LONDON // It has been one of the most unpredictable, enthralling and perhaps unfathomable seasons in living memory, but surely the 2010 Premier League title race has seen its final twist after Chelsea returned to the top with only two games to go following an outstanding performance against Stoke at Stamford Bridge.
At times during the campaign, it has appeared as though nobody wanted to win the title, but Carlo Ancelotti's side finally seized the initiative with a 7-0 victory that was ruthless, exhilarating and potentially definitive.
The result, secured by a hat-trick from unsung hero Salomon Kalou, two goals from the ever-consistent Frank Lampard and one each from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda, means Chelsea go into the final two matches of the season one point ahead of United and with an eight-goal superior goal difference.
In fact, it could all be over next Sunday if Chelsea win against Liverpool at Anfield and United fail to follow suit at Sunderland.
No wonder Ancelotti was delighted as he assessed his team's performance and their title hopes.
"The most important thing is the destiny is in our hands. I am very calm, very quiet because our destiny is ours. We are very close," he said. "I know if we win two games we are champions and I am very happy. There was a bit of pressure on us before the game but from the beginning the team was focused and produced a fantastic performance."
The prospect of a title showdown at Anfield against a Liverpool side who desperately need victory to remain in contention for fourth place is a mouth-watering one and on yesterday's form Chelsea will go into it as favourites.
"We have scored a lot of goals this season in the Premier League. But it won't come down to goal difference to decide it," added Ancelotti. "There will be one team that arrives in first place and another who arrives in second place.
"It will be very difficult at Liverpool. But it is in our hands. Liverpool are a fantastic team still going for fourth place. It's ours to lose."
They may have collapsed to defeat at Tottenham only a week ago following an inexplicably poor performance, but they played like champions against Stoke and were convincing victors just 24 hours after title rivals United had beaten Spurs at Old Trafford.
True, Stoke had the misfortune of losing Abdoulaye Faye, their captain, to injury after only nine minutes and their goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen before half-time.
But Chelsea were rampant from start to finish, prompting Stoke manager Tony Pulis to comment his side had "been murdered" and were "lucky to get nil".
Chelsea opened the scoring after 24 minutes when Didier Drogba produced a memorable piece of skill to pluck a Malouda cross-field ball out of the air with his right foot when it had appeared almost impossible to do so.
He then crossed waist-high for Kalou, recalled after being left out at Tottenham, to finish the move with a wonderful diving header.
In that moment Stoke's fate was sealed and when Kalou doubled his team's lead seven minutes later, sliding in two-footed to score from close range after Sorensen had saved a Lampard shot, it was about how many Chelsea would score.
Long gone are the days when the London club would shut up shop at 2-0 and look to rest key players - Ancelotti has a different approach and his team went for the jugular.
It was 3-0 shortly before half-time when Lampard scored from the spot, a slightly fortuitous award after Kalou was rugby-tackled by Robert Huth outside the area.
But there was nothing lucky about the remaining strikes as Chelsea romped to a victory that sent out a real message to Alex Ferguson's United.
Kalou made it 4-0, completing his first hat-trick for Chelsea when he scored at the second attempt past Asmir Begovic, the substitute keeper, after 68 minutes.
Lampard then produced a clever finish with the wrong side of his foot from a Hutchinson cross before late goals from Sturridge and Malouda - who also had a contender for miss of the season - completed an excellent night for Ancelotti's side, who now go to Anfield full of confidence next Sunday.
There is still big chance the title race could go to a final day - when Chelsea face Wigan at home and United take on Stoke at Old Trafford. But one thing is certain, Ancelotti's men are in pole position.
sports@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
Wolves 2 (Traore 80', 90 4')
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Match info
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Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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