Alan Hansen's column

It is still all to play for in the Premier League title race and battle for fourth spot

By Alan Hansen BBC Sport football expert

The race for the Premier League title and the battle for that coveted fourth spot both look a little clearer following a couple of significant results over the weekend, with Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively, now firmly in pole position.
Manchester United's draw at Blackburn was a big result for title rivals Chelsea, while City's defeat of Birmingham underlined their push for fourth and that last Champions League spot.
However, there are plenty of big games to come - not least in the coming week - and nothing this season has been straightforward.
Chelsea are definitely in the driving seat in the push for the title. Carlo Ancelotti's men have some breathing space now and that is significant at this stage of the season.
With games running out, it is all about pressure at the back end of a campaign, and United and Arsenal have stuttered in applying that pressure in recent weeks.
If, as you'd expect, they beat Bolton on Tuesday, the Blues will be four points clear with just four matches left and they would have to falter considerably to miss out on the title. Theirs is the position you would want to be in right now, no question.
But you've not won anything until you have the medal in your hand and Chelsea have still got to go and finish the job off, which is never ever easy.

THE TITLE RACE - THE RUN-IN CHELSEA 12 Apr Bolton (h) 17 Apr Tottenham (a) 25 Apr Stoke (h) 1 May Liverpool (a) 9 May Wigan (h) MAN UTD 17 Apr Man City (a) 25 Apr Tottenham (h) 1 May Sunderland (a) 9 May Stoke (h) ARSENAL 14 Apr Tottenham (a) 18 Apr Wigan (a) 24 Apr Man City (h) 1 May Blackburn (a) 9 May Fulham (h)

The Londoners have topped the table on several occasions already this season but each and every time they have let it slip. Who's to say they won't do it again.
After a long, hard season, when the pressure is on and teams are out to beat you because you're a big team pushing for the title, it is easy to drop points when you shouldn't. I don't expect anything in the run-in to work out simply. Teams are going to drop points here and there.
Chelsea, for example, have what I consider to be a tough game away at Tottenham on Saturday and they still have a trip to Liverpool to negotiate too - neither of those are foregone conclusions by any stretch and any slip-up would leave the door ajar for the chasing pack to exploit.
To take advantage and keep the pressure on, both Manchester United and Arsenal have to keep winning.
For Manchester United, that means beating cross-town rivals City on Saturday morning. Lose that, and their title push is definitely all over.
But win it, and Chelsea go into their match at Tottenham later that day knowing their league lead is back down to a point and the pressure is back on.
Then it is a question of whether Chelsea can handle the pressure. In the run-in everything is tense, everything is edgy - and when that is the case anything can happen, no doubt about it.
Beat City and it is still tough for United to regain the title, but you have to think they can go on and win their remaining games as well. That would make things very interesting.

Whoever comes out on top will not have won the title in my mind - the others have lost it

Arsenal, like United, have to try and gain maximum points from now until the end of the season. However, for all the talk about their run-in being the easiest, that is a very tall order.
To start with, they must travel to Tottenham on Wednesday and that is a hard game.
Spurs have ambitions of their own and against their fierce rivals, and smarting on the back of their semi-final defeat by Portsmouth, they could prove really tough opposition at White Hart Lane.
Anything less than a win is a disaster for Arsenal.
Even if they win, though, they still have to host Manchester City as well as travel to Blackburn, who have a formidable home record. Chelsea and Manchester United have both been denied victory there, and Ewood Park is a notoriously difficult place for Arsenal to go.

606: DEBATE I can see a few more twists and turns before any blue or red ribbons are tied on the Premier League trophy Always_a_Gunner

So you have to say Arsene Wenger's men have it all to do to maintain a title push.
Whoever comes out on top, though, will not have won the title in my mind - the others have lost it.
The top three are just not as strong as they were last season. The fact they have lost more games than in previous campaigns underlines this, as does their lack of success in the Champions League.
In previous seasons English clubs have dominated the latter stages - this season the Premier League does not have a single representative in the last four.
And all of the top three have had chances to go and win the title at one stage or another, only to then falter.
It is around this time that one team will stand out as deserved winners, a team that you could highlight as having been fantastic all season, bar maybe a blip or two - but there just isn't a team like that at the moment.
Another reason behind the top sides' number of defeats is the increased quality of those teams just behind them in the table - and the race for the fourth spot is still very much on.
There is little argument that it is Manchester City's position to lose at the moment.

RACE FOR FOURTH - THE RUN-IN MAN CITY 17 Apr Man Utd (h) 24 Apr Arsenal (a) 1 May Aston Villa (h) 5 May Tottenham (h) 9 May West Ham (a) TOTTENHAM 14 Apr Arsenal (h) 17 Apr Chelsea (h) 24 Apr Man Utd (a) 1 May Bolton (h) 5 May Man City (a) 9 May Burnley (a) LIVERPOOL 19 Apr West Ham (h) 25 Apr Burnley (a) 1 May Chelsea (h) 9 May Hull (a) ASTON VILLA 14 Apr Everton (h) 18 Apr Portsmouth (a) 21 Apr Hull (a) 25 Apr Birmingham (h) 1 May Man City (a) 9 May Blackburn (h)

They are coming into the run-in on the back of a couple of big wins that have moved them clear of the chasing pack and that ascendency could be vital.
They have three out of five fixtures to come at home and with their home record that is significant and, simply put, with the squad of players they have thanks to the owner's massive investment, they clearly have the personnel to see it home.
Roberto Mancini is reported to have had the odd problem, but at the end of the day it is all about the players and their strength in depth is unquestioned.
The warning signs are there for the rest of the league, and if City do grab that fourth spot they will only be better and stronger next season with the resources they have at hand.
But, like Chelsea, nothing is guaranteed in this league until it is mathematically done and dusted.
Liverpool, admittedly, look a long way back now, while Aston Villa are starting to falter at exactly the wrong time.
But all is certainly not lost for Tottenham. Yes, they have a tough run-in, with their next three matches against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Ordinarily, you would say if they could get five points from those matches they would be ecstatic but even that might not be enough if City continue their winning streak.
However, I can certainly see them causing problems for Arsenal and Chelsea at home this week and much may depend on their trip to Manchester City on 1 May.
City themselves have some tough games coming up, with a fired-up Manchester United on Saturday, a trip to Arsenal, and matches against Aston Villa and West Ham - who have plenty to play for - on the agenda and, like the front-runners, City have had their lapses this season.
So I make it all to play for - and this week will, undoubtedly, have a big say on the issues at and near the top of the table.
Alan Hansen was talking to BBC Sport's Sam Lyon.
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