The Premier League top four won't change, say the bookies

Paul Okey
7 March 2022

Bukaya Saka goal vs Watford for Arsenal Mar22

Arsenal take advantage of rivals’ slip-ups to move into fourth and final Champions League spot, while Manchester City reassert themselves in title race. Is the top four a done deal?

Ladies and gentlemen we now have our Premier League top four. Arsenal's 3-2 win over Watford on Sunday coupled with defeats over the weekend for Manchester United and West Ham saw the Gunners leapfrog their Champions League rivals into fourth spot - and according to the bookies, that is where they will stay.

Mikel Arteta's side are now 4/7 with Planet Sport Bet to secure a Champions League spot, with Tottenham rated their biggest threats at 10/3. Ralf Rangnick's Red Devils, fresh from a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, are 7/2, with the Hammers, 1-0 losers against Liverpool, having drifted out to 18/1.

Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were on the mark for Arsenal at Vicarage Road to rack up a fourth successive win for Arteta's side. The Gunners are hitting form at just the right time, with seven wins coming from their last nine - only Manchester City have beaten them in that sequence.

And while the bookmakers believe they know the identity of the top four, they also appear to be fairly certain on the order, despite City boss Pep Guardiola's determination to spice up the title race by calling their six-point advantage a "fake lead".

City hardened to 1/5 for the title following the spanking of their cross-city rivals, with Liverpool, who have won their last seven Premier League games, now 16/5.

The Reds do hold a game in hand, hence Pep's anxiety, but appear to have a much trickier run-in, with Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal all to play, alongside City and a derby against Everton.

At the other end of the table, the bottom three slots also seem cut and dried, with Norwich City (1/40 to be relegated), Watford (1/7) and Burnley (8/11) all suffering costly defeats at the weekend.

Leeds (6/4) are seen as the club most in danger of being sucked into the drop zone, while Brentford gave themselves a huge boost on Saturday, with their 3/1 success at Norwich seeing their odds for the drop drift out to 4/1.