Quartet gear up for final assault

Four teams, two Champions League places up for grabs.

The weekend results mean just six points separate Chelsea in third and Everton in sixth. Sunday was an opportunity missed for David Moyes’ side as Gylfi Sigurdsson’s late goal at White Hart Lane denied the Toffees — who have played a game less — a victory that would have reduced the gap between them and Tottenham to three points. Phil Jagielka scored Everton’s first goal in the 2-2 draw and the defender admits his side need favours from elsewhere to gatecrash the Champions League party.

“We know we need a lot of help from teams around us, either taking points off each other or a shock result coming in. But we’ll take that,” Jagielka said.

Toffees striker Victor Anichebe added: “We just need to keep plugging away, win as many games as we can, and we’ll be in and around it. We’re not far off now. ”

While Tottenham will have been grateful to grabbed a point late on, Andre Villas-Boas side have taken just four points from a possible 12 since a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the start of last month appeared to signal a changing of the north London guard.

Tottenham have since lost to Liverpool and Fulham and drawn with Basle in the Europa League and Sunday’s draw means Arsenal are now just two points behind with a game in hand. A late season collapse saw the Gunners pip Tottenham to a Champions League spot last season and Clint Dempsey feels the possibility of history repeating itself is making for a tense atmosphere at White Hart Lane.

“That’s the way it’s kind of been the last few games at home. It’s been tense. I’ve felt like that’s how the atmosphere has been,” the American said.

“You’ve got to play. You’ve got to keep going and do everything you can to help the team. The race for a top-four finish will be a fight to the end.”

The fixture list, however, has not been kind to Tottenham. Chelsea’s involvement in the FA Cup semi-final means their game against Tottenham, scheduled originally for next Sunday, has been postponed to a yet to be determined date with first week of May looking the most likely date.

By the time Tottenham are next in league action at home to Manchester City Sunday week, Arsenal could be seven points in front if they take full points from home games against Norwich and Everton and a away game at Fulham.

George Graham managed both Arsenal and Tottenham and believes the Gunners will finish higher.

“I fancy Arsenal,” Graham said.

“I didn’t earlier in the season but now they’re favourites and could maybe even end up third. Arsene Wenger has been under a lot of pressure and criticism this season, some of it is justified, but when it comes to the run in at the end of the season he’s been fantastic. They’re not the Arsenal of old but they’re picking up important points.”

Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Sunderland on Sunday saw them climb to third and manager Rafael Benitez acknowledges winning is the name of the game at this stage in the season.

“We knew that we had to win and especially because they (Tottenham and Arsenal) will continue winning,” Benitez said. “The main thing for me is the big picture, so keep calm. We have a good team, if we perform at our level we can win against anyone. You have some bad games and good games but it will be the same for them. We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the quarter-finals of the Europa League and third in the Premier League. We’re fulfilling our objectives.”