the football community, have been rocked by the news that Ugo Ehiogu has died at the age of 44.

The retired defender, who played for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough during his playing career, passed away in the early hours of Friday morning.

Ehiogu worked as Tottenham’s Under-23 coach for the past three years, and during a training session on Thursday he had a cardiac arrest and collapsed.

After receiving treatment at the training base, he was transferred to hospital, but devastatingly was unable to recover.

Emotional tributes have been paid by many figures and football fans, but some of the most heartfelt have come from the players that had been taught or were currently learning from Ehiogu.

Anton Walkes, Charlie Owens, Keanan Bennetts, Samuel Shashoua, Shayon Harrison, Kyle Walker-Peters, Joshua Onomah and Luke Amos were among those to pay their respects.

Ehiogu played for West Bromwich, Rangers and Sheffield United in his career, but he spent most of it representing Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.

The defender made more than 350 appearances, and won the League Cup twice with Villa and again on Teesside.

Ehiogu, who won four England caps, leaves behind a wife and two children.

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Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has revealed his delight after making his Premier League debut in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The 19-year-old, who has been training with the Man United first team since January, made his first-team bow in the FA Cup against Wigan Athletic earlier this season, but his first taste of league action came away to Arsenal at the weekend.

The teenager has admitted that he was disappointed to suffer defeat on his Premier League bow, but the Englishman claimed that he was “chuffed personally” to be given the chance to impress by head coach Jose Mourinho in such a big game.

Tuanzebe told MUTV:

“It’s all thanks to the manager because he gave me the opportunity. We didn’t get the win, which is a disappointment, but I’m chuffed personally.

“At first, you see all the fans and you think ‘flipping heck’ but when the game starts, you lose yourself in it and concentrate on doing your job.

“The manager gave me one task: to stay with him [Alexis], and I seemed to do that quite well but again, we didn’t win so it doesn’t count as much. But it’s good to have the opportunity to play – the manager gives you a job and you have to show he can trust you for future games.”

Tuanzebe has progressed through the various age groups with the Red Devils as a central defender, but Antonio Valencia’s absence at the weekend saw the teenager start at right-back.

Man United will attempt to book their spot in the Europa League final when they welcome Celta Vigo to Old Trafford for the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday night.

Having won three games in a week, Arsenal had put themselves right back in contention to finish in the top four of the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League next season.

Following their impressive 4-1 win against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, the Gunners moved to within a point of Liverpool prior to Jurgen Klopp’s side’s clash against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

The north London outfit would have been hoping for a favour from their London neighbours with a game in hand against Sunderland on Tuesday night, but Slaven Bilic’s men were soundly beaten 4-0 by their Merseyside opponents.

It means that Arsenal are now four points behind Liverpool and three adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City with just two fixtures remaining for them and City and one for the Reds, and Gunners supporters slammed the Irons following their poor performance.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

“Please don’t sell Romelu Lukaku” – Every Everton fan as they look nervously towards the summer transfer window.

By the looks of things however, that wish remains unlikely, with Chelsea and Manchester United both strongly linked with the Belgium international by The Express last weekend.

Naturally accompanying rumours of Lukaku’s departure from Goodison Park, however, are rumours regarding his potential replacement.

Andre Gray of Burnley – who hit double figures for Sean Dyche’s side in his debut Premier League season – and out of favour Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho have both been touted, whilst former Toffees youngster Wayne Rooney is also amongst those linked with a move to Merseyside this summer.

It is not only strikers who could find themselves at Goodison Park next season however, with a host of other players from around Europe also reportedly in Ronald Koeman’s thoughts.

So Everton fans, who would you like your club to sign most the summer? Let us know by voting below!

Joe Cole has given his opinion on who his former club Chelsea should sign in the attacking department.

The 35-year-old, who currently plies his trade at the Tampa Bay Rowdies, has picked Everton’s Romelu Lukaku as the best option.

Cole believes that the Belgian is a perfect replacement for Diego Costa, who has been informed by manager Antonio Conte that he is not wanted at Stamford Bridge any longer, according to BBC Sport.

Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata is also believed to be on Chelsea’s radar, with The Mirror reporting that the West London outfit hope to hijack Manchester United’s move for the Spaniard.

The publication states that Morata has already agreed terms with the Red Devils, but Chelsea hope to scupper the deal with a £70m bid.

For Cole, he thinks that the forward’s lack of experience in English football could hamper him if he were to move to the Blues.

Lukaku, who spent three years at Chelsea before leaving for Everton in 2014, is his preferred option.

Cole told Goal.com:

“I like Lukaku. I’d take Lukaku, he is like for like with Costa, but they only need one or two players and just keep the continuity going.

“I wouldn’t look outside of Lukaku, [Alexis] Sanchez and [Sergio] Aguero. Morata is another one but he has never played in England so there is a little question mark there. Certainly they would be the players to look at.”

According to reports from The Daily Star, Newcastle United are eyeing a summer transfer swoop for Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph.

The England international has hardly covered himself in glory since signing for Manchester City in summer 2015, suffering a string of injury problems and drastically slumping down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola this season.

But the 27-year-old is still a talented player, one who once forced his way into Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions plans and captained Aston Villa to a spate of Premier League survivals as the beating heart of their midfield.

He could prove to be a really shrewd signing for the Magpies, but they’re by no means the only interested party, with The Star also citing interest from Celtic, West Brom and Burnley.

So, Newcastle fans, does Rafa Benitez need to beat those clubs to Delph’s signature or should the Magpies gaffer be looking elsewhere? Let us know by voting below…

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With the fixtures announced, a European draw made and a new player signed, Celtic’s new season is dawning. The club are currently in Austria right now to kick-off their pre-season friendlies and will be in the country all week as part of a training camp.

They have four friendly matches over the next eleven days as they prepare themselves for their first UEFA Champions League qualifier in mid-july against either Northern Ireland champions Linfield or San Marino champions SP La Fiorita.

Their first friendly arrives as soon as Wednesday evening when they face Austrian second-tier side BW Linz. On Saturday they face tougher opposition, old European foes Rapid Vienna before travelling to Czech Republic next week to face Slavia Prague. They’ll then travel on to Dublin where they’ll face Shamrock Rovers, just days before the first qualifier.

For fans, who can watch all the games via the club’s official streaming service, it’s a chance to check in on the fitness of their favourites and potentially see new names come to the fore.

Over the last 12 months, names you wouldn’t have though could become important players at the Hoops have emerged into key figures including the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor and Dedryck Boyata.

Who are the next set of players on the fringes who can stake a claim this summer?

Here are three we think have a chance…

Kristoffer Ajer

Signed as a promising young midfielder from Norwegian side Start in January 2016, Kristoffer Ajer has undergone something of a transformation since Brendan Rodgers’ arrival at the club. The Celtic boss has re-assigned his position in the team to the centre of defence and having worked on his new role for months now, could get his chance this summer to show what he can do in pre-season friendlies.

Ajer made over 60 appearances for his former side before joining the Hoops as a 17-year-old but he doesn’t have a lot of experience playing in defence which is why he was sent out on loan to Kilmarnock in January. He made 17 appearances for the Ayrshire side and drew plaudits for his accomplished and calm defensive play both on and off the ball.

With Efe Ambrose leaving the club and Celtic not exactly graced with depth in the area, he could come to the fore over the next few months as a serious option for Brendan Rodgers.

The matches over the next 11 days at least give the Celtic boss a chance to see him in a match setting and make a decision about his future at the club.

Eboue Kouassi

Signing from Russian club FC Krasnodar in late January, Celtic fans have barely had a glimpse of Eboue Kouassi since he joined the club. You get the impression that his first few months at the club have been about settling in and getting to know his coaches and teammates rather than expecting any sort of immediate return out of the significant investment made in his future.

He’s made five appearances since arriving at the club, but only one of those was a start.

With a full pre-season working with Brendan Rodgers you’d expect him to be knocking on the door for first team places when the competitive action starts.

What Celtic fans will have noticed in his limited minutes on the pitch so far is a strong physical presence and a player who is not afraid to get stuck in. That will bode well for the Ivorian going forward in the Scottish top-flight and gives the Hoops a different kind of option to the likes of Nir Bitton.

Supporters will be eager for him to feature in the upcoming friendlies to see where his progress is at ahead of the new campaign.

Liam Henderson

You get the impression that Liam Henderson is reaching a last chance saloon in terms of his Celtic future. He’s been on the fringes of the first team for years now and after loan spells at Rosenborg and Hibernian, winning trophies at both, he’s always returned to the Hoops and failed to have his managers trust him fully with regular first-team football.

He did make 13 appearances for the Bhoys last term and was not one of those sent out on loan, Brendan Rodgers clearly trusting that he is competent back-up at the club.

After the emergence of Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong as first picks in any Celtic starting eleven, maybe Henderson will be one of Rodgers’ next projects at the club.

At 21 years old it needs to happen for him so or he could find himself moving on and this summer’s friendlies is a perfect platform for him to shine and stake a claim ahead of the upcoming Champions League qualifiers.

According to reports in The Mirror, Chelsea are confident that they will win the race to sign £65m-rated Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, despite The Sun saying Liverpool are also keen.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Blues boss Antonio Conte is desperate to bring in a new centre-forward this summer after telling Diego Costa at the end of last season that he isn’t part of his plans for next term, and he has already lost out to Manchester United in the race for Romelu Lukaku.

However, The Mirror now says that the Premier League holders are in pole position to sign Aubameyang, with Borussia Dortmund in discussions with Arsenal for Olivier Giroud.

Bringing in the Gabon international would certainly be a boost for Conte following a frustrating transfer window in which they have only signed Willy Caballero and Antonio Rudiger, although Tiemoue Bakayoko is on the verge of completing his £39.7m move from Monaco.

How did Aubameyang do last season?

He enjoyed the best season of his career to date.

The 28-year-old scored 40 goals in 46 appearances for Dortmund as they won the German Cup, and the prolific campaign continued his fine record for the Bundesliga outfit since he made the move from Saint-Etienne in 2013 – the striker has netted 120 in 189 outings in total.

Would he be a good signing for Chelsea?

He certainly would be, even if he is perhaps older than Lukaku.

The 28-year-old has an abundance of pace and has shown what a prolific finisher he can be both in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League, and he is almost guaranteed to get goals for the Blues if he completes a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Will Liverpool up the ante now?

It’s difficult to say.

The Reds have already been linked with big-money moves for Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita and if they are going to continue concentrating on those deals, they may not have the cash to get Aubameyang too.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, there is no doubt that Chelsea are in desperate need of a new centre-forward and there are few better options on the current market than Aubameyang, and the Blues must get the deal over the line.

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Ronald Koeman’s side set a nice foundation for Europa League qualification with their 1-0 first leg victory over Slovakian outfit Ružomberok last week and shouldn’t struggle to make it to the group stage of the competition. Everton’s summer spending proves that they are determined to permanently break into the Premier League’s elite, and their next move should be taking the Europa League seriously.

Not to say that they aren’t currently, but a genuine run at the Europa League would do wonders for the club’s international reputation. The club have begun to attract good foreign players, such as Davy Klaassen, and need to keep their momentum going after an above average Premier League campaign instead of faltering like they did after their 5th placed 2013-14 season. Although the Europa League doesn’t carry the respect that the Champions League does, it is still a top competition and contains some of the world’s best players and clubs.

The competition also represents Everton’s best chance to get into Europe’s elite tournament, the Champions League. It is extremely difficult to see any club breaking up the league’s top six clubs unless one has a horrendous season, so finishing in the top four is almost certainly out of the question.

Manchester United did the math, focused on the Europa League and found their way into this season’s Champions League and Liverpool came ever so close by making the final two seasons ago. While Everton going all the way to the final is a lofty goal certainly, it is one that the ambitious Ronald Koeman needs to set with his squad.

International experience is priceless and provides an extra challenge to motivate the Dutchman’s squad. Playing on Thursdays isn’t ideal but it will give the club another chance to show Europe that they are capable of becoming a team ready for the rigours of being a club consistently in European competition.