The last month of the season is often referred to as the "business end." After weeks and weeks of wild speculation and the announcements of premature last rites and coronations, the league table comes into sharper focus. Fewer games, fewer possible points available -- it's now down to simple permutations and combinations that will decide the fate of teams.
Tottenham Hotspur got a sobering look at its destiny at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when it lost to Chelsea 2-1. You can chalk up the defeat to a Robert Green-worthy blunder and a controversial call by the assistant referee.
It went down in the 45th minute. Frank Lampard took a speculative shot from 35 yards. The ball was dipping, but headed right into the big mitts of keeper Gomes. Routine save, except there's no such thing with the Brazilian. As Spurs supporters well know, Gomes is capable of making spectacular reflex stops but can turn the most basic of plays into a comedy of errors.
And so it was that Lampard's ball slipped through Gomes' hands as if he'd lathered up his gloves with Crisco and dribbled through his legs. All wasn't lost, as he scrambled to stop the ball from going over the line. The assistant -- who was on the 18-yard line and therefore well behind the play and in no position to make the call -- decided to declare that Chelsea had scored. Or, as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp correctly said after the match, the assistant "guessed and he's guessed wrong."
It was a mistake, as replays showed that the entire ball did not cross the line (the litmus test as to whether it should be a goal or not). But as was the case with Green's blunder at the World Cup, referee Andre Marriner and his crew had no recourse. So the match ended up being the umpteenth ugly reminder that the game desperately needs goal-line technology.
Why can't football get its act together? The sport of tennis figured this out a long time ago, instituting Hawk-Eye to judge line calls. And, let's face it, any one point in a tennis match is typically not that significant -- and certainly nowhere near as monumental as a goal. One tally in football can make the difference between a win or a loss, and in Tottenham's case, it can also contribute to whether a club finishes in the top four and qualifies for the Champions League, which represents a financial windfall.
The sport is big business, yet the powers that be continue to show a disturbing lack of regard for getting calls correct.
To be fair, Chelsea was the better side in this match, particularly in the second half. Using its preferred 4-3-3 system, the Blues looked fluid, with a cut-and-thrust attack that eventually paid off.
Florent Malouda was clearly fouled by Younes Kaboul in the penalty box in the 68th minute -- yes, the defender got the ball but not before he hacked down Malouda. But Marriner saw nothing. Another brilliant decision.
Eventually, two minutes from stoppage time, Salomon Kalou, who came on for Fernando Torres, got on the end of a Didier Drogba pass and toe-poked home the winner. There again, Kalou was in an offside position, according to the replay.
But on the whole, you must give credit to the Blues. They've really sprung to life in the season's run-in, now having won eight of their past nine matches to pull within three points of Manchester United.
Tottenham, on the other hand, has hit a poor run of form at exactly the wrong time, drawing five and losing two of its past eight matches. In this game, aside from a brilliant no-look pass from Rafael van der Vaart to Sandro, who rifled home a wonderful goal, Spurs looked toothless up top and got bogged down in the midfield.
The referee's blunder didn't outright cost Spurs the match, of course, and just as many fingers should be pointing at Gomes for his lamentable lapse. If this defeat reinforced anything, it's that Tottenham needs a new keeper (the fact that Pat Jennings, one of Spurs' best players between the sticks, was in attendance for the match only reinforced that point) and a world-class striker, who can do better at taking advantage of the service from Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Van der Vaart.
Thing is, if Spurs don't qualify for the Champions League next season, there's a good chance one of them -- perhaps the Dutchman, since he's most accustomed to playing in Europe's elite competition -- leaves London. The games are running down, and Tottenham's chances of overtaking City are grim. Spurs take on Blackpool next week at White Hart Lane, which should be three points, then face City away, Liverpool away and Birmingham at home.
Crunch the numbers all you like -- we can now see that Spurs' chances of repeating their top-four finish is unlikely. If anything, they'll have to look in the rear-view mirror, as Liverpool can overtake Redknapp's men on goal difference with a win against Newcastle tomorrow.
Tottenham's late-season fade might just get even worse.