Is the Premier League now a two-horse race for the title?

Mauricio Pochettino the manager of Spurs reacts as Claudio Ranieri the manager of Leicester City looks on.

Premier League leaders Leicester City capitalised on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal’s stalemate this weekend to extend their lead at the top to five points with nine games remaining. Third-placed Arsenal find themselves eight points adrift in the title-race, so is the league crown now just between Leicester and Tottenham?

No lull from Leicester

City are leading the way with 60 points from 29 games, and are coming off the back of four wins from their last six. The Foxes have maintained their impressive form all the way through the season without much of a lull, and they have a great chance to maintain their lead at the top in the next few weeks.

Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are three of their four games to come in the Premier League which will give Leicester a great chance to continue adding to their points tally. In 2016, City have remained as strong as they were in the first half of the season, beating Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City this year, so manager Claudio Ranieri is still getting the best from his squad.

Tottenham slowly making up the ground

Tottenham are breathing down their neck in second-place, and have made up four points on Leicester in their last 12 games to narrow the deficit. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have the best defence in the Premier League, and are on-par with Leicester and Manchester City for goals. They frequently cover the most ground in games, and have suffered just four defeats all season. The table certainly doesn’t lie, and Spurs have been the best team in the league after Leicester.

The difference between the two sides is extra games due to continental competitions. Tottenham are still running deep in the Europa League this season and have two last-16 games to come in March would could infringe on their domestic duties. Pochettino has already said he won’t rest a lot of players for the title-race which could be detrimental in the end, but music in the ears of Leicester City.

The Foxes only have the Premier League to worry about, and they have sizeable rest days in between fixtures which will make for better game preparations. City know their next four games will give the biggest indication of how their season will end up, and the weaker opposition could be key. Leicester City are 5/4 to win this season’s Premier League title , but they still have plenty of work to do. Nevertheless, it appears Tottenham are to be their only challengers now with Arsenal so far off top spot.

So is the Premier League now a two-horse race for the title?