As the curtains sweep aside the dust of yet another eventful English Premier League season, along with it go the familiar faces of the now relegated.

Blackpool

Some things are just not meant to be. The Tangerines have undoubtedly been one of the most entertaining sides of the 2010-2011 season, scoring 55 goals, equal to 5th placed Tottenham. Unfortunately a strong attack needs a stronger defence, which Ian Holloway, much like Arsene Wenger, has been forced to accept with much regret.

Blackpool weren’t given the most comfortable of hands having to face the league title winners Manchester United for their last attempt at top-flight survival. Blackpool expectantly came out of the gates steaming with two great chances to rescue their Premier League campaign and it’s no surprise that both were delivered by Charlie Adam. Keith Southern fired wide within the first 30 seconds and only minutes later saw Gary Taylor-Fletcher miss a toenail touch which surely would have gained them a great start.

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Some fans have an abundance to chant about, others are simply content with the progress their teams have made and then there are the unfortunate fans. The one’s who will be watching their football on the ‘extra’ channels next season. The one’s who’ll be wearing jackets over their replica strip, avoiding heated debates and group banter in fear of being ridiculed for their now subdued support.

As the English Premier League season reaches 2 games till end and all the focus is on the top of the league table and what has looked like the position changing of a MotoGP, I thought I’d pay some attention to the table’s ‘Red Zone’. The last men standing.

Blackpool

Every season it seems that there is one team who climbs up out of the Championship gravel pit and comes slashing their way through the Premiership with immense vigor and bloodthirsty determination. Every season, that respective team also seems to come up a little short when the pressure of the league intensifies.

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Arsenal defeated Blackpool 1 – 3 at Bloomfield Road to close the gap between them and English Premier League log leaders Manchester United by seven points.

Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue put Arsenal into a commanding position at Bloomfield Road but Gary Taylor-Fletcher replied as relegation-threatened Blackpool played for their top-flight lives.

Taylor-Fletcher felt he was denied a penalty but Robin van Persie made victory safe for Arsenal after 76 minutes.

The afternoon started in dramatic fashion as Almunia injured his knee in the warm-up and manager Arsene Wenger was forced to turn to 41-year-old Lehmann.

It was an unexpected 200th appearance in a Gunners jersey for the German, who was recently coaxed out of retirement to provide emergency cover in the title run-in.

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Frank Lampard scored twice and captain John Terry first to inspire Chelsea to a 1 – 3 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Monday night to keep the Blues’ title hopes afloat.

Skipper Terry, 30, opened the scoring with a first-half header before vice-captain Lampard, 32, ended relegation-threatened Blackpool’s resistance with two goals in the second period, one a penalty.

Jason Puncheon, who hit the post for the home team in the first half, pulled a goal back with four minutes to go when he drilled a low left-footed shot into the corner of the net.

Chelsea are fourth in the table with 51 points from 28 matches. They have a game in hand on leaders Manchester United (60 points) and visit the Old Trafford side later in the season.

“I don’t think we were at our best today. At times we were a bit sloppy but luckily with a bit of quality up front we won it,” Lampard told Sky Sports.

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Manchester United came back from 2 – 0 down to beat Blackpool 2 – 3 and move five points clear at the top of the table.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had gone 27 league matches without losing, a run stretching back to their 2-1 defeat against Chelsea in April last season.

But that sequence looked in danger as goals from former United defender Craig Cathcart and striker DJ Campbell put the Seasiders 2-0 up at half-time.

Blackpool could have had a penalty when Luke Varney was bundled over by Rafael da Silva early in the second half.

But United finally got one back when in-form Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov volleyed home Darren Fletcher’s cross in the 72nd minute.

Mexican striker Javier Hernandez, on for the lacklustre Wayne Rooney, equalised when he ran onto a Ryan Giggs pass and slotted past Richard Kingson in the 74th minute.

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Kenny Dalglish still haven’t been able to deliver in his new job as Blackpool beat Liverpool 2-1 at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday to complete a remarkable Premier League double over the 18-times champions.

The victory lifted Blackpool to ninth with 28 points while Liverpool, who brought in interim appointment Dalglish on Saturday to replace Roy Hodgson, are 13th on 25 after their eighth defeat in 11 away games.

Having seen Liverpool fall behind within two minutes of his first game in charge as they lost 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday, Dalglish had the opposite experience as he was on his feet cheering three minutes into Wednesday’s game.

The impressive Martin Kelly slipped a pass into the path of Fernando Torres and the Spaniard looked just like his old self as he lashed in a shot from a tight angle.

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Liverpool were stunned by newly promoted Blackpool at Anfield on Sunday by losing 2 – 1 and are now lingering in the relegation zone at the bottom of the table.

Meanwhile champions Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table to four points with a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge that cast fresh doubt on their London rivals’ bid to a mount a title challenge.

In the day’s other match, big spenders Manchester City leapfrogged Manchester United into second place after a 2-1 win at home to Newcastle.

But all eyes were on Anfield, where Blackpool won for the first time since 1967 to leave Liverpool with just one win in the league from seven games so far this season.

Charlie Adam fired Blackpool into a 29th-minute lead from the penalty spot before Luke Varney scored what proved to be the Tangerines’ winner on the stroke of half-time.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos ran on to head in Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard’s 53rd-minute free-kick to give the Reds hope.

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