Gyokeres Can Send Arsenal Six Clear, But First Comes Fulham

It's a glorious stretch of football with matches spanning Friday night through to Bank Holiday Monday evening – though you'd probably be better served watching the snooker. Still, we've stuck to the traditional Saturday and Sunday fare, and there's plenty to get excited about.

The Main Event: United Host Liverpool

Manchester United versus Liverpool doesn't need much selling, though this fixture carries an unusual flavour. Both sides sit comfortably in the Champions League places, neither harbours title ambitions this season, and both reckon things will be different next year – a belief that's probably optimistic at best.

Yet this remains one of football's great rivalries, and if it mirrors the October reverse fixture when Harry Maguire's dramatic goal secured a 2-1 win at Anfield, nobody will complain about the lack of stakes. That victory was stunning at the time, but few imagined United would be looking down on the defending champions come May.

The intrigue lies deeper than usual. With both safely in the top five, the real battle could determine sixth place – and here's the twist: if Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, sixth earns a Champions League berth. It's genuinely unclear who that sixth team will be or which result helps them most. A Liverpool victory probably serves them best.

Spurs' Desperate Plight

Roberto De Zerbi's first month at Tottenham has been a baptism by fire. Guglielmo Vicario, Mohammed Kudus, Cristian Romero, Pape Sarr, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, and Xavi Simons represent just the season-ending injuries De Zerbi has inherited. Spurs hardly deserve sympathy for their self-inflicted chaos, but the manager has certainly experienced the full Spursy experience in record time.

He did guide them to a Premier League victory after a ghastly 118-day drought. Whether that scruffy win at relegated Wolves – where they created next to nothing and lost two more key players – represents a turning point remains questionable. The Brighton fixture beforehand offered glimpses of something better, something different. Wolves? It resembled the dying days of Thomas Frank or the entire Igor Tudor era.

Perhaps one goal rolling in off the backside is all Spurs needed. Maybe a run is coming. But Villa await on Sunday evening following their Europa League semi-final exertions, and by then Spurs could be five points adrift of West Ham with the last-chance saloon looming.

Iraola and Glasner's Farewell Tour

Bournemouth and Crystal Palace serve up a curious spectacle at the Vitality: two managers departing at season's end. Oliver Glasner's exit stems from frustration with his position, while Andoni Iraola appears destined for bigger things.

Remarkably, Palace have engineered a turnaround that looked impossible when Marc Guehi departed and Glasner announced his exit. Back in January, they were just a point above Spurs. Now they're within reach of continental silverware – an extraordinary send-off for their departing boss.

Iraola hasn't those prizes to pursue, but Bournemouth's rise to seventh, just a point from sixth and Champions League qualification, ranks equally stunning. Both managers can reflect on astonishing achievements with clubs unaccustomed to such heights, though Iraola appears more likely to attract the elite's attention this summer.

Gyokeres: The Man Arsenal Need

Arsenal face Fulham on Saturday evening with a chance to move six points clear – but they must actually win first. A six-point gap carries scoreboard pressure even for Pep Guardiola at this stage.

Viktor Gyokeres could prove decisive. His midweek performance against Atletico Madrid showcased everything Arsenal require: running at defences, holding possession, involving teammates, doing the unglamorous work against Simeone's dark masters, drawing fouls, and converting penalties. It might represent his best display in an Arsenal shirt, and that's saying something for a striker who's still only occasionally resembled the all-action force Mikel Arteta envisioned.

Wednesday showed he's capable of it. If he can deliver similar performances, six points clear – and potentially a spectacular title finish – remains entirely possible.

Championship Drama: Ipswich's Moment

The Football League final day delivers proper late-season theatre. Coventry are effectively up, but Ipswich (81 points), Millwall (80 points), and Middlesbrough (79 points) battle for the final promotion spot.

Ipswich hold the advantage: beat mid-table QPR – who've lost their last three – and promotion is theirs. Millwall must overcome already-relegated Oxford and hope both rivals slip. Middlesbrough's task borders on impossible: win at Wrexham and pray for dual miracles.

Three promotions and a relegation in four seasons would cap an impressive recovery for a club that spent 17 straight years in the second tier earlier this century.

El Clasico Build-Up

Barcelona face Osasuna on Saturday knowing that victory keeps the title race alive for one more week. Real Madrid then travel to Espanyol needing a win to maintain mathematical hope.

Next weekend's El Clasico could deliver delicious scenarios: Barcelona clinching the title and forcing Real Madrid to contemplate whether to offer a guard of honour, or both teams matching results, leaving Barcelona needing only a draw to crown champions.