Thanks to missed chances, bad luck and (most surprisingly of all) Craig Dawson, Tottenham Hotspur look set to miss out on the Premier League title.
The North Londoners have 69 points from 35 games, and an impressive goal difference means four points from their final three games should be enough to secure a top-two finish.
But perhaps Mauricio Pochettino’s men should be grateful to even be that high in the table.
Here’s how that points tally would have left them in previous campaigns.
2014/15
After 35 games last season, Chelsea had the title sewn up and were killing time before Cesc Fabregas got his chance to punt a ball 30 yards at Chris Brunt.
Man City and Arsenal were both 13 points back after the first weekend of May, and the Gunners had a game in hand, and both had one more point than Spurs do now.
2013/14
69 points wouldn’t even have been enough for a top four spot at this stage in the 2013/14 campaign.
That’s the tally boasted by Everton in Roberto Martinez’s first season in charge, with Liverpool top with 80 points after a run of one defeat in 17 – the same run Leicester find themselves on now.
2012/13
Second-placed Manchester City were one win better off in the 2012/13 campaign than Spurs are now, and even then they weren’t a lock for a top two finish.
Third-placed Arsenal were five points back, with Chelsea – in fourth – a further two behind but with a game in hand. It’s safe to say Spurs wouldn’t have been as comfortable as they are now with 69 points.
2011/12
Last time Spurs finished in the top four, 69 points was their end-of-season tally.
With the two Manchester clubs fighting tooth-and-nail for the title, 69 points from 35 games would have left Tottenham a distant third. They’d have had a better goal difference than Arsenal, though.
2010/11
2010/11 is the only season in the last five where the league leaders had fewer points than Leicester at this stage in the run-in.
Eventual champions Manchester United had a mere 73 points, with Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea just a win away from the lead. 69 points would have left Spurs third, but still in with a decent chance of glory.
So, while Spurs might be disappointed to fall short of their first top-flight title in more than half a century, it’s worth them taking a step back and noting that in other circumstances they might not even have been in the race.
