Leaking goals and tears in similar amounts - nobody who witnessed the scenes from Selhurst Park Monday could not have a sense of sympathy for Liverpool as the title slipped from their grasp. Their misery completed 24-hours later as the Etihad was reminded yet again why, for many, Yaya Toure and not Luis Suarez is the player of the year this season. Falling at a final fence is a BPL curse which has quivered the bottom lip of even Sir Alex Ferguson previously. Most famously, 2 years ago when added time heroics ensured the name Manchester City was etched onto the famous trophy for a first time. With just West Ham standing in the way, Manchester City appear the overwhelming favourites of securing a second title in three years. Not so fast. West Ham has gatecrashed a BPL parade previously. Before the top tier of English football turned into the global juggernaut it has now become, a bus parked by West Ham in the final match of the 1994/95 season denied Manchester United the title as the teams played out a 1-1 draw. With United denied the win, it was Blackburn managed by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish who won the league. Even after they suffered defeat at the hands of his old club on the final day of the season. After waking up this morning to the headlines he would be fired, West Hams much maligned Sam Allardyce, who just a few weeks ago witnessed his own fans turn on him following their win over Hull, will be chomping at the bit to prove his naysayers wrong and end the season on a winning note. Its not like West Ham has not got form this season when it comes to destroying the plans of top clubs. Jose Mourinho branding their football as 19th Century following a dire Stamford Bridge stalemate back in January. With the relegation places all decided and handed out to teams who believed a managerial change was needed to inject survival into their BPL life, all attention Sunday will be on the Etihad and Anfield. Brendan Rogers put his best brave face on earlier today at his pre-match press conference when he emphatically stated the title race was not over. With not a hint of irony on his face, Rodgers singled out Andy Carroll, a player he immediately discarded after taking over at Anfield in summer 2013, as Manchester Citys destroyer. Its not known if it was Rodgers who addressed the Liverpool dressing room in the aftermath of the Selhurst Park devastation. It may well have been Dr. Steven Peters the renowned psychiatrist who Steven Gerrard credited recently as saving his career following an injury the Liverpool captain suffered in 2010. Drafted in by Roy Hodgson as part of Englands backroom staff for the World Cup, Peters has been working with Liverpool since last fall. He is widely credited with the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of Luis Suarez this season. Stevens theory holds that the secret to success is in effective management of our "Inner Chimp" - that emotive part of the brain which affects our ability to make rational choices and decisions. Manuel Pellegrini likely didnt have full control of his inner chimp when he proclaimed shortly after Wednesdays Aston Villa triumph, "Of course I expect to win the title because now we are top of the table." Being top of the table has been a poisoned chalice all season long. Manchester City leapfrogging Liverpool was the 25th such change at the top since opening day last August. Arsenal has spent the longest period on top, followed by Chelsea, then Liverpool. Manchester City has spent less than two weeks at the BPL summit. Remarkably, if just for 48-hours, even David Moyes experienced top-spot euphoria. As Liverpool still has a remote chance of been crowned champions come noon hour on the east coast Sunday, very early in the morning the Premier League trophy will arrive at Anfield. En route it is not likely going to drive past the homes of Luis Suarez or Steven Gerrard. Much folly and merriment has been made of Gerrards slip allowing for Demba Ba to score Chelseas opener a fortnight ago. Video and images of which, could shadow and stalk the Liverpool captain the remainder of his playing days and after. With the curtain about to come down on a season which has had more twists and turns than a John La Carré best seller - there is no player more deserving of a winners medal than Gerrard. Even Ferguson, who we learned earlier in the season had less than complimentary words for Gerrard in his autobiography, will likely be cheering for Liverpool under his breath and that a quiet hush comes over his old noisy neighbour Sunday. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel On Sunday, beginning with a pre-game show on TSN 2 at 9:30am et / 6:30am pt TSN, TSN Radio and TSN.ca has you fully covered for the exciting BPL season finale. Wholesale White Sox Jerseys .com) - The Utah Jazz look to put an end to their five-game losing streak when the Denver Nuggets visit Salt Lake City Monday night. Red Faber White Sox Jersey . After seven wins in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the playoffs. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/3324e-ron-santo-jersey-white-sox.html . Best has been bothered by concussion problems and hasnt played since Oct. 16, when the Lions lost to San Francisco. After starting 5-0, Detroit has lost four of six, beginning with that game against the 49ers. Aaron Bummer Jersey . Nix is a career .218 hitter in 425 games over six seasons. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 with a homer this spring for Tampa Bay. Hoyt Wilhelm Jersey . After Mariota was pushed around by Stanford on Thursday, finishing 20/34 with 250 yards and two touchdowns in Oregons Title hope-crushing defeat, hes going to need a poor performance or two from the remaining frontrunners to have a shot at the most coveted individual trophy in college sports.ST. PAUL, Minn. - If the Minnesota Wild are going to bounce back from another December swoon, theyll need Darcy Kuemper to return to his early season form.Kyle Brodziak, Jared Spurgeon and Mikko Koivu scored, Kuemper made 34 saves, and the Minnesota Wild beat the short-handed Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Friday.Its been a tough little stretch there, but the break was good, said Kuemper, who started the season 6-2 with three shutouts before struggling in December. I definitely feel like Im in a better place mentally right now.After Cody Fransons 5-on-3 goal tied it at 1 early in the third period, Spurgeon unloaded a slap shot from the right circle to beat goalie Jonathan Bernier and score his first goal in 18 games with 12:17 to play.Less than 2 minutes later, Koivu scored on the power play to make it 3-1 and give Minnesota its first home win in its past five games.We gave up a 5-on-3 goal there and we couldve said at that moment, Oh, here we go again, Wild coach Mike Yeo said. But its just one play, either end of the ice. I think that we had that mentality and, more importantly, we executed it. Thats what we need going forward.Brodziak tipped in a pass from Charlie Coyle at 10:14 of the second to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.Earlier in the second, the Leafs appeared to score, but Mike Santorellis goal was waived off after the officials huddled and determined that David Clarkson made contact with Kuemper in the crease.Obviously from our standpoint and watching the video, he was pushed from behind by Jared Spurgeon, Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. Obviously, they saw it different. You dont win those ones. Once they make the call, it is what it is.Toronto, the NHLs highest-scoring team at 3.29 goalls per game, played without forwards Joffrey Lupul, Peter Holland and Nazem Kadri.dddddddddddd The three veterans have totalled 57 points this season and were hurt in Torontos shootout win over Boston on Wednesday.James van Riemsdyk, Torontos second-leading scorer, left the game bleeding after taking a puck to the face late in the third, but returned for his final shift.We played a pretty solid game on the road, said Bernier, who had 26 saves. We didnt find a way to score more goals and that was the bottom line. I think we killed too many penalties there.Minnesota went 4-8 in December and fell to 11th in the Western Conference. The Wild had a similar slump last December, but went 23-10-7 in the new year to reach the playoffs.Theyre off to a good start in 2015.It was huge, centre Erik Haula said. You look at the standings, just like last year, we got to just keep that going like we did, that we keep playing our best hockey when our backs are against the wall. We were able to do that.Having Kuemper playing as he did in October is what the Wild need if theyre going to put together a run. Since returning from the Christmas break, Kuemper has stopped 85 of 90 shots over three games.Biggest think with Kuemps right now is hes gotta build, Yeo said.NOTES: Lupul (lower body) and Holland (upper body) were back in Toronto for further evaluation. Kadri, who stayed in the game and scored a shootout goal Wednesday, made the trip to Minnesota, but was scratched and is also expected to miss Saturdays game in Winnipeg with a lower-body injury. ... With LW Brett Sutter out (illness) and LW Jason Zucker missing his fourth game with an illness, Minnesota recalled C Tyler Graovac from AHL Iowa. ' ' '