Manchester United have the chance to put their Champions League disappointment firmly behind them on Sunday when victory at Tottenham Hotspur would take them five points clear at the top of the premier league.
Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday shifted the advantage strongly towards Alex Ferguson's side, who are two points ahead.
The top two both have three games remaining and though Arsenal still have a one-goal advantage in the goal difference column, it now looks unlikely to be a factor.
Bookmakers William Hill made United 5-2 favourites for the title with Arsenal slipping to 7-4 and their fans will have the unusual experience of hoping for a Tottenham win when their most hated rivals face Ferguson's team at White Hart Lane.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed the title is still open but Saturday's result -- combined with a nasty collection of injuries that will severely stretch his resources -- means his hopes of an unprecedented double Double look fragile.
"At the moment we lack a bit of freshness. Maybe we just want to do the minimum to win games," the Frenchman said after his team had blown a 2-0 lead at the Reebok Stadium.
"We need some good results. I think we want to focus on us. It is still open but it is not in our hands.
"I don't think the pressure is telling. It was a lack of concentration -- we should not have conceded those goals."
While Wenger now needs United to slip up, his more pressing concern is getting his squad fit for home games against Leeds United next Sunday and Southampton the following Wednesday.
Centre back Sol Campbell is ruled out for the season through suspension and his natural replacement, Frenchman Pascal Cygan, limped out of Saturday's game with a calf strain.
Freddie Ljungberg and Lauren were also forced out of the match with knocks that make them unlikely to feature in either game and could even keep them out of the FA Cup final against Southampton on May 17.
"They were put out by bad tackles, they could be out for a while," said Wenger, who will be desperately hoping that England centre back Martin Keown suffers no reaction to his tight hamstring after being forced to replace Cygan on Saturday.
Cygan, much-improved in recent weeks, would be a bad loss as neither Igor Stepanovs or Oleg Luzhny have looked reliable in the middle of the defence.
Arsenal's final game is away to already-relegated Sunderland on May 11 but by then the league could be gone, leaving just the FA Cup as their target.
United know they have a glorious chance to reclaim the title with games against Tottenham, Charlton Athletic (home) and Everton (away) to come.
Spurs are dribbling towards the close of another disappointing season, though they always retain the ability to produce a good performance out of the blue.
In the corresponding fixture last season they raced into a 3-0 halftime lead only to lose 5-3.
Spurs boss Hoddle, with his future under scrutiny, has demanded more support from the home crowd, who have turned on him and the players during some woeful recent performances.
"It's no good people turning on individuals, it's very unhelpful and totally negative," he wrote in his programme notes for Sunday's game.
"We have to produce a performance that warrants eight or nine out of 10 because they are going for the championship."
But with Tottenham's already-slim chance of a UEFA Cup place just about disappearing with wins for Everton and Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, they do not look well-placed to do Arsenal an unlikely favour.
United manager Alex Ferguson will still be seething at seeing another Champions League campaign brought up short by the midweek exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
The Scot will, therefore, be determined to grab the advantage he now has in the league to avoid a second successive season without any silverware.
